The best mileage tracker apps for tax deductions

Keeping accurate records of business-related travel is essential for maximizing tax deductions. While manual logs are an option, they are often tedious and prone to error, which can lead to missed savings or compliance issues.

Fortunately, modern technology offers a streamlined solution. Mileage tracker apps automate the process, ensuring every eligible mile is recorded accurately and effortlessly. These digital tools provide a reliable way to manage travel expenses and prepare for tax season.

The market is filled with options, each catering to different user needs. Whether you're a solopreneur, a rideshare driver, or managing a team of employees, there is an app designed for your specific situation. This guide will explore some of the top-rated mileage tracker apps, such as Everlance, to help you find the perfect fit for your business.

This review will cover a selection of leading apps, including MileIQ, SherpaShare, TripLog, Hurdlr, Driversnote, and Zoho Expense. By understanding their features, pricing, and ideal use cases, you can select a tool that not only simplifies your administrative tasks but also enhances your financial management.

Understanding business mileage deductions

If you're self-employed, any travel from your place of business—including a home office—for work-related purposes can be deducted. This includes a wide range of activities that are part of your daily operations.

Trips to meet with clients, pick up supplies from a vendor, or visit the post office for customer shipments are all examples of deductible travel. The key principle is that the travel must be "ordinary and necessary" for your business activities. For instance, if you drive 15 miles to a supplier and 15 miles back, you can claim a total of 30 miles.

However, it's important to distinguish between business and personal travel. If you take a 10-mile detour during that return trip to run a personal errand, those extra miles are not deductible. Your claim must be limited to the 30 miles directly related to the business purpose.

Deductions are calculated using a standard per-mile rate set by the IRS. For the 2023 tax year, the rate was 65.5 cents per mile, which increased to 67 cents for the 2024 tax year. While this may seem small for short trips, it accumulates significantly over time, especially for those who travel frequently for conferences or client visits. An accurate mileage log is crucial to substantiating these claims.

All-in-one mileage and expense trackers

Some apps go beyond simple mileage logging, offering comprehensive expense management features that provide a holistic view of your business finances. These tools are perfect for entrepreneurs who want a single solution for tracking all their deductible costs.

Hurdlr

Hurdlr is more than just a mileage tracker; it's a full-featured expense management tool. It stands out by integrating directly with gig economy platforms like Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb, allowing it to track income and estimate taxes in real-time. This feature is particularly valuable for freelancers and independent contractors who need to make quarterly estimated tax payments.

The app can also connect to your business bank account to automatically import and categorize income and expense transactions. This creates a complete financial picture, helping you identify all potential tax deductions beyond just travel.

While powerful, some users have reported that Hurdlr's automatic tracking can be slow to start, sometimes taking up to a mile of travel to activate. This could result in slightly incomplete mileage logs. The free version offers manual tracking, while premium plans unlock automatic features.

Best for: Rideshare drivers, gig economy workers, and real estate agents who need integrated income and expense tracking alongside mileage.

Zoho Expense

As part of the broader Zoho suite of business products, Zoho Expense offers robust mileage tracking within a comprehensive expense reporting platform. It provides four distinct methods for logging miles: automatic GPS tracking, manual distance entry, map-based point-to-point calculation, or odometer readings.

One of its main advantages is its customizability, allowing different rates to be set for various projects, routes, or users. This makes it highly suitable for businesses with complex travel reimbursement policies or distributed teams. Even the free plan is generous, supporting up to three users and including receipt scanning and project tracking.

While a powerful tool, some users have noted a need for more integrations with external accounting platforms, occasionally experiencing technical issues when exporting data. However, for those already using other Zoho products, Zoho Expense integrates seamlessly into their existing workflow.

Best for: Small to medium-sized teams and companies that require customizable and scalable expense management solutions.

Dedicated mileage tracking solutions

While some apps offer a broad range of accounting features, others focus on doing one thing exceptionally well: tracking mileage. These dedicated apps are designed for simplicity and accuracy, making them ideal for individuals and businesses whose primary need is to log travel miles for tax or reimbursement purposes.

