Best app for keeping track of mileage?

I'm notoriously bad at keeping track of mileage. An app WOULD help. Suggestions?

And any other apps that experienced shoppers find helpful besides Evernote?

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Since any app requires that you enter information, why not just have a small notebook that lives in your vehicle. I record mileage on Jan 1. Then let's say I do nothing but personal errands through Jan 3. On Jan 4, when I head out for a shop I enter:
1/1 - 1/3 errands, enter odometer reading. . 1/4 Bank of Ralph, Biloxi. When i return home from Biloxi I enter the odometer reading. That, of course is the reading for the beginning of the next trip. Since I may use the car for only errands for 2-3 days in a row, this method lumps all of those together, since those miles are all "personal use." At the end of the year, I enter the final odometer reading, compute total miles and then add up the few personal miles that I have driven, subtract; result equals business miles for deduction. What's not to like?

Apps are great when they actually simplify stuff. In this case, an app may not do that at all.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I guess I'm fortunate in this regard because I have a car that does it for me. I have 2 readers that I can reset to 0 and measure my mileage. If you use an older model or basic package, I guess they don't put that perk in :/ bummmmmmer. However, the note book idea is great. I dunno if I would write out my odometer readings every time, but I do measure distance on trips and have a list because I route shop plenty of the same places. I know it's 14.2 miles round trip to the local grocery. It's 16.7 from work and back to it etc etc. There are some nice free GPS apps made for tracking your miles while walking-- I have endomondo for that... not sure how it would work though in a car. I usually use it for jogs.

MegglesKat

clien,
Just counting miles, which my car will do with the system that you describe, is not enough for the IRS. You will need actual odometer readings.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I've only shopped for a year and I travel so little, I don't bother with the mileage reimbursements. I keep notes on miles for myself to see how much gasoline I'm burning. I usually just use the forms I get from the 3 companies I work with and compare notes on my payment, reimbursement, and PAD. Last year it was spot on with the 3 I work with, whew. My area is so rural and few shops to be had, my regular job and school provide my living. The shopping is a bonus $100 a month, sometimes more, sometimes much less. But I'm trying to get into it more as work cuts our hours and shifts. If you're claiming miles and such in that way, It sounds like the notebook is the way to go or a dictation app that uploads to your Google docs. You could voice to text the information and email it to yourself so you could put in a spreadsheet too.

I always ask for PAD too, which according to the tax rules, if they reimburse you enough PAD to cover 56.5 cent per mile, you can't claim those miles anyway depending on how it's paid out or written on the contractor form. Not that I've ever been given that much mileage! Wouldn't it be great if every company automatically paid those mileage reimbursements to us? I did a nice shop that was about 160 miles once... Coulda used that extra reimbursement.

MegglesKat

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2016 07:01PM by clinen11.

Mile IQ is a great mileage app. It records everything for you, every location, distance, time, etc. All you have to do is let it know if the trip was for business or personal purposes. It's not free, but totally worth paying for if you need to track your miles with the least amount of hassle.

Any system used requires diligence. At some point, the diligence will turn into habit. Every day that I set out on a shop, I turn my odometer to zero. Getting home after shops, I write the odometer reading on my shop sheet, then record it in my spreadsheet. My shop sheet may be a recycled envelope or scratch paper. I scribble the date, locations, scenarios, or anything else that's pertinent to the assignment. After reporting, I staple POVs (business card, receipt, etc) to it, and file it away.

Filing away sounds really organized. My shop file is a stack of stuff on the side of my desk.

Mileage reimbursement and the mileage deduction for your taxes are two different things. Whether they reimburse and you claim miles depends on how you do your taxes. Many of us claim all monies paid as income and all expenses including mileage.

@clinen11 wrote:

......I don't bother with the mileage reimbursements.

I always ask for PAD too, which according to the tax rules, if they reimburse you enough PAD to cover 56.5 cent per mile, you can't claim those miles anyway depending on how it's paid out or written on the contractor form.

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Best app for keeping track of mileage?

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