Local Standards: Transportation

 

Disclaimer: IRS Collection Financial Standards are intended for use in calculating repayment of delinquent taxes. These Standards are effective on April 24, 2023 for purposes of federal tax administration only. Expense information for use in bankruptcy calculations can be found on the website for the U.S. Trustee Program.

Download the transportation standardsPDF in PDF format for printing. Please note that the standard amounts change, so if you elect to print them, check back periodically to assure you have the latest version.

The transportation standards for taxpayers with a vehicle consist of two parts: nationwide figures for monthly loan or lease payments referred to as ownership costs, and additional amounts for monthly operating costs. The operating costs include maintenance, repairs, insurance, fuel, registrations, licenses, inspections, parking and tolls (These standard amounts do not include personal property taxes).

Ownership Costs

The ownership costs, shown in the table below, provide the monthly allowances for the lease or purchase of up to two automobiles. A single taxpayer is normally allowed one automobile. For each automobile, taxpayers will be allowed the lesser of:

  1. the monthly payment on the lease or car loan, or
  2. the ownership costs shown in the table below.

If a taxpayer has no lease or car loan payment, the amount allowed for Ownership Costs will be $0.

Operating Costs

In addition to Ownership Costs, a taxpayer is allowed Operating Costs, by regional and metropolitan area, as shown in the table below. For each automobile, taxpayers will be allowed the lesser of:

  1. the amount actually spent monthly for operating costs, or
  2. the operating costs shown in the table below.

Public Transportation

There is a single nationwide allowance for public transportation based on Bureau of Labor Statistics expenditure data for mass transit fares for a train, bus, taxi, ferry, etc. Taxpayers with no vehicle are allowed the standard amount monthly, per household, without questioning the amount actually spent.

If a taxpayer owns a vehicle and uses public transportation, expenses may be allowed for both, provided they are needed for the health and welfare of the taxpayer or family, or for the production of income. However, the expenses allowed would be actual expenses incurred for ownership costs, operating costs and public transportation, or the standard amounts, whichever is less.

If the amount claimed for Ownership Costs, Operating Costs or Public Transportation is more than the total allowed by the transportation standards, the taxpayer must provide documentation to substantiate those expenses are necessary living expenses.

Public Transportation
Location Allowed Amount
National  $218
Ownership Costs
Location One Car Two Cars
National $629 $1,258
Northeast Region Operating Costs
Location One Car Two Cars
Northeast Region $298 $596
Boston $294 $588
New York $379 $758
Philadelphia $318 $636
Midwest Region Operating Costs
Location One Car Two Cars
Midwest Region $225 $450
Chicago $265 $530
Cleveland $225 $450
Detroit $315 $630
Minneapolis-St. Paul $214 $428
St. Louis $244 $488
South Region Operating Costs
Location One Car Two Cars
South Region $242 $484
Atlanta $300 $600
Baltimore $277 $554
Dallas-Ft. Worth $288 $576
Houston $312 $624
Miami $364 $728
Tampa $297 $594
Washington, D.C. $294 $588
West Region Operating Costs
Location One Car Two Cars
West Region $264 $528
Anchorage $208 $416
Denver $279 $558
Honolulu $243 $486
Los Angeles $339 $678
Phoenix $271 $542
San Diego $322 $644
San Francisco $301 $602
Seattle $281 $562

For Use with 2023 Allowable Transportation Table

The data for the Operating Costs section of the Transportation Standards are provided by Census Region and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).  The following table lists the states that comprise each Census Region.  Once the taxpayer’s Census Region has been ascertained, to determine if an MSA standard is applicable, use the definitions below to see if the taxpayer lives within an MSA (MSAs are defined by county and city, where applicable).  If the taxpayer does not reside in an MSA, use the regional standard.

MSA Definitions by Census Region

Northeast Census Region:  Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey

MSA Counties
Boston
  • MA: Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk
  • NH: Rockingham, Strafford
New York
  • NY: Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester
  • NJ: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union
  • PA: Pike
Philadelphia
  • PA: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia
  • NJ: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem
  • DE: New Castle
  • MD: Cecil

 

Midwest Census Region:  North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa

MSA Counties (unless otherwise specified)
Chicago
  • IL: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will
  • IN: Jasper, Lake, Newton, Porter
  • WI: Kenosha
Cleveland
  • OH: Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Summit
Detroit
  • MI: Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Wayne
Minneapolis-St. Paul
  • MN: Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Le Sueur, Mille Lacs, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Washington, Wright
  • WI: Pierce, St. Croix
St. Louis
 
  • MO: Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis county, Warren, St. Louis city
  • IL: Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, St. Clair

 

South Census Region:  Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama

MSA Counties (unless otherwise specified)
Atlanta 
  • GA: Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Morgan, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, Walton
Baltimore
  • MD: Anne Arundel, Baltimore county, Carroll, Harford, Howard, Queen Anne’s, Baltimore city
Dallas-Ft. Worth
  • TX: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, Wise
Houston
  • TX: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Waller
Miami
  • FL: Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach
Tampa
  • FL: Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas
Washington, D.C.
  • DC: District of Columbia
  • MD: Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George
  • VA: Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax county, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren, Alexandria city, Fairfax city, Falls Church city, Fredericksburg city, Manassas city, Manassas Park city
  • WV: Jefferson

 

West Census Region:  New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Alaska, Hawaii

MSA

Counties (unless otherwise specified)

Anchorage
  • AK: Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna
Denver
  • CO: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson, Park
Honolulu
  • HI: Honolulu
Los Angeles
  • CA: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino
Phoenix
  • AZ: Maricopa, Pinal
San Diego
  • CA: San Diego
San Francisco
  • CA: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo
Seattle
  • WA: King, Pierce, Snohomish

 

 For the 2017 version ALE, Boston and Cleveland used their regional “car operating expense allowance” because the BLS did not publish the needed CES raw data for those two MSAs.

For the 2018 version ALE, BLS made numerous changes to their CES MSA definitions including renewing publication of CES data for the Boston MSA (as redefined) but not the Cleveland MSA.

For the 2019-2023 ALE updates, BLS used the same MSA definitions for their CES data as they had used for the prior year’s CES data. No MSA definition updates are necessary for these years’ ALE.