Question
Which mileage rate does Hand & Seal use?
The IRS standard mileage rate in force on each drive's own date — so when the rate changes during a year, drives before the change keep the old rate and drives after it get the new one.
The IRS's standard mileage rate for business driving, as the IRS publishes it — and always the rate in force on the day of each drive. When the IRS changes the rate part-way through a year, drives before the change are worth the old rate and drives from its first day the new one. Your deduction is the sum of your business drives, each at its own day's rate. A drive's day is the day it started in the time zone of the business it's kept with, so if you work in two places that keep different time, the same drive falls on the same day in both.
Where to see it
- On the web, at the top of Mileage — the rate in force today, beside the year to date.
- On each drive's page — Rate that day, and the Deduction it makes if it's business.
- In your exported log — the rate on each drive's row.
- On the phone, in More → Settings → Mileage & trips → IRS mileage rate.
Early in a year, before the IRS has published the new rate, the latest known rate is used and the page says so. Drives are valued again once the new rate is in.
Tax information, not tax advice
Whether the standard mileage rate is the right way for you to deduct your driving — rather than your actual car costs — and which drives count as business, are questions for your tax preparer. Only business drives count; personal and commuting ones are kept in the log and worth nothing.
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