Free mileage log template — Excel, Google Sheets and printable, with the columns the IRS and HMRC expect
The template is simple because the rule is simple: four facts per trip, written down on the day. Download it, or print the one-page version and keep it in the glovebox.
Columns checked against IRS Publication 463 (what an adequate record must show) and HMRC mileage guidance on 20 September 2026.
- Every trip needs four facts: date, destination, business purpose, miles. The template has a column for each, plus start and end odometer so the miles are provable.
- Download the CSV and open it in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets, or use the printable page.
- Fill it in weekly at the latest — Publication 463 treats a log kept weekly as timely. A log rebuilt in April is not.
- Record the odometer on 1 January and 31 December (or 6 April and 5 April in the UK). Total miles is what the business share is measured against.
On this page
Get the template
Two versions, both free
Mileage log template (CSV) — opens in Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets or anything else. Has a monthly-total row and a rate column with the 2026 IRS figures filled in.
Printable mileage log — one page, 22 rows, designed to sit in the glovebox. Print it from the page; it strips the website chrome automatically.
No email address, no sign-up.
What the columns are, and why each one is there
| Column | Why |
|---|---|
| Date | Required everywhere. Also decides which rate applies — in 2026 the IRS rate changed on 1 July, and HMRC's on 6 April. |
| From / To | The IRS asks for the destination; recording both ends makes the distance checkable. |
| Business purpose | The field no device can fill in. "Client meeting — Acme" is enough. "Work" is not. |
| Odometer start / end | Makes the miles evidence rather than assertion. Optional per trip, essential at year start and end. |
| Business miles | What the deduction is calculated from. |
| Personal miles | Optional, but it lets the log show total use, which is what business-use percentage needs. |
| Rate | Pre-filled with the 2026 IRS rates so each trip is valued at the rate in force on its date. |
| Parking & tolls | Deductible on top of the mileage rate, with the receipt. |
How to keep it so it stands up
- Write the odometer down on the first day of the year — a photo of the dashboard with the date is fine. Do the same on the last day. Without a total, the business share is unsupported.
- Log trips the same day, or at least the same week. Publication 463 says a weekly log that accounts for the week's use is timely. Longer than that and you are reconstructing, which the IRS reserves for records lost to fire, flood or casualty — not forgetting.
- Write the purpose in words a stranger would understand. An examiner reads that column first. Name the client, the site, the errand.
- Do not round. 14.3 miles, not 15. A column of identical round numbers is the surest sign of an estimate, and estimates are not deductible.
- Leave commuting out. Home to your regular workplace is personal, however far.
- Total monthly. The CSV has the formula; on paper, add it up at the bottom of each sheet. Split at 30 June if you are in the US this year.
Working out the deduction
US: business miles in each half of 2026 × the rate for that half — 72.5¢ to 30 June, 76¢ from 1 July. The 2026 rate page has a calculator. UK: 55p for the first 10,000 business miles in the tax year from 6 April 2026, then 25p — calculator here. Canada, self-employed: a different model — actual vehicle costs multiplied by business kilometres ÷ total kilometres, which is why the odometer columns matter more there than anywhere.
Common mistakes the template is designed to prevent
- A log with distances but no purposes. It is half a record.
- A log started in March, backfilled to January. The dates say one thing; the handwriting says another.
- A single annual rate applied to a year that had two.
- No year-start and year-end odometer readings, so the total miles — and the business percentage — cannot be shown.
- The only copy inside an app you have stopped paying for. Export it, and keep the export with your tax paperwork.
Questions people ask
What should a mileage log include?
For each business trip: the date, where you went (or from and to), the business purpose, and the miles driven. Keep your odometer reading at the start and end of the year as well, so total mileage — and therefore the business-use percentage — can be shown. Those are the IRS's four elements; HMRC and the CRA ask for the same information.
Does a spreadsheet count as a mileage log?
Yes. No tax authority requires a particular format. A spreadsheet, a paper diary and an app are equally acceptable if they contain the required facts and were kept at or near the time of the trips.
How often do I need to update a mileage log?
As close to the trip as practical. IRS Publication 463 says a log maintained weekly that accounts for the week's use is a timely kept record, so a Friday-evening habit is enough. Monthly reconstruction from memory is not.
Do I need to record odometer readings for every trip?
Not for every trip if you record the miles for each one, but you do need odometer readings at the start and end of the year to establish total mileage. Many people also note the odometer on each trip because it makes the per-trip miles self-evidently real rather than estimated.
Is the template free?
Yes. The CSV and the printable page are free, with no sign-up. They are made by the people who build DriveSnap, which does the same job automatically, but nothing here requires the app.
General information, not tax advice. Rules and rates change; check the current position with your tax authority or an accountant before filing.