TaxProTalk.com

I have a client who left her full time job to become a Tesla blogger.

She asked me if she could deduct part of the cost of the Tesla since she is blogging about it and using it for videos and so forth. I told her she could deduct the standard mileage she does for her videos.

Have you encounter a situation like this where someone is deducting a product she/he is reviewing? I don't have all the information yet, but I thought I would start investigating.

Thank you for your help

Does Tesla pay her? Does anyone pay her? Is it a hobby? https://casetext.com/case/pingel-v-commr and https://www.leagle.com/decision/intco20120419c86 (less relevant)

Lalva wrote:I told her she could deduct the standard mileage she does for her videos.

How do you calculate that? Only for the miles driven while the camera is recording something that makes it into the production blog? Or from start of trip to end of trip, no matter for how many of those miles the camera may have been on "pause"?

makbo, I would say the entire trip if it is solely for review purposes.

Noobie, wouldn't that just be a waste of electricity? Why shouldn't she be less wasteful and multitask -- perhaps evaluating her vehicle while she drives it to the supermarket, or Carl's Jr., or while visiting relatives? I'm sure her readership would be more interested in the car being used on the way to the supermarket or Carl's Jr than how it is just sitting in the driveway.