The IRS mileage deduction is worth $0.70/mile — here’s exactly what records you need to claim it

If you drive for work and aren't tracking every trip, you're leaving real money on the table.

The IRS standard mileage rate for business use is $0.70 per mile. That means if you drove 10,000 business miles this year, you're entitled to a $7,000 deduction — but only if you have proper records.

Here's exactly what the IRS requires you to log for each trip:

– Date of the trip

– Starting and ending odometer reading

– Total miles driven

– Destination and business purpose

– Whether the trip was business or personal

That's it. No receipts needed for mileage — just a consistent, dated log.

The most common mistake I see: people try to reconstruct their mileage at year end from memory or Google Maps. The IRS doesn't accept estimates — they want contemporaneous records, meaning logged at or near the time of each trip.

A simple notebook in your glove box, filled in every time you drive for work, is completely IRS-compliant and will hold up in an audit.

If you're self-employed, a freelancer, or do any driving for work — start logging now, even mid-year. Partial year records are still deductible.

What are you currently using to track your miles? Always curious what's working for people.