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Contractor mileage deduction, recorded on the job
A contractor mileage deduction is the business miles that qualify, times the IRS rate for the date of the trip, if you use the standard mileage rate. The app stores the trip you add. It does not decide which miles qualify, and it does not file the return.
Forty miles, one number.
If you use the standard rate, a contractor mileage deduction is the miles that qualify times the IRS rate for that date. You type a rate. The app does not look one up.
The IRS standard mileage rates list 72.5 cents from January 1 through June 30, 2026 (IR-2025-128) and 76 cents from July 1 through December 31 (IR-2026-29).
Two sample distances, so the multiplication can be checked: 12 miles and 28 miles. That is 40 miles. Forty times 72.5 cents is $29.00.
The same 40 miles at 76 cents is $30.40. The table uses 72.5 cents.
| Sample distance | Miles | At 72.5 cents |
|---|---|---|
| Supply house and back (sample) | 12 | $8.70 |
| Job and back (sample) | 28 | $20.30 |
| Total | 40 | $29.00 |
Twelve times 72.5 cents is $8.70. Twenty-eight times 72.5 cents is $20.30. Together they are $29.00.
Rates as of October 15, 2026. Business 72.5 cents through June 30 and 76 cents from July 1, charity 14 cents, medical and moving 20.5 cents then 23.5 cents.
This page is not legal or tax advice. A supply-house loop and a job loop are the kind of day those distances stand in for. Neither label means the trip is deductible.
Publication 463 (2025), chapter 4, says you cannot deduct driving between your home and your main or regular place of work.
With no regular office and no office in your home, the trip from home to the first business contact in your metropolitan area is nondeductible commuting, and so is the trip home from the last contact. You can deduct going from one client to another. State rules can differ.
The app does not decide that the miles qualify, and it does not file Schedule C. The year of miles is the IRS mileage guide. What else goes on Schedule C is in the Schedule C deductions guide.
Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-29, Announcement 2026-11, sets the business rate at 76 cents a mile for expenses on or after July 1, 2026. Medical and moving are 23.5 cents then. Charity stays 14 cents.
The first-half medical and moving rate is 20.5 cents. Publication 463, Table 5-1, says a car record shows the date, the destination, the business purpose, the mileage for each business use, and the total miles for the year.
Chapter 5 says you should record those elements at or near the time of the use. A record prepared on a computer is an adequate record.
How the miles get onto the job.
The rate on the job
You set a rate per mile or per km. At 72.5 cents the 40-mile sample is $29.00. At 76 cents the same 40 miles are $30.40.
On the job
You add the trip to the job you choose. It stays on that job and rolls into accounting. Mileage is part of Pro.
What the accountant gets
Export the trips as CSV or Excel. That file is the hand-off. A fuller job is the job profit calculator.
The app does not look up a new IRS rate on January 1 or on July 1. A rate you type is the rate it uses. Classic invoices and estimates are free without mileage.
Pro is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 3-day free trial on the yearly plan. The monthly plan has no trial. The breakdown is on pricing.
What it does not do.
It does not track the van with GPS, and it does not log a drive in the background. You add the trip. MileIQ and Everlance, in the table below, catch drives for you.
It does not turn location on when you scan a receipt. There is no calendar.
It does not file a tax return, produce a 1099, or tell you that you qualify for the standard mileage rate. You or your accountant does that. It does not connect to QuickBooks or a bank feed.
This page is not legal or tax advice. Whether you may use the standard mileage rate depends on your own facts.
Topic no. 510 says most employees cannot deduct unreimbursed car expenses, with exceptions that include being self-employed. The law requires you to substantiate expenses by adequate records or by sufficient evidence for your own statement.
MileIQ and Everlance, priced October 15, 2026.
MileIQ and Everlance catch drives, and VanReceipts puts a trip you entered on a job.
| VanReceipts | MileIQ | Everlance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr | Free for 40 drives/mo. Unlimited $13.99/mo | Basic free. Starter $10.99/mo |
| How miles are captured | A trip you add | Detects drives in the background | Detects drives, 30 a month on Basic |
| Where the dollars go | Onto the job | A mileage report | Tax filing on Professional |
| Trial | 3-day trial on the yearly plan | None listed | 7 days |
- MileIQ: mileiq.com/pricing, read Oct 15, 2026
- Everlance: everlance.com/pricing, read Oct 15, 2026
- VanReceipts: US listing, read Oct 12, 2026
All plans and prices
VanReceipts also: mileage is part of Pro, the monthly plan has no trial, and it does not file. MileIQ also: Unlimited is $11.66/mo billed annually; the annual price is the monthly amount on annual billing; no job invoice is described; no trial length is listed. Everlance also: Starter is $10.99/mo or $89.99 a year; Professional is $19.99/mo or $119.99 a year; those yearly figures are the amount billed for the year; Professional has no detection cap; every plan includes unlimited trips you enter; reports on every plan, and Professional adds tax filing; Starter asks for a card first.
Use MileIQ or Everlance when you want the phone to notice that the van moved. Use VanReceipts when the mile belongs to a job you already quoted, and you name the start and the end.
Questions about the deduction
What is a contractor mileage deduction?+
It is the business use of your vehicle, deducted on your return, when the miles qualify and you claim them. If you use the standard mileage rate, that is the IRS rate for the date of the trip times those miles. For January 1 through June 30, 2026 the business rate is 72.5 cents, and for July 1 through December 31, 2026 it is 76 cents, from the IRS standard mileage rates page. Actual vehicle costs are the other method. VanReceipts can store the miles and multiply by a rate you set. It does not file the deduction. This page is not legal or tax advice. State rules and your own facts can differ.
What is the IRS mileage rate for 2026?+
As of October 15, 2026, the IRS standard mileage rates page lists 72.5 cents a mile for business use from January 1 through June 30, 2026 (IR-2025-128) and 76 cents a mile from July 1 through December 31, 2026 (IR-2026-29). Charity is 14 cents in both halves. Medical and moving are 20.5 cents in the first half and 23.5 cents in the second. The app does not switch rates for you.
What if I use actual vehicle expenses?+
The $8.70, $20.30, and $29.00 on this page use 72.5 cents, the business standard mileage rate for January 1 through June 30, 2026. The same 40 miles at the July 1 rate of 76 cents would be $30.40. Actual vehicle costs are the other method. VanReceipts can store the miles and multiply by a rate you set. It does not tell you which method you may use. This page is not legal or tax advice.
Is mileage included without Pro?+
No. Mileage is part of Pro, at $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 3-day free trial on the yearly plan. Invoices and estimates on the Classic template are free. Recording a trip is not.
Log the next trip on the job.
Pro is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 3-day free trial on the yearly plan. You set the rate. The app does not file the return.
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