Itemizing Medical Miles

I've spent many, many hours gathering figures for taxes and putting them into the computer. I use Quicken for much of this process because it generates reports by category. I also use spreadsheets on Google Docs to track mileage because I already used a spreadsheet there to track medical expenses and insurance reimbursements, so I just copied that spreadsheet and entered the miles for each visit.

Is it worth adding up those miles? Well, I've accounted for over 5,260 miles so far! After all, a round-trip to see a specialist in Harrisonburg takes 72 miles, and a round-trip to Winchester takes 108 miles. At least our "regular" doctors are closer: 24 and 34 miles.

I entered 126 lines of data, which accounts for 2.4 medical visits per week. That's a lot, but it feels accurate. (This week, for example, we exceeded our average: I have 3 physical therapy appointments and 2 doctor appointments, and Frank had a dental appointment.)

It wasn't until after I totaled all our 2008 miles that I looked up the mileage rates on the IRS site. Uh, oh! It changed in the middle of the year. Now I have to insert spaces and find subtotals. Good thing that Google's spreadsheets behave like Appleworks' so I'm familiar with the math functions. Here's the IRS rule :

For 2008, the standard mileage rate for the cost of operating your car for medical reasons or as part of a deductible move is:

* 19 cents per mile for the period January 1 through June 30, 2008, and
* 27 cents per mile for the period July 1 through December 31, 2008.

Pardon my complaining about tax preparation; I know it's a dull topic. What I really should complain about is having to spend half our weekdays going to medical appointments. But that would really sound like whining.

And I won't have physical therapy 3 times a week for much longer. I've gained enough range of motion in my shoulder so that A.J. says I can switch to twice a week. This therapy is very painful so the less the better.