Looking for Milage App

[Jayson Woodruff]

My wife's taking a new job that's going to involve a lot of point to point milage reembursement. I want to set her up with an easy milage tracking App for her iphone. My initial look at the apps don't look like exactly what I want, so asking for recommendations.

Most apps are kinda dumb and just want start and stop odometers. Don't really need an app for that, plus its going to be way to easy to forget to do this everytime you stop. She'll mostly have a couple dozen fixed destinations. I'd like an app that you could enter a start point and end point then it calculates and logs the route distance. I'd like it to be able to store these fixed destinations for quick pull down. I figure this would be way easier than odo logging, and could be done retroactively at the end of the day if necessary.

Anyone see something like this? I could use this as well for my tax reporting.

Jay W

[Kurt Rahn]

When I submit reimbursements, I usually just map quest the distance

[Ken Lord]

Look at mile bug. If you are going to the same place frequently it works pretty good. Do you need to have just miles or do you need actual odometer readings.

I believe it does store for IRS

[Craig Naylor]

She'll mostly have a couple dozen fixed destinations... I'd like it to be able to store these fixed destinations for quick pull down... I figure this would be way easier than odo logging, and could be done retroactively at the end of the day if necessary.

Anyone see something like this? I could use this as well for my tax reporting.
Jay W

Hi Jay,

IRS rules require written proof. They do not define such in detail, though I'm sure case history may provide guidelines. My father, who was a EA (Enrolled agent: a licensed tax practitioner with standing to represent clients in front of the IRS), told me of a very simple accepted practice which I have used since I started my first business in 1990 to this day.

1.) Keep a calender of business appts, including business related trips for supplies to Office Depot etc.
2.) Keep an Excel spreadsheet with the common places you go, the addresses, distance, and number of trips taken for the year to each location. Let Excel do it's mathematical magic with formulas, and poof you have a written mileage log without much hassle.

To be honest, I record the info in the calender... but come year end, I do a search in Quickbooks for say Office Depot, see I went 5 times, and input the 5 into the excel formula, and rinse wash repeat for all the usual business locations, and then look for the odd balls that are left in the calender. From year to year I use the same spreadsheet template, adding the new locations, and the next year is that much easier.

Easy peasey!

[Jayson Woodruff]

When I submit reimbursements, I usually just map quest the distance

This is basically what I want an app to do in the background. She'll be hitting like 4 places a day, as many as 100 recurring points. Would be 21st century tedious to do that by 'hand' every night or so.

Look at mile bug. If you are going to the same place frequently it works pretty good. Do you need to have just miles or do you need actual odometer readings.

I don't think she needs odo readings, just the miles. The free version looks like a good trial.

IRS rules require written proof. They do not define such in detail, though I'm sure case history may provide guidelines. My father, who was a EA (Enrolled agent: a licensed tax practitioner with standing to represent clients in front of the IRS), told me of a very simple accepted practice which I have used since I started my first business in 1990 to this day.

1.) Keep a calender of business appts, including business related trips for supplies to Office Depot etc.
2.) Keep an Excel spreadsheet with the common places you go, the addresses, distance, and number of trips taken for the year to each location. Let Excel do it's mathematical magic with formulas, and poof you have a written mileage log without much hassle.

Her stuff will be for work reimburse, although I should start really recording my mileage more formally for the IRS. Her issue is all the paid miles are point to point, not home to point, which makes it way more complicated. My stuff is all home to point.

Jay W