# Help with mileage system



## Speedyneedy (Sep 22, 2020)

Im losing too much log info between multiple pings, the addresses not staying on the screen long enough, distractions and forgetting to log via pen and pad. Ive been doing it this way but writing the date,pick up time,drop off time, travel to od, pickup od, drop off od, pickup address, drop address, uber or lyft app has me with far too many holes in my logging. Ive just purchased everlance and automatic mode is not catching nearly everything. Should i start a manual trip for each ride.....if so at what point when i pick up the pax or on my way to them? Should i start it at the begenning of my shift and turn off at the end? My first use was on automatic today and it recorded all my trips as one long trip for 150 miles??? How can i show the irs proof of time,destination, mileage for each trip if its recorded as one big trip? Some people say just record your start od and end od but what if you get audited??? Any one have a system going that is also safe?


----------



## dauction (Sep 26, 2017)

umm don't track at all..Uber and Lyft already do that for you ..will be on your tax papers end of year.


----------



## islanddriver (Apr 6, 2018)

dauction said:


> umm don't track at all..Uber and Lyft already do that for you ..will be on your tax papers end of year.


Use triplog app.


----------



## Smitty in CT (Jun 18, 2016)

If you have more than one vehicle, use one ONLY for Rideshare, then you can deduct all of the miles on that vehicle... record milage at the beginning and end of the year...


----------



## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

Speedyneedy said:


> Im losing too much log info between multiple pings, the addresses not staying on the screen long enough, distractions and forgetting to log via pen and pad. Ive been doing it this way but writing the date,pick up time,drop off time, travel to od, pickup od, drop off od, pickup address, drop address, uber or lyft app has me with far too many holes in my logging. Ive just purchased everlance and automatic mode is not catching nearly everything. Should i start a manual trip for each ride.....if so at what point when i pick up the pax or on my way to them? Should i start it at the begenning of my shift and turn off at the end? My first use was on automatic today and it recorded all my trips as one long trip for 150 miles??? How can i show the irs proof of time,destination, mileage for each trip if its recorded as one big trip? Some people say just record your start od and end od but what if you get audited??? Any one have a system going that is also safe?


I keep a written log and transfer it into Excel. As far as log books I have found a Steno Pad works best for me. Log every trip right away. If things get busy I at least log my odometer reading at each leg right away than use trip screen shots to fill in the details.

When busy, log mileage as PAX are getting in or out. After you start a trip and before you start driving take a screen shot of the trip Waybill. Now you have both starting and ending addresses and can go back and fill it in when things slow down. If you have stacked pings make sure you get that waybill before you end the trip or it will be gone right away, that is why I get after I start the trip and before I start driving.

Be consistent and work out what works best for you, before you know it it will become second nature.

I save the screen shots of the way bills for at least 2 weeks. Nice to have if there is any trip disputes or payment issues. If I have a bad feeling about a trip I save that waybill even longer.


----------



## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

FLKeys said:


> I keep a written log and transfer it into Excel. As far as log books I have found a Steno Pad works best for me. Log every trip right away.


I use a similar method, but instead of a written log I make voice recordings. I have an old cell phone that doesn't have cell service any more that has a voice recorder app on it. At each stop, I make a quick voice recording with purpose of the stop, address, and odometer reading. Date and time are automatically logged in the file properties as long as the date and time on the cell phone are correct. It takes 10-15 seconds to make each voice recording. At the end of the day, I copy all of the voice recordings for the day onto my computer, go through them one by one, and log the data in an Excel spreadsheet. It usually takes about 30 minutes to log the day's stops in the Excel file.


----------



## UberTaxPro (Oct 3, 2014)

Smitty in CT said:


> If you have more than one vehicle, use one ONLY for Rideshare, then you can deduct all of the miles on that vehicle... record milage at the beginning and end of the year...


I'd be careful with 100%, even with 2 vehicles. Also, a common *misconception* is that you don't need a log if you have one vehicle for business only. Beginning & ending mileage is not a compliant log.


----------



## Wildgoose (Feb 11, 2019)

Use a voice recorder to record all information you want. Then you can fill up in your paper log at home. IRS just need regular filling log for each day but it could be complicated if you drive for multiple RS platform. This could be handy if you drive both Uber and Lyft.


