Outside sales rep: how do I substantiate my mileage?

An outside sales rep substantiates mileage with a dated record, trip by trip: date, miles, destination and business purpose. At 25,000 business miles a year, it is by far the biggest vehicle figure on the return or the expense report, and the one documented worst.

At the 2026 IRS rate of 72.5 cents a mile, 25,000 miles is worth $18,125, as a deduction or as a tax-free reimbursement. Which one depends on how you are paid. A W-2 rep can no longer deduct unreimbursed business mileage on the federal return: the log is the record that gets you reimbursed by your employer, tax-free at the standard rate, and what payroll can pay against without hesitation. A 1099 independent rep deducts the miles on Schedule C. Either way, a round number declared from memory does not survive a question.

Watch the first drive of the day: home to a regular office is a commute, never deductible and never reimbursable. Office to a client, client to client and client back to the office are all business miles, and if your home is your base of operations, the first drive out can count too.

Your calendar already holds everything: each visit has a time and an address. Kilevo reads Google Calendar, Outlook or the ICS feed of your CRM and creates a trip per appointment with an address, from your starting point to the client, as a round trip. For a day with several clients, check the appointments and click Link into a tour: each leg starts from the previous stop. A phone-only call with no address gives zero miles.

The Kilevo for sales reps page details the method, and business miles vs commuting shows where the line falls. Confirm your own case with your employer's policy, the IRS or your accountant.