A mileage log records each business trip in a personal vehicle for reimbursement or tax substantiation. This IRS mileage template is designed for employees, contractors, and small businesses that need an auditable year-to-date record. It includes the date, destination or client/site, odometer readings, trip classification, distance, business miles, and reimbursement. Totals calculate automatically, and a single rate cell determines the cents-per-mile calculation for the year.
How to Use The IRS Mileage Log Template
Begin by completing the header once per year. Enter the vehicle’s make and model and the period you’re tracking (start and end dates and the opening odometer reading if your copy includes it). Set the mileage rate for the current year in the dedicated rate cell; the reimbursement column references this value throughout the sheet.
Then add trips in time order, one row per segment. For each line, record the trip date, destination or purpose location, starting and ending odometer readings, the trip type (Business or Personal), and the total distance. When a row is marked as Business, the sheet classifies those miles for reimbursement and year-to-date reporting. Multi-stop days should be entered as separate segments so the odometer readings remain consistent.
At the bottom, a totals row aggregates distance, business miles, and reimbursement for the period. When the year or project closes, update your end-of-period odometer reading (if used), save an archive copy, and start a fresh file for the next period.
What to Include in Your IRS Mileage Log
Keep the log current. Entries should be written the same day or soon after travel; a once-a-week update is generally acceptable. For IRS purposes, each business record needs trip-level details and year-level totals as described below.
Trip-by-Trip Details
Record the date, destination or place visited, and a brief business purpose. Add start and end odometer readings (if tracked) and the miles for the segment. For multi-stop days, enter each segment on its own line in time order.
Year-Level Figures
Maintain total miles for the year and total business miles. Capture beginning-of-year and end-of-year odometer readings to anchor those totals and show business use across the period.
Commuting Exclusion
Travel between home and your regular workplace is commuting and counts as personal use. Business miles cover travel between workplaces, client sites, and temporary work locations. If a route includes commuting and work stops, only the legs between work locations count as business.
Entry Timing and Retention
Write entries the same day or within the week to avoid gaps. Keep the log with your tax papers for at least three years after filing (or longer if your policy or local rules require).
Pro-Tip: If your policy or the IRS updates the rate mid-year, adjust the rate field on the effective date and add a brief note in the header for your records.
About This Template
This template is available in Excel and Google Sheets. For later years, duplicate the file and update the tracking period, beginning/ending odometer readings, and the cents-per-mile rate in the rate field. Save a separate copy per vehicle per year so summaries and printouts match a single car and period.
FAQs
The register works with per-trip miles either way. For stronger documentation, include start and end readings and keep beginning- and end-of-year readings for the file.
Use two lines in time order (outbound and return). If you made stops in between, enter each leg as its own line.
No. Home-to-work and work-to-home travel is commuting and counts as personal use.