----------



## sfz005 (Jul 16, 2020)

My first year at UberEats and we'll see how it ends. Yikes. The stuff I am entering here is my understanding. Please correct me (I'm sure someone will) if you think I have it wrong.

You can get a lot of good info from your Earnings Detail/Activity. You can even go back... sometimes. Sometimes it won't connect. But this trip log only gives you miles from restaurant to customer. You are due credit for mileage to the restaurant, to the customer, back again. But all this needs to be logged.

One way to check your mileage out after you've been driving is to go to https://www.google.com/maps/timeline which I think is quite awesome. You can drill down to specific times and see the route you took.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

OR you can do it the easy way and use the Triplog app.


----------



## dauction (Sep 26, 2017)

islanddriver said:


> Use triplog app.


I tried one like that ..all it was doing was duplicating what I get at the end of the year. Far more work than just using UBer/Lyfts numbers and keeps the IRS happy.

If you think you are going to deduct more from all the little deductions instead of mileage ..then yes Triplogg makes sense. But rare that drivers have more write-offs than standard mileage.

Just an assumption based on my driving 35K miles a year


----------



## islanddriver (Apr 6, 2018)

I used trip log last year it showed 5000 more miles than Uber. Uber doesn't count you deahead miles on trip miles


----------



## Judge and Jury (Oct 19, 2019)

Speedyneedy said:


> Im losing too much log info between multiple pings, the addresses not staying on the screen long enough, distractions and forgetting to log via pen and pad. Ive been doing it this way but writing the date,pick up time,drop off time, travel to od, pickup od, drop off od, pickup address, drop address, uber or lyft app has me with far too many holes in my logging. Ive just purchased everlance and automatic mode is not catching nearly everything. Should i start a manual trip for each ride.....if so at what point when i pick up the pax or on my way to them? Should i start it at the begenning of my shift and turn off at the end? My first use was on automatic today and it recorded all my trips as one long trip for 150 miles??? How can i show the irs proof of time,destination, mileage for each trip if its recorded as one big trip? Some people say just record your start od and end od but what if you get audited??? Any one have a system going that is also safe?


You are a contractor. From the moment you leave your driveway until you return to your office, (your driveway,) you are conducting business.

Simply record the starting miles and the ending miles for each day while working in written form in a small notebook. All other miles will be personal.

However, during the day, if you are accumulating personal miles, record the miles at the last business drop before personal business and record the miles after finishing personal business.

There is no need to record every single trip.

There are apps that can record your miles but they may be prone to glitches and inaccurate data.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Judge and Jury said:


> There is no need to record every single trip.


Except to be IRS compliant. :thumbup:


----------



## Judge and Jury (Oct 19, 2019)

Seamus said:


> Except to be IRS compliant. :thumbup:


And your opinion is based upon which part of the IRS regulations?

IRS loves hand written logs.

All you gotta do is log miles and separate personal miles from business miles.

Forgot to mention that you need to record the mileage at start of the day on January 1st of each year. Specific question on schedule C.

Been filing schedule C for a long, long time.


----------



## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

The mileage log debate will go on forever.

Keep what you are comfortable with keeping and if you ever get an audit you will find out if it was enough.

I keep a detailed written log of every stop I make. I don't find it burdensome and in my opinion it can come in real handy if the IRS ever questions your yearly loses as being a hobby. Keeping proper business records helps show it s not a hobby.

I don't like electronic logs, I tested them and found them to be off from 3%-6%. Sure my odometer may be off, but so far my odometer is closer than electronic logs.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

@Judge and Jury

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p463.pdf
Look at page 25 table 5-1.

Like @FLKeys said, I'm over the debate. I've been filing a schedule C for 25 years and the CPA's have made it clear.

Doesn't matter just do what you feel comfortable with. It's always possible the IRS will accept something less than the standard. With the log there is no doubt.


----------



## mch (Nov 22, 2018)

Check out Stride tax. Easy to use app with a downloadable spreadsheet in case you need it. It also has a cool map feature that traces where you were. The map doesnt really serve any purpose but its cool to look at.


----------



## islanddriver (Apr 6, 2018)

Triplog.com is a good mileage tracker you can try it free for a month. it $40 a year.


----------



## Daisey77 (Jan 13, 2016)

I use a good old-fashioned pen and notebook. my starting miles for my shift is when I turn my app on. The ending miles for my shift is when I shut the app off on my way home.


