How to Track Mileage with DeductFlow

Every mile you drive for your short-term rental is worth $0.725 in tax deductions at the 2026 IRS rate. This guide walks you through logging trips in DeductFlow's mobile companion and exporting a complete, audit-ready mileage report for your CPA.

What This Guide Covers

This guide covers six steps: opening the mobile companion, navigating to the Mileage section, starting a trip, adding a business purpose, reviewing your log, and exporting to a CPA-ready report.

Step-by-Step: Logging Mileage in DeductFlow

1. 1

   Open the Mobile Companion

   Download the DeductFlow mobile app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). Sign in with your existing DeductFlow account credentials. The mobile companion is specifically designed for on-the-go tracking—mileage, hours, and quick expense capture. Your data syncs automatically with your web dashboard.

2. 2

   Navigate to the Mileage Section

   From the bottom navigation bar, tap the car icon labeled Mileage. You'll see your complete mileage history with running totals: total miles this year, total deduction value, and a list of all logged trips sorted by date. First-time users will see an empty log with a prompt to start their first trip.

3. 3

   Start a New Trip

   Tap the Start Trip button before you begin driving. Grant location permissions when prompted—DeductFlow uses your phone's GPS to record start location and track distance as you drive. The tracking runs in the background with minimal battery impact. You'll see a small indicator in your notification bar showing the trip is active.

   • You can also use autocomplete to enter a destination address before starting
   • The app records start time, start location, and begins accumulating distance
   • If you forget to start before driving, use Manual Entry (Step 6 variation)
4. 4

   Add the Business Purpose

   When you arrive at your destination, tap End Trip. A form appears asking for:

   • Business purpose — e.g., "Supply run – cleaning products," "Repair visit – plumber," "Guest issue – lockout," "Inspection – new property"
   • Property — Select which STR the trip is associated with (if you have multiple properties)
   • Destination — Autocompletes from Google Maps for accurate addresses

   The IRS requires that mileage logs include the business purpose and destination for each trip. DeductFlow captures this automatically.

5. 5

   Review Your Mileage Log

   Back in the Mileage section, find the trip you just logged. Each entry displays:

   • Date and time
   • Start and end address
   • Distance in miles
   • Business purpose and property
   • Deduction value (miles × $0.725)

   Tap any entry to edit it. You can correct the distance, update the purpose, or change the property assignment. Deleted trips cannot be recovered, so edit rather than delete if you need to correct an entry.

6. 6

   Export the Mileage Report

   On your DeductFlow web dashboard, navigate to Reports > Mileage Summary. Select your date range (typically January 1 – December 31 for the tax year). Click Export to download either:

   • PDF — Formatted mileage log suitable for CPA review or IRS submission
   • CSV — Spreadsheet format for custom analysis or import to other tools

   The exported report includes all IRS-required fields and a summary line showing total miles and total deduction value for the period.

What Trips Qualify as Deductible Business Mileage

Your Annual Mileage Deduction Estimate

Estimates only. Actual results depend on miles driven and your tax bracket.

Manually Adding a Trip You Forgot to Log

If you forgot to start the GPS tracker before a trip, you can still capture it manually:

1. In the Mileage section, tap Add Manual Trip
2. Enter the date and approximate miles (use Google Maps to calculate if needed)
3. Enter your start address and destination address
4. Describe the business purpose
5. Select the property
6. Save the entry

Manual trips are flagged as manually entered in your export, which is standard practice. Keep any supporting documentation for manually entered trips (receipts from the destination, calendar entries showing the appointment) in case of audit.