Free Mileage Log Template - Excel & PDF Log Book

You must keep CRA-compliant records in order to claim your mileage deductions of reimbursement from your employer. In this article, we will walk you through some frequently asked questions about keeping a mileage log book and provide you with a free template to use. The template includes the formula you need to calculate your deductions based on the CRA mileage rates for 2024.

Download the mileage log template - PDF, Excel, Sheets

Use the buttons above to download the free Driversnote Template as an Excel, Sheet or a printable PDF version.

The Excel and Sheets versions include a mileage log example for you to see how the mileage log template should be filled out. Use the other Sheets tab for an empty version which you can use to log your own trips.

If you use the free Excel or Sheets mileage form, there is a formula already set up to calculate your reimbursement based on the CRA mileage rates for 2024 for the first 5000 km. If you use the printable PDF version, you will have to do all calculations manually.

Alternatively, you can try the Driversnote mileage tracker app for even quicker mileage logging - recommended by accountants in Canada.

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What you need to log in the mileage log book template

The CRA outlines clear rules on what your mileage log needs to include. They require a thorough account of your trips and the best way you can provide that is by keeping a log book. You should record every kilometre you drive, with a breakdown of whether you're driving for personal or business reasons.

Whether you are self-employed or an employee, you must include the following information in your mileage log for each trip:

• Date
• Destination
• Purpose
• Number of kilometres driven

Using the mileage log book template as a self-employed individual

You can deduct the actual car expenses incurred while conducting business as a self-employed individual. If you use your car solely for work, you can deduct all of the expenses associated with it. If you use your vehicle for both business and personal trips, you can only deduct expenses corresponding to the percentage of business use of the vehicle. You need to keep a log of both personal and business trips in order to calculate the percentage of business use.

You won't need to use the reimbursement amounts as calculated in the template; the business trip percentage will suffice for you to calculate the percentage of actual expenses you can deduct.

According to the CRA, you can deduct the operating and maintenance expenses of your vehicle, only if they are reasonable. Such expenses include:

• Licence & registration costs
• Fuel & oil
• Electricity (for zero-emission vehicles)
• Insurance
• Maintenance & repairs
• Leasing costs
• Interest on money borrowed to buy the motor vehicle

Keep in mind that you must also keep separate logbooks for separate vehicles if you drive more than one vehicle for business. You can easily copy the mileage log template from this article to record mileage for different vehicles.

Learn more about mileage logging and reimbursement for self-employed.

Using the mileage log book template as an employee

If you are an employee, you need to keep in mind that apart from the standard requirements mentioned above, you may need to keep track of additional information should your employer require it.

If you use your own automobile for work-related activities, you can usually get reimbursement or claim tax deductions for your car expenses. The following are some examples of business travel:

• Attending meetings or conferences outside of your typical working environment
• Getting supplies or delivering packages
• Getting from one place to another (for example, a client's office or worksite) while commuting.
• In most cases, mileage reimbursement is not available for travel from home to work.

Read more about mileage reimbursement for employees.

Using the mileage log template to calculate your reimbursement

The mileage log book template in Excel and Sheets format is set to calculate your reimbursement automatically since the formula is already there.

Note that this sheet uses the CRA standard automobile allowance for the first 5000 km driven.

The rate for 2024 is $0.70 for the first 5000km driven and $0.64 for each km after that.

Example: You've kept track of your mileage for January 2024 and you've driven 175 kilometres for business. Your employer reimburses you at 70 cents per kilometre - the CRA mileage rate for 2024. To figure out how much you'll get reimbursed, multiply the number of kilometres by the rate:

[km] * [rate], or 175 km * $0.70 = $122.5

Mileage logging for businesses

Try Driversnote for Teams if you need a solution for your whole team. Using the mileage log template above may be enough for your team to report their mileage, but our app can save up a lot of time for you and your employees with the following features:

• Receive accurate and consistent mileage reports from your team.
• Approve or reject mileage reports in seconds.
• Invite and remove users and assign roles on the go.
• Driversnote will track employees’ mileage automatically, saving them the time they’d use to do so manually.

For how long you should keep your mileage logbook

The CRA requires you to preserve your records for six years from the day you file your tax return, whether you are an individual taxpayer or self-employed, in case they need to verify your claims.

Self-employed records

If you are self-employed, you must keep the "base year" logbook for six years from the end of the most recent tax year that was used as a base year if you adopt the simplified logbook technique. If your base year was recorded in 2018 and you utilized it to establish commercial usage in 2020, you must preserve the base year logbook record until at least 2026.

Employee records

As an employee, you may be requested to verify your expenses in the future (which may include mileage for a range of different reasons). It's a good idea to keep duplicates of documentation you’ve previously submitted to your employer because this can happen via no mistake of your own.

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Using the mileage log template in Excel or PDF

One of the easiest ways to log your mileage is to use the Excel or a Sheets template. You can fill them out on your computer but it may not be so convenient to do on your mobile device. Editing a PDF is not possible from just any application so you need to keep this in mind.

Pros: Using a mileage log template gives you full control, allows you to add information manually and choose what to include. It is a useful method if you just want to get a general idea of how much you are driving around.

Cons: You may be prone to making mistakes since it is hard to always remember every detail of a day’s worth of driving. You need to be extra careful since you will want to report your mileage as accurately as possible to the tax authorities or your employer. Keeping a PDF or Excel logbook involves manual work and may be time-consuming.

Using an automatic mileage tracker

By using a mileage tracking app you get a detailed record of all your trips, which you can export as a PDF or Excel file and pass over to your boss or accountant. The report includes all of the information necessary for the CRA and is ready to be utilized as proof for reimbursement claims or tax deductions. The best part is that you don’t have to do any of the calculations since the app does all the mileage calculations for you.

Driversnote is able to track your trips automatically which is perfect for those who may sometimes forget to log trips. With the app, you will always have your mileage reports with you as they are safely stored online. If you decide to use this template, make sure to always create a backup logbook in case you lose your main one.

Not located in Canada? Check out our mileage guides here:

- Mileage guide for the US (IRS mileage guide)
- Mileage guide for Australia (ATO mileage guide)
- Mileage guide for the UK (HMRC mileage guide)
- Mileage guide for Denmark 
- Mileage guide for Sweden