----------



## Judge and Jury (Oct 19, 2019)

Daisey77 said:


> I use a good old-fashioned pen and notebook. my starting miles for my shift is when I turn my app on. The ending miles for my shift is when I shut the app off on my way home.


Agreed.

Pen and paper is old school and reliable. App based mileage trackers are prone to errors and glitches. Enter hand written records into Excel and let the software add it up.

Some drivers are adamant that you need to record miles for each and every trip. Drivers on this forum that claim decades of experience with schedule C state that you need to record mileage for each and every trip but cannot provide the IRS or state regulations that require contractors to do so.

My philosophy is deductible miles start when I back out of my driveway until I return to my driveway, (my home based office.)

Mileage logs only need to differentiate between business miles and personal miles.

Further, I deduct mileage for running to Staples to buy old-fashioned pens and notebooks.

Sorry this post was so long winded. I deleted three paragraphs describing tax regulations. My original post ended with "Agreed."


----------



## Daisey77 (Jan 13, 2016)

Judge and Jury said:


> Agreed.
> 
> Pen and paper is old school and reliable. App based mileage trackers are prone to errors and glitches. Enter hand written records into Excel and let the software add it up.
> 
> ...


 my thoughts are, cover myself on the broad basis. We know we can't trust Uber and Lyft for accurate total miles driven online and that's our Saving Grace at tax time so I'm protecting that aspect. If the IRS questions anything, our mileage will play a big role. so I want to make sure I have that covered. if we were to get audited and they wanted info on a per trip basis as well, that info is always accessible via the apps. Although there might be some discrepancy I think overall it's much less of an issue than I suspect it is with their total mileage while online calculations


----------



## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

Seamus said:


> @Judge and Jury
> 
> https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p463.pdf
> Look at page 25 table 5-1.


From Page 26 of the same document....


IRS Publication 463 said:


> _*Car expenses.*_ You can account for several uses of your car that can be considered part of a single use, such as a round trip or uninterrupted business use, with a single record. Minimal personal use, such as a stop for lunch on the way between two business stops, isn't an interruption of business use.
> 
> _*Example.*_ You make deliveries at several different locations on a route that begins and ends at your employer's business premises and that includes a stop at the business premises between two deliveries. You can account for these using a single record of miles driven.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Launchpad McQuack said:


> From Page 26 of the same document....


That is for vehicles that drive set routes and doesn't apply to Uber or food delivery. Not going to debate but just for your clarification. Again, do what makes you happy. This is a tired old debate and can easily be clarified by your tax professional if they are familiar with r/s or food delivery. Do as you please.



Judge and Jury said:


> Some drivers are adamant that you need to record miles for each and every trip. Drivers on this forum that claim decades of experience with schedule C state that you need to record mileage for each and every trip but cannot provide the IRS or state regulations that require contractors to do so.


Yes, you are the recognized authority, good for you . :thumbup: What part of do as you please don't you get? You are clearly just looking for an argument. We get it, you disagree. No need to be a jerk and try to minimize the experience of others who don't see it your way. To be clear, you are not the authority on tax code. You are an amateur do it yourselfer who has interpreted and made your own decisions, no need to try to convince others just be happy and go do it your way.


----------



## Asificarewhatyoudontthink (Jul 6, 2017)

dauction said:


> umm don't track at all..Uber and Lyft already do that for you ..will be on your tax papers end of year.


They only track your paid miles. 
You can deduct all miles driven related to the work including staging. 
If you aren't tracking you are not doing your tax deduction correctly.



Seamus said:


> That is for vehicles that drive set routes and doesn't apply to Uber or food delivery. Not going to debate but just for your clarification. Again, do what makes you happy. This is a tired old debate and can easily be clarified by your tax professional if they are familiar with r/s or food delivery. Do as you please.
> 
> 
> Yes, you are the recognized authority, good for you . :thumbup: What part of do as you please don't you get? You are clearly just looking for an argument. We get it, you disagree. No need to be a jerk and try to minimize the experience of others who don't see it your way. To be clear, you are not the authority on tax code. You are an amateur do it yourselfer who has interpreted and made your own decisions, no need to try to convince others just be happy and go do it your way.


It is good practice to detail trip logs the way taxi drivers used to do it. 
It isn't what the IRS requires though. 
Good practice =/= Best practices.

