work/car tax question

I drive over 7k miles/yr for work and get compensated the fed. rate of $.55/mile for it.

I've heard for several subcontractors, who have similar situations, that the $.55/mile only covers the actual travel miles; and does not compensate for using your car as a field vehicle to transport relatively heavy equipment (leaky coolers, several deep cycle batteries, soil/air sampling equipment, etc) and the wear/damage that results.

Apparently it's common practice to save car cleaning receipts and include them on taxes (mine total around $150), even though I've already been compensated for the fed. mile rate, and would not be itemizing...

Valid or not?...

Per information from the IRS website, the mileage rate covers "depreciation or lease payments, maintenance and repairs, tires, gasoline (including all taxes thereon), oil, insurance, and license and registration fees." So, car cleaning would not be covered and presumably depreciation from accelerated wear is not covered either.

I wish you could claim commuter miles, I would a $16k deduction just from that=/
iirc from doing my taxes a couple days ago, if you aren't itemizing and are getting compensated from work already, you're gonna be better off taking the individual standard deduction of 5800, or 11600 for a couple filing jointly, and they have more added per kid, etc etc.
I had a lot to itemize and it still ended up being better to just go with the standard deduction.

I am still working on my taxes. I did them last month, then instead of sending off a check, figured I'd come back to them when it gets closer to April 15th and see if I can't figure out something that I missed the first time in hopes of writing a smaller check.

In reply to stuart in mn:

Yep. If you get the $.55/mile, then you can't claim as unreimbursed expenses.

I traveled 14,000+ business miles this past 12 months. A lot of my trips are miles to the airport.

I was hoping this Runzheimer Plan would be better.

The default .55 is the quick and easy.

Want to claim repairs and such? you have to itemize the vehicle expenses.

Most folk go with the default because it's easy.