Mileage guide
A Year-End Mileage Checklist for Closing Your Records
By FlatMile ·
General US federal recordkeeping information, not individual tax advice. Tax treatment depends on your circumstances; consult a qualified adviser for your claim.
At a glance
Close a mileage year by fixing the reporting boundary, reviewing incomplete trips, reconciling each vehicle's totals and saving a readable final package. Keep unresolved items visible rather than forcing the numbers to agree. A year-end export is the output of that review, not a substitute for it.
The checklist below assumes a calendar-year record. Use the period requested by your accountant or employer if it differs. Do the preparation before the final day so you know which readings and documents you still need.
1. Establish the dates and vehicle totals
Record the reporting period and vehicle identity. Preserve the beginning and ending odometer evidence where available. If you started using or stopped using a vehicle during the period, mark the exact boundary and keep the related paperwork separately.
Compare the dates in the file with the dates in its title. A report named “2026” can still be incomplete if the app was installed in June or a filter excludes December. Do not describe a partial-period trip total as the vehicle's full-year mileage.
IRS Publication 463 includes business-use mileage and total annual mileage among car-record elements. A summary should make clear which total it actually represents.
2. Review the records that need decisions
Work through exceptions before reviewing every already-clear row again:
- Missing purposes or destinations.
- Unreviewed categories and mixed personal journeys.
- Impossible dates, overlapping times and suspected duplicates.
- Unexplained distance changes or inconsistent units.
- Trips assigned to the wrong vehicle.
- Reconstructed records whose supporting evidence is still incomplete.
Attach a question to an uncertain trip rather than choosing the category that increases the total. Use the duplicate-review procedure if exports overlap, and the missing-record worksheet if a period is absent.
3. Reconcile without turning a gap into business miles
Here is a fictional reconciliation for one vehicle. It is a checking exercise, not a claim calculation.
| Item | Miles |
|---|---|
| Opening odometer | 41,200 |
| Closing odometer | 49,700 |
| Vehicle movement during period | 8,500 |
| Reviewed business journeys | 3,150 |
| Identified other driving | 5,200 |
| Difference still to explain | 150 |
The 150-mile difference is not automatically business travel. It may reflect an omitted personal journey, an incorrect reading or another recording problem. Preserve the discrepancy and investigate. A neat zero difference created by an unsupported adjustment makes the record less useful.
For two cars, complete this exercise separately before combining summaries. The two-vehicle guide includes a worked example.
4. Freeze a reviewed version and test the archive
Save the reviewed journey file, any recipient-facing report, supporting references and a short note explaining open questions. Use a version label and date so you can distinguish the final package from an earlier draft. If a later correction is necessary, preserve the old version and explain the change.
Open the files from the archive location, not just from the app that created them. Confirm the first and last entries, units, vehicle and totals. Check all PDF pages and ensure CSV fields remain legible in your spreadsheet program.
Creating your own FlatMile PDF or CSV report requires a subscription or eligible trial. The website's blank template is a separate free resource. Plan the handoff before an access or device change leaves you needing a file urgently.
5. Hand over questions with the records
Use the accountant package checklist for delivery. Keep retention as a separate decision: closing the year does not mean older evidence can be deleted. The retention guide covers that next step.