Employment Blog
These mileage rates apply only to those expenses incurred or paid by a taxpayer on or after January 1, 2018 (and if reimbursed by an employer, reimbursed by the employer on and after that date). Expenses incurred prior to January 1, 2018 (whether reimbursed by the employer before or after that date) are still subject to the old 2017 rates (53.5 cents for business transportation, 17 cents for medical and moving transportation). The standard mileage rate for the deduction for charitable contributions remains unchanged from 2017 at 14 cents per mile.
This change in mileage rates is relevant to employers that reimburse employees for business transportation based on mileage. While there is no legal requirement that employees be reimbursed at the IRS standard rate, many employers have a policy of doing so. As a reminder, any payments to an employee based on business travel at a rate in excess of the IRS standard rate generally is taxable income to the employee.
If you have questions regarding the above, please contact Mary Ellen Schill, the author of this article, or any of the attorneys in the Employment, Benefits & Labor Relations Practice Group of Ruder Ware.