Taxes
Audit-proof your mileage deduction in 7 steps
How to make your mileage deduction bulletproof in case the IRS asks for documentation. Real-world advice for 1099 contractors.
By MileTracker · April 3, 2026 · 8 min read
Most contractors will never be audited. But the rate is non-zero, and an unsubstantiated mileage deduction is one of the easiest things for the IRS to disallow. Here's how to make yours bulletproof.
- Use an automatic mileage tracker that logs date, route, and distance contemporaneously.
- Classify trips at least weekly — not all in one batch in March.
- Add a business purpose to every business trip.
- Keep the trip detail (map, polyline) — not just the totals.
- Export an IRS-ready PDF at the end of each year and store it in your tax records.
- Save odometer photos at the start and end of each tax year.
- Keep your records for at least 3 years (7 is safer).
MileTracker detects every drive in the background, lets you classify business or personal in one tap, and exports an IRS-ready PDF and CSV at tax time. Download MileTracker free on the App Store.