Do I need to log every single trip, or just my client sessions?

Every qualifying business trip needs a log entry, not just client sessions. Supply runs, equipment pickups, venue scouting, continuing education drives, and vehicle maintenance trips are all deductible and all require the same five fields as a client session.

What if I forgot to log some trips this year?

If you missed trips, document what you can reconstruct with corroborating evidence: receipts, client schedules, calendar appointments, and payment records. Reconstructed entries are weaker than contemporaneous ones, but they are better than nothing. The IRS allows some degree of reasonable reconstruction when corroborating evidence exists, but vague entries with no supporting documentation remain vulnerable.

Can I use the same vehicle for personal and business driving?

Yes. Mixed personal and business use is common and entirely permitted. You track both categories separately and claim the deduction only for the business-use percentage. The IRS requires a log that identifies each trip as business or personal, not an estimate of your typical split.

Does it matter if I drive a leased car instead of one I own?

The standard mileage rate applies regardless of whether your vehicle is owned or leased. You log qualifying business miles and multiply by the current IRS rate. The distinction between leased and owned matters if you choose the actual expense method instead.

How long do I need to keep my mileage records?

The IRS standard is three years from the date you file the return that includes the deduction. If your return involves a significant understatement of income, that window can extend to six years. The safest practice is to retain all mileage records for at least three years and keep digital backups beyond that.

What is the difference between the standard mileage rate and actual expenses?

The standard mileage rate converts every qualifying business mile into a flat per-mile deduction at the IRS-set rate (72.5 cents in 2026). It covers fuel, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation in a single calculation. The actual expense method involves tracking every individual vehicle operating cost and deducting the business-use percentage. You must choose the standard mileage method in the first year you use a vehicle for business — choosing actual expenses with depreciation in year one locks you out of the standard rate for that vehicle in future years.

Everlance + FreshBooks: 20% Off and $1/mo FreshBooks Lite

We're excited to announce a new partnership between Everlance and FreshBooks. Starting today, FreshBooks customers get 20% off all Everlance plans, and if you're an Everlance user in your first year of business, FreshBooks is offering FreshBooks Lite at $1 a month for 12 months. That offer is open between September 15 and September 30, 2026.

FreshBooks & Everlance partnered to bring a full stack financial solution to solopreneurs

Why FreshBooks

Running your own business means wearing every hat. You're the one sending invoices, chasing payments, reconciling accounts, and figuring out what you can write off before the quarterly deadlines hit.

FreshBooks has spent years building tools for exactly that reality. Invoicing, payments, billing, and the kind of accounting depth that self-employed workers and small business owners need to run the day to day of their business. It's the standard a lot of independent professionals reach for first.

That made them an obvious fit. FreshBooks handles the money coming in and the books that hold it together. Everlance handles the mileage and expense tracking, saving on taxes every day, tax filing, and your audit protection.

What FreshBooks customers get

Everlance automatically tracks your drives in the background, classifies them as business or personal with a swipe, and turns them into IRS-compliant records you can hand straight to your accountant or drop into your return.

Most of what people miss at tax time isn't the long trips. It's the short ones. Nobody remembers to write down a 6-mile drive to a client meeting three weeks after the fact, and those drives add up to real money across a year.

With this partnership, FreshBooks customers get 20% off every Everlance plan, including Everlance Professional. That covers unlimited automatic trip detection, expense and revenue tracking, work hours logging, and year-end tax reports built for Schedule C filers.

If you're just getting started

The offer runs both directions, and the FreshBooks side is aimed squarely at people in their first year.

If you started your business within the past year, FreshBooks Lite is $1 a month for a full 12 months. Lite covers what most solo operators need: unlimited invoices, online payments, billing, and financial reporting. If you've been invoicing out of a spreadsheet or a Word template, this is the upgrade that gets you paid faster and keeps your records clean enough to survive tax season.

Pair it with your Everlance mileage logs and you have both halves of the picture. What you earned, and what you can deduct.

$1/month for 12 months. Offer open September 15 through September 30, 2026. Available to new, eligible FreshBooks customers in their first year of business. One redemption per customer. Standard rates apply after the 12-month period.

How to claim it

No integration is required to get started.

FreshBooks customers: download Everlance using the FreshBooks partner link to apply the discount, and your mileage starts tracking on your next drive.

Everlance users in your first year of business: claim the offer through the FreshBooks Lite partner page before September 30.

What's next

This is the beginning of the relationship, not the end of it. Both teams see the same opportunity: a single, coherent financial picture for independent workers, where deductible miles flow into the same books that already hold invoices, payments, and expenses. We'll share more as that work develops.