Mileage Log
Track business miles for tax or reimbursement.
Overview
The Mileage Log records business and reimbursable miles in the format tax authorities and employers actually want: date, purpose, starting odometer, ending odometer, and total miles for the trip. Whether you are a self-employed consultant claiming the IRS standard mileage rate, a salaried employee submitting expenses for a client visit, or a gig driver tracking deductible distance between fares, the log keeps a contemporaneous record that holds up if anyone asks for proof.
Contemporaneous matters. Tax rules in most jurisdictions reward logs created at or near the time of the trip and penalise reconstructions done from memory at year-end. Capturing each trip on the day it happens is the difference between a confident deduction and a disallowed one.
How it works
Each trip stores the date, purpose or destination, starting and ending odometer readings, and the calculated mile (or kilometre) total. Optional notes hold context such as the client name, project code, or vehicle. A running annual total is displayed so you can plan whether to itemise vehicle expenses or apply the standard mileage rate as the year progresses.
The log does not multiply miles by a rate for you, because the rate changes by country and tax year and is often different for business, charitable, and medical purposes. Apply the correct rate at filing time against the total the log gives you.
Examples
- Record a fifty-eight-mile round trip to a client meeting with the starting and ending odometer, the client name in notes, and the purpose set to Client Visit.
- Track a charitable-purpose trip to deliver donated goods, logged separately from business trips because the deduction rate differs.
- Capture a multi-stop sales day with one row per leg or a single row with start and end odometers and a notes field listing each stop.
- Log a medical mileage trip for a specialist appointment, kept separate so the medical deduction rate is applied correctly.
FAQ
Why log odometer readings, not just miles?
Odometer readings let an auditor verify the trip from your vehicle's records. A bare mileage number with no start and end value is much weaker evidence.
Should personal miles be logged too?
Only if your tax method requires a business-use percentage of total miles. For the standard mileage rate, only business miles need to be in the log.
What happens at year-end?
Sum the annual total, apply the published mileage rate for the relevant category, and report the result on the appropriate tax form. Keep the log itself as supporting documentation.
Can I log kilometres instead?
Yes. The log is unit-agnostic; just be consistent within a vehicle so the totals make sense.
What if I forgot to log a trip on the day?
Add it as soon as you remember, with a note that the entry was reconstructed and any supporting evidence (calendar entry, email, receipt) referenced.