MileIQ

MileIQ is one of the most popular apps in this category, known for its "set it and forget it" approach. It runs in the background and automatically logs every trip. Later, you can classify each drive as business or personal with a simple swipe. The app learns your frequent routes and can automatically classify them for you, saving significant time.

You can also define your work hours, and the app will automatically categorize trips taken during that time as business-related. This is especially useful for professionals with a consistent schedule. Its reporting feature generates IRS-compliant logs that can be easily exported.

The main limitation of MileIQ is its singular focus. It does not track any other type of expense, so you will need a separate system for managing receipts and other costs. Its free version is limited to 40 trips per month, with a premium subscription required for unlimited tracking.

Best for: Professionals and business owners who drive regularly for work but not for ridesharing, and who prefer a simple, automated solution solely for mileage.

Everlance

Everlance is praised for its clean, intuitive interface and robust feature set, making it a favorite among many users. The app provides automatic mileage tracking and allows you to set rules for classifying frequent trips, commutes, and travel during work hours.

Beyond mileage, Everlance offers versatile expense tracking. You can snap photos of receipts to store them in the cloud or sync a bank account for automatic transaction importing. For businesses, managers get detailed reports on team travel, including routes, times, and locations. The app also generates IRS-compliant logs and calculates deduction totals.

Some users have reported occasional issues with the automatic tracking feature failing to start, which may require you to double-check that the app is active at the beginning of a trip. The free version allows 30 automatic trips per month, with unlimited manual entries, while premium plans offer unlimited automatic tracking.

While tools like Everlance excel at mileage and manual receipt capture, businesses can further streamline their bookkeeping. A service like Zenceipt complements these apps by automatically fetching digital invoices and receipts directly from your email inbox, ensuring no expense is ever missed.

Best for: A wide range of users, from self-employed individuals to growing businesses, who want a user-friendly app that combines mileage and expense tracking.

Specialized apps for unique needs

Certain businesses and professionals have unique tracking requirements that general-purpose apps may not fully address. Whether you manage a fleet of vehicles or participate in the gig economy, there are specialized tools designed to meet these specific challenges.

TripLog

TripLog is an excellent choice for businesses that need to manage travel for multiple employees and vehicles. The platform allows a single system to track mileage for an entire team, simplifying reimbursement and tax deduction processes.

It offers multiple tracking methods, including automatic GPS, Bluetooth connection to a vehicle, and compatibility with dedicated tracking devices. Employees can also use the app to capture photos of receipts for other travel-related expenses like fuel or meals. It integrates with several leading payroll and accounting tools, including QuickBooks and Xero.

The primary drawback is that the free version does not include automatic tracking, requiring users to log miles manually. This limitation makes the free plan less practical for those seeking automation, although a 15-day trial of the premium features is available.

Best for: Companies with multiple employees who drive for business and require a centralized system for tracking mileage and expenses.

SherpaShare

SherpaShare is built from the ground up for rideshare and delivery drivers. Its features are tailored to the specific needs of the gig economy, offering tools that go far beyond simple mileage logging.

The app's SmartDrive analytics provide valuable insights, allowing drivers to track their hourly profit and revenue. It also includes unique community features, such as a heatmap showing where other drivers are active and a chat function to connect with peers. These tools help drivers strategize and maximize their earnings.

This specialization comes at a cost, as SherpaShare does not offer a free version. Users can try the service with a two-week free trial, but a paid subscription is necessary for continued use.

Best for: Rideshare and delivery drivers who want an advanced tool with analytics to help them track mileage and increase their profitability.

Driversnote

DriversNote offers a unique hardware solution to enhance tracking accuracy. In addition to using your phone's GPS, the app can pair with an iBeacon, a small device that you place in your car. The iBeacon prompts the app to start and stop tracking automatically when you enter and exit your vehicle, which can improve reliability and reduce battery drain.

The app makes it easy to differentiate between personal and business travel by setting work hours for automatic classification. It also provides customizable, IRS-compliant reports that can be downloaded in PDF or Excel format at any time.

However, some users have noted that, like other apps, it can sometimes be slow to begin tracking a trip, potentially missing the first portion of a drive. The iBeacon is provided for free with an annual subscription, but costs $40 otherwise.

Best for: Self-employed individuals and gig workers who drive extensively and want a highly accurate, automated tracking method.