For 2025, the IRS standard mileage rate for business use is 70 cents per mile (up from 67 cents in 2024). For medical and moving purposes, the rate is 21 cents per mile. For charitable service, the rate remains fixed at 14 cents per mile by statute. Always check IRS.gov for the latest rates before filing.

Anyone who uses their personal vehicle for business, medical, charitable, or moving purposes and wants to claim the IRS mileage deduction should maintain a mileage log. This includes self-employed individuals, freelancers, gig workers (Uber, Lyft, DoorDash), real estate agents, and employees who are not reimbursed by their employer. The IRS requires contemporaneous records — meaning logs should be kept at or near the time of each trip.

According to IRS guidelines, a compliant mileage log should include: (1) The date of each trip, (2) The starting location and destination, (3) The purpose of the trip (business, medical, charity, moving), (4) The total miles driven, and (5) Odometer readings at the start and end of the year (or per trip for more accuracy). Our tracker captures all these essential fields.

The IRS generally recommends keeping tax records, including mileage logs, for at least 3 years from the date you filed your tax return. However, if you underreported income by more than 25%, the IRS can audit up to 6 years back. For maximum safety, retain digital copies of your mileage logs for at least 7 years. Use the Export CSV feature to save backups.

No — the IRS standard mileage rate is designed to cover all vehicle operating costs, including fuel, oil, maintenance, repairs, insurance, registration fees, and depreciation. If you use the standard mileage rate method, you cannot separately deduct fuel or other vehicle expenses. The alternative is the actual expense method, where you track every individual cost. Most people find the standard mileage rate simpler. The fuel cost field in this tracker is for your personal budgeting, not additional tax deduction.

Commuting miles — driving from home to your regular workplace and back — are not deductible as business miles. Business miles include driving from your office to a client meeting, between job sites, or from your home office to a business appointment (if your home qualifies as your principal place of business). If you're self-employed and your home is your principal place of business, trips from home to client locations may be deductible. Always consult a tax professional for your specific situation.

Click the Export button above the trip table to download all your recorded trips as a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file. This file can be opened in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, or any spreadsheet application. The export includes all fields: date, purpose, locations, distance, fuel cost, IRS deduction amount, and notes. Your data is also saved locally in your browser's storage for convenience.