In the dealing with the IRS there is a case to me made for both "Too Little" documentation as well as "Too Much". 
You can't "prove" each pickup/drop off that you do (short of screen shots in this modern tech era) but you can document your start/end odometer reads including dropping mileage for "off duty" driving.

As you say, you do you. 
And I am definitely not saying how you do you is wrong or not acceptable.

But a start of day odom and end of day odom and making sure to document non deductible mileage with numbers that all zero sum and don't look stupid will get 'you' through an audit just fine.



Daisey77 said:


> my thoughts are, cover myself on the broad basis. We know we can't trust Uber and Lyft for accurate total miles driven online and that's our Saving Grace at tax time so I'm protecting that aspect. If the IRS questions anything, our mileage will play a big role. so I want to make sure I have that covered. if we were to get audited and they wanted info on a per trip basis as well, that info is always accessible via the apps. Although there might be some discrepancy I think overall it's much less of an issue than I suspect it is with their total mileage while online calculations


They should be tracking all miles when the app is on, for insurance purposes at the least. 
But they only report to you the mileage they pay you for. 
I am sure they know every mile we move when the app is on because they can map out our movements.

But, you also can't deduct every mile driven while the app is "on". 
Single example would be a person that runs the app on destination filter while driving to their regular job and on their return trip home. 
They can count miles from ping to pickup, for the trip provided, and from drop off back to their route to work. But, the miles outside of those three stages are personal use travel to and from their regular employment where deduction is not allowed for daily commute.

For rideshare you start your daily mileage at first ping and include all work related mileage (including staging). You don't include your initial staging or return to home mileage (rtb might be included if it was a long trip out of your normal service area, say like if I did a trip from the Tampa Bay area to Orlando my rtb to the Tampa Bay area would be included) 
Run a personal errand (pickup dry cleaning) even with the "app on" you remove that mileage from your daily total logging the odom mileage from "not working" until you start working again.

rtb (for those not military) return to base


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

dauction said:


> umm don't track at all..Uber and Lyft already do that for you ..will be on your tax papers end of year.


Very bad idea.

You will short yourself mileage
You can't differentiate overlapped miles between Uber and Lyft
No odometer reading
After every discrepancy and shortage posted on UP you trust them to do it accurately???
*If you are deactivated you may lose access to this information. *U/L is under no obligation to provide this info to you and only recently started doing this.



Asificarewhatyoudontthink said:


> f you aren't tracking you are not doing your tax deduction correctly.


&#128077;


Asificarewhatyoudontthink said:


> You can't "prove" each pickup/drop off that you do


No need to. That isn't what is in question. _Documentation_ is either "acceptable" or "unacceptable"


Asificarewhatyoudontthink said:


> As you say, you do you.


Thank you for having the intelligence to understand we all do it to the way are comfortable. Way too many on this forum think they know best and only their way is "right" and all others are "wrong" and a moron.

The bottom line is however any of us or our tax professionals interpret documentation requirements in an audit it is ultimately up to the IRS conducting the review what is "acceptable" documentation. Because of the different LLC's, real estate, investments and their associated transactions I have been audited 4 times since 1988! :frown: Not fun. Only once did they ask for my mileage log and I provided it as I described. It was accepted as submitted so no matter what anyone says that is how I will continue to do it. However, that is not to say that if I simply provided a spreadsheet of odometer readings that wouldn't have been accepted. "Acceptable Documentation" is in the eye of the beholder (and IRS employee reviewing it):roflmao:


----------



## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

Judge and Jury said:


> Some drivers are adamant that you need to record miles for each and every trip. Drivers on this forum that claim decades of experience with schedule C state that you need to record mileage for each and every trip *but cannot provide the IRS or state regulations that require contractors to do so*.


As far as I know there has not been a published ruling from the IRS on this. I error on the side of having too much detail and will continue to record each leg of my driving. If in the future the IRS rules that a start and end mileage for the day is all you need than I may change my opinion.

A detailed mileage log also provides other data that is very useful if one takes the time to analysis it.

What about other deductible miles, do you not keep track of them? You know, when you take your car in for service, or you drive to your accountant's office, etc etc. Those miles can be partially deducted as well.


