What the tax authority actually requires — with the rule quoted
Practical answers on receipts, mileage and the records behind a deduction, for the US, UK, UAE, Canada and Australia. Every figure is checked against the primary source and dated. Written by the person building the apps.
Mileage and the deduction
The rates, the log, and what the IRS and HMRC actually ask to see.
IRS mileage rate 2026: 72.5¢, then 76¢ from 1 July
The IRS raised the standard mileage rate midyear. 72.5 cents a mile applies from January to June 2026 and 76 cents from July. How to split your miles, what the rate includes, and a calculator.
Updated 20 September 2026 · 5 min readMileageHMRC mileage rates 2026/27: 55p a mile, and what changed on 6 April
HMRC's approved mileage rate rose from 45p to 55p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles from 6 April 2026. The full 2026/27 rates for cars, motorcycles and bicycles, who can claim, and a calculator.
Updated 20 September 2026 · 3 min readMileageWhat the IRS actually requires in a mileage log
The four things every business trip record must contain, what the 2026 standard rate is, why a reconstructed log fails an audit, and how long to keep it.
Updated 20 September 2026 · 3 min readMileageFree mileage log template with the columns the IRS and HMRC expect
A free mileage log template with the four columns every tax authority requires: date, destination, purpose, miles, plus odometer readings and totals. Excel, PDF or CSV.
Updated 20 September 2026 · 6 min readMileageWill your mileage log survive an IRS audit?
What an examiner rejects in a mileage log, the Publication 463 rule behind each one, the two allowances nobody uses, and a checklist to grade your log.
Updated 21 September 2026 · 7 min readMileageYou forgot to track your DoorDash miles. Now what?
What the IRS allows when months of gig driving went unlogged: the incomplete-records rule, sampling, and why DoorDash's own number is not your deduction.
Updated 20 September 2026 · 5 min readMileageIs MileIQ free? Yes, for 40 drives a month
MileIQ is free for 40 drives a month, then logging stops. What the cap does to a tax record, what the paid plan costs now, and how the free tiers compare.
Updated 21 September 2026 · 6 min readReceipts and records
What counts as proof, how long to keep it, and what a valid invoice shows.
Do you need receipts for tax deductions? The $75 rule and what actually counts as proof
The IRS does not require a receipt for most expenses under $75 — but it always requires a record of the amount, date, place and business purpose. What counts as proof in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, and what to do when a receipt is lost.
Updated 20 September 2026 · 5 min readRecordsHow long do you have to keep receipts for taxes?
Three years in the US, five for the UK self-employed, six for UK companies and Canada, five in Australia and the UAE (fifteen for UAE property). What a valid record must show, whether photos count, and what happens when the app holding them shuts down.
Updated 20 September 2026 · 2 min readUAE VATWhat records UAE VAT actually requires you to keep
Five years, fifteen for real estate, and what has to appear on a valid tax invoice — including when a simplified invoice is allowed and what a TRN is for.
Updated 20 September 2026 · 2 min readPrivacy
Where your data goes, how to check, and why receipt apps pay you.
How to find an expense tracker that doesn't sell your data
Most receipt and budgeting apps make money from your purchase data. A 30-second check on the App Store tells you which ones don't, plus five questions to ask before you trust an app with a year of receipts.
Updated 20 September 2026 · 4 min readPrivacyReceipt apps pay you pennies because your data is worth dollars
The biggest receipt apps in the App Store are not expense trackers. They are purchase-data companies. What they actually sell, what it costs you, and what I built instead.
Updated 30 August 2026 · 4 min readThe apps do the record-keeping these guides describe.
Receipt Snap reads receipts on your iPhone. DriveSnap logs every business drive automatically. Neither has a server, an account, or anywhere to send your data.