I have never been able to develop the habit of writing down my mileage whenever I drive somewhere for business. My accountants have let me calculate my annual business miles by using the calculations I obtain from Google Maps.

Simply plug in your start and end destinations into an online map program, map it out and print it. Write down the date, where you went and the purpose of your trip on the sheet. The total miles is your one way trip mileage. Multiply that by 2 and that’s your round trip mileage. If you went to several destinations, map the distance for each one.

After you return home, you can file the sheet away until tax time. You can keep an ongoing spreadsheet or manual log for the year, or just file the sheets away and total up the miles at the end of the year.

If I’m working with a client, I’ll usually print out the map when I first start working with her and keep it in her file until we’re done working with each other. Sometimes, if I go to one location frequently, I’ll keep a log of places I go to often with the total miles and just enter that into my spreadsheet instead of printing out a new map every time I go there. I’ve also just kept track of my appointments in my calendar and when I have time I’ll figure out my mileage based on those appointments.

If you work with an accountant, you should verify that he/she is okay with you tracking your mileage this way. If you’re diligent about writing down your start and end odometer readings with every trip, I commend you for it!

Tags: doula business tips, start a doula business, tax deductions, tracking mileage

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