----------



## dauction (Sep 26, 2017)

Asificarewhatyoudontthink said:


> They only track your paid miles.
> You can deduct all miles driven related to the work including staging.
> If you aren't tracking you are not doing your tax deduction correctly.
> 
> ...


They track all miles with app on


Seamus said:


> Very bad idea.
> 
> You will short yourself mileage
> You can't differentiate overlapped miles between Uber and Lyft
> ...


I turn on Uber/Lyft when I start in the Morning and I shut Uber/Lyft off when I am done for the day.

Uber tracks all Miles while the Uber app is Own. Lyft tracks all miles with uber on. The only time they are on together is when I am parked somewhere

If de-activated I will still get the same tax forms from Uber/Lyft. Yes, they are obligated to provide those forms.
(come on Seamus you're really stretching on that one :wink

I think I had like 24,00 miles with Uber and 16,000 with Lyft.


----------



## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

dauction said:


> They track all miles with app on
> 
> I turn on Uber/Lyft when I start in the Morning and I shut Uber/Lyft off when I am done for the day.
> 
> ...


You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Do as you please, Good Luck.


----------



## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

Pretty sure Uber/Lyft is only required to send a 1099-K or 1099-M if you meet the requirements. I do not think they are required to supply you with the Tax summary they make available. As an independent contractor you should be keeping your own records.


----------



## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

dauction said:


> If de-activated I will still get the same tax forms from Uber/Lyft. Yes, they are obligated to provide those forms.


The only tax forms that Uber/Lyft are required to provide are the 1099s (which do not include mileage). They are not required to provide the tax summaries. They do that only for the convenience of the driver. Sometimes they are correct. Sometimes they are not.


----------



## CarinaMileageWise (Nov 5, 2020)

When creating a mileage log for tax purposes, it is important to match up your driven miles with your odometer readings. 
While it is only required to record the start and end of the year odometer readings, a mileage log that accounts for readings throughout the year is less likely to catch the eye of an IRS agent. 

Also, in regards to personal and business miles, business miles are calculated by traveling from a business location to a business location. If your business is registered to your home, then any trip you take from there for a business purpose will get you business miles. 
If not, then the trip to your office will be considered a personal trip. 

The importance is not what you report, but can you provide substantiating documents for what you reported. 
And that is where the reliability of an App or Software comes in. Is it recording properly, is it recording everything? If not, are you able to go back and account for those lost miles? 
If you write a handwritten log, then there is less of a chance that you lose out on miles unless you forget to log the trip, and then forgot it happened. 

So, make sure you have a reliable way of recording your miles. Be that an App you pay for, or the App provided by the company you work for, or just simply your handwritten log. 
Make sure it is IRS proof. No one wants to be subject to an IRS audit. It is a hassle and a headache. 
The more business miles, the more money in your pocket.


----------



## SOLA-RAH (Dec 31, 2014)

Daisey77 said:


> I use a good old-fashioned pen and notebook. my starting miles for my shift is when I turn my app on. The ending miles for my shift is when I shut the app off on my way home.


This. Pen and paper don't glitch. I jot my down my miles, number of trips, and hours worked on a small calendar and tuck it into the sun visor.


----------



## LucyLoo (Nov 14, 2020)

Do you hav


Judge and Jury said:


> Agreed.
> 
> Pen and paper is old school and reliable. App based mileage trackers are prone to errors and glitches. Enter hand written records into Excel and let the software add it up.
> 
> ...


Do you have to keep a record of personal miles? Can you just record when you worked, miles you drove and amount you made?



SOLA-RAH said:


> This. Pen and paper don't glitch. I jot my down my miles, number of trips, and hours worked on a small calendar and tuck it into the sun visor.


Does this work for filing taxes? I am not sure what they will require.


----------



## SOLA-RAH (Dec 31, 2014)

LucyLoo said:


> Does this work for filing taxes? I am not sure what they will require.


The calendar is my daily mileage record for taxes on uber driving. I write down the current mileage on January 1st and again on December 31st. I add up all the uber miles monthly on the calendar, and then create an annual summary in Excel. Takes 5minutes to fill out the Schedule C doing it this way. The difference between annual mileage and uber miles are my personal miles, but I try have as few of those as possible by using a destination filter to & from my day job. 
All those apps are just extra steps, not as simple, and typically cost money. You can get a free 2021 mini-calendar from your bank or credit union.


----------

