Mileage tracker for the self-employed and 1099 contractors

What the IRS expects in a mileage log

For each business trip: the date, the miles, where you went and the business purpose. The record should be made at or near the time of the trip; a log rebuilt months later from memory is the weakest kind of evidence.

Standard rate or actual expenses

You can use the standard mileage rate or deduct your actual car expenses. If you want the standard rate for a car you own, you generally have to choose it in the first year you use that car for business. Whichever you pick, the business miles still have to be on record.

What MoveJack records for every trip

Nothing to start or stop. The app notices when you set off and arrive, and records:

• the date, and the time you left and arrived
• the start and end address, as an address rather than coordinates
• the miles driven, measured by GPS
• the vehicle, if you use more than one
• business, personal or commute; with your home and work address saved, the app fills that in itself
• a note per trip, such as the client or the purpose

If something is off, you fix it: split a trip, merge two, or add one by hand. More about the mileage tracker app.

Ready for tax time

Filter by period and type of trip and export to Excel or PDF, with the date, addresses, miles and type for each trip; actual odometer readings you note yourself. Examples on reports. Working at client sites? Your hours follow from the same trips: see working hours.

Employees

Under current federal rules, employees can’t deduct unreimbursed business mileage. What counts for you is reimbursement from your employer, and the same log supports that claim.

Your trips stay on your phone

Your trip history stays with you, on your own phone, with no account and no central copy at MoveJack. You decide which trips you share, for example in a report for your tax preparer. For handy features the app fetches only the information they need, without your name or an account: while you drive, MoveJack checks the speed limit where you are about every 8 seconds, and after each trip it fills in the start and end address. How that works is on privacy.

What it costs

The first 3 days are free, with every feature. After that you choose a monthly, six-month or annual plan. You pay through the App Store or Google Play and cancel there too. All plans are on pricing.