Standard mileage deduction: what records do you need?
To claim the standard mileage deduction in the US, keep a record of your business miles, the dates and business purpose of your journeys, and the figures behind your annual total. Check which mileage rate applies to the dates you drove.
The method determines the paperwork
Business car deductions generally use either actual expenses or the standard mileage method, depending on eligibility. Mixed-use cars require a business-use calculation. Check the IRS guidance for the dates you drove and make sure your vehicle meets the method’s conditions before calculating the deduction (see IRS — Business use of car).
Make the distance explainable
A useful working record connects a journey with its date, business purpose and distance. Keep the unit clear, especially if you work across borders or use several platforms. Save the source behind any total you transfer into a tax calculation.
A contractor might group travel by job or customer; a driver might check platform statements against their own journey record. Either way, the useful question at year end is whether you can trace the total back to the work that produced it.
Where platform statements fit
Keep the statement's distance exactly as printed, including its label and period. If the same distance appears on a weekly and annual statement, compare the periods before combining them. A clear record lets you identify the overlap.
In Bilbx, distance explicitly printed on a payout statement is saved with its label and unit. Use that evidence alongside your other vehicle records when checking the business travel behind a claim.
Keep expenses with the vehicle records
Store the receipts and supporting documents you will use for the method you choose. Mark the vehicle or job in a way that will still make sense months later. Our income record guide explains how to connect customer payments and project costs.
Prepare the claim in Bilbx
Tax Lab supports a car claim using the standard mileage method and your business miles. Use your journey records when checking the total. Tax Lab preparation, tax categories and business/personal receipt splitting are free. Tax report exports are included with Premium. Money in and projects are free.
See Bilbx for the US and the published tax rules for the US alongside the regulator's guidance.
Sources
Ask about this guide
Got a question about your own receipt? Ask it, and get an answer from Bilbx's reviewed guides for the US.
General information, not tax or legal advice.
Common questions
Can I use the distance printed on a payout statement?
You can keep the distance printed on a payout statement with its original label, unit and period, and use it alongside your other vehicle records when checking business travel. Bilbx saves distance explicitly printed on payout statements.
Does Bilbx save the label and unit for statement distance?
Yes. Distance explicitly printed on a payout statement is kept with its original label and unit, in kilometres or miles. Keep the statement period with your other records so you can check overlapping documents.
Every figure on this page is checked against the IRS's own guidance and linked in the sources above. Last checked . Thresholds change each tax year, so if you are reading this well after that date, confirm the current figures before you rely on them. Terms.
The tax rules behind this guide
Records of business use
Mileage log, for its own year
Business use: the mileage log
The record the IRS accepts for the business share of a vehicle, and the year Bilbx's Tax Lab applies it for.
Read the ruleA rate for each kilometre or mile
76 cents per mile
The standard mileage rate: 76 cents per mile
A car's business use can be deducted at the standard mileage rate in place of its actual expenses. What the IRS says, and how Bilbx's Tax Lab claims it.
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