If you’re a Lyft or Uber driver, you probably already know how important it is to track your work-related mileage and expenses.
You need that information to appease the IRS gods come tax return time and to make sure you’re squeezing out every last penny in deductions.
Rideshare drivers aren’t the only people eligible for mileage tax deductions. If you drive your personal vehicle for other kinds of paid work or use it for charitable, moving or medical purposes, you may also qualify for a standard mileage rate deduction.
5 Free Mileage Tracker Apps We Love
Back in the old days, tracking mileage meant dragging a notebook out of the glove box and hoping your pen wasn’t out of ink.
But now we live in an age of wonder where there’s an app for everything — including ones that automatically track mileage for you.
Here are five of our favorites.
1. Stride Drive
This free app runs in the background, quietly logging every mile you drive, and then it generates an IRS-ready report that you can use to do your taxes.
Stride Drive also tracks expenses like car washes, parking fees, tolls and even snacks you hand out to passengers. If you’re not sure what expenses are trackable, the app will walk you through the steps to figure it out.
Stride Drive is available at iTunes and Google Play.
2. TripLog
This app’s mileage and expense tracking features are free, but you can pay $1.50 per month to unlock additional features like cloud data backup and unlimited data history.
TripLog gives users the option of entering mileage data manually or allowing your phone’s GPS to automatically track mileage for you. It also lets you record your driving routes and view them directly in Google Maps.
TripLog is available at iTunes and Google Play.
3. Hurdlr
It’s hard to believe an app this rich in features is free, but it is. Hurdlr tracks all your mileage automatically and creates real-time quarterly and year-end tax estimates so you can always see where you stand with the IRS.
Hurdlr connects to over 15,000 financial institutions, allowing users to link their Hurdlr account to their bank or credit union. Every time you use your debit card, you’ll get a notification asking if you want to track the transaction as a business expense.
Hurdlr is available on iTunes and Google Play.
4. MileIQ
If you don’t drive often for Uber or Lyft, MileIQ may be the app for you. The free version offers 40 free drives per month, though you can upgrade to unlimited drives for $5.99 per month.
Like other mileage tracking apps, MileIQ automatically captures your drives and delivers a comprehensive mileage log whenever you need it. You can classify your drives into categories like business, personal or charity and then simply swipe with your thumb to assign them to the correct list — or let MileIQ do it automatically.
MileIQ is available on iTunes and Google Play.
5. Mileage Expense Log
This free app stands out for its included rate book that allows users to quickly check mileage rates. As long as you keep your phone’s GPS turned on, Mileage Expense Log automatically tracks and logs all your drives.
If you’re a number cruncher, you’ll enjoy sorting data by date, purpose or even vehicle. Or you can export your entire database as HTML or CVS.
Mileage Expense Log is only available for iOS on iTunes and includes support for Apple Watch.
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. We’re letting you know because it’s what Honest Abe would do. After all, he is on our favorite coin.
Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She likes bringing you this information, but she is not a tax preparer. Check with a tax professional for more information on mileage tracking, expenses and deductible.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.
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