Mileage log template for business driving
Updated · Reviewed by Israel Margulies, founder and CEO of High Point GPS
A log of every business trip: the date, odometer readings at the start and end, the miles, where you went and why. It's the record the IRS asks for when you deduct or reimburse vehicle use, and the one your fleet needs to see where its miles go.
IRS Publication 463 asks for records made at or near the time of each trip: the amount (miles), the time (date), the place (destination) and the business purpose. A log kept the same day is far stronger than one rebuilt from memory at tax time.
For 2026, the IRS business standard mileage rate is 72.5 cents a mile for January 1 to June 30 and 76 cents a mile from July 1. Multiply the business miles from this log by the rate, or use the mileage reimbursement calculator. This isn't tax advice.
Mileage log
Fields: Driver · Vehicle (make, model, plate) · Month / year · Odometer at start of the year
Log columns: Date · Start odometer · End odometer · Miles · Destination · Business purpose
Fill it in the right way
- Write the vehicle and the month at the top, and the odometer at the start of the year in January.
- For each trip, write the date and the odometer when you start and when you finish.
- Write the miles (end minus start), where you went and the business reason.
- Total the business miles at the end of the month.
- Multiply by the IRS rate for the period, or the rate your company pays.
- Sign it and hand it in with your reimbursement claim.
Tips
- Fill it in the same day. A log written months later is the first thing an auditor questions.
- Write the purpose specifically: "service call, Smith Co., Unit 14" beats "work".
- Record the odometer at the start and end of each year; it shows total miles against business miles.
- Commuting from home to a regular workplace is usually personal, not business, mileage.
Do it in FleetZap
- Odometer readings entered on checks, work orders or fuel logs update each vehicle's meter.
- Fuel logs record gallons, cost and odometer for every vehicle.
- PM schedules run on miles, so a vehicle's next service comes due from its real readings.
Sources
FleetZap Maintenance
Work orders, PM, parts, compliance, assets and KPIs. Explore FleetZap Maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
What does the IRS require in a mileage log?
Publication 463 asks for records of the miles, the date, the destination and the business purpose of each trip, made at or near the time. Odometer readings at the start and end of the year help too.
What is the IRS mileage rate for 2026?
72.5 cents a mile for business driving from January 1 to June 30, 2026, and 76 cents a mile from July 1, 2026, per the IRS.
Can I use an app instead of a paper log?
Yes, as long as it records the same details at the time of each trip. Keep the records with your tax files.
Is driving to work business mileage?
Usually not. Commuting between home and a regular place of work is personal. Trips between work sites, to customers or to a temporary work site often are business.