Guide
What should a mileage log include?
Tax authorities ask for the same few facts about each business trip. Here they are.
For each trip
- The date of the trip.
- Where you went: the destination, and where you started from.
- Why: the business reason — a client meeting, a supply run, a site visit.
- How far: the miles driven for that trip.
For the year
Many tax authorities also want the vehicle's odometer reading at the start and end of the year, to compare business miles with total miles. Keep personal and commuting trips apart: commuting is usually not deductible.
Write it when it happens
A log kept at the time of the trip is worth more than one rebuilt months later. A note on the day, even short, beats a reconstruction from memory.
With Mileage Log
Each trip keeps its date, from and to, distance, purpose, client and reason; the vehicle and odometer readings are one tap further. Before sending lists the trips that still miss a destination, a reason or an odometer reading, and the PDF prints the reason in full under each trip. See Mileage report. Your tax authority has the final word on what it requires.
