Own Miles

For rideshare and delivery drivers

A mileage log for rideshare and delivery drivers

Updated for the 2026 tax year. Not tax advice: check your own case with a tax professional.

The short answer

If you drive for rideshare or delivery apps as an independent contractor, the miles you drive for the work are usually a business expense on Schedule C. You need your own log: the yearly summary a platform sends may count only some of the miles you drove for it.

Own Miles is a private mileage log for iPhone that records business drives automatically and keeps them on your device. Logging is free with no monthly limit; Pro, with the IRS-ready PDF log, is $29.99 a year after a 14-day trial.

Miles that usually count

  • Driving to a pickup, and the trip with a passenger or order on board.
  • Driving between rides or orders while you are working.
  • Drives to the gas station, car wash or mechanic for the car you work in.

Miles that usually don't

  • Driving from home to your first pickup, or home after the last one, can be treated as commuting. Ask a tax professional about your case.
  • Personal errands in the middle of a shift, even with the app open.
  • Miles another platform already reimbursed you for.

The 2026 rate

  • 72.5¢ a mile for business drives from January 1 to June 30, 2026
  • 76¢ a mile for business drives from July 1 to December 31, 2026

Source: IRS standard mileage rates. Parking fees and tolls for business drives are deductible on top of the rate.

Each drive needs its date, miles, where you went and why, recorded at the time. The full guide covers the rest of the rules from IRS Publication 463.

How Own Miles helps

  • Records every drive. It notices when the car moves and records the trip on its own, so a busy shift is logged without you touching the phone.
  • One swipe afterwards. Business or personal, swiped later in the Review list. Rules (Pro) can mark drives by hours, such as everything on Friday nights.
  • A missed drive. If a drive starts miles from where the last one ended, it offers to add the one in between.
  • Hands-free controls. Start or end a trip from Siri, a Shortcut, the Lock Screen Live Activity or the Control Center control.
  • Every vehicle (Pro). Log a rental or a second car separately, with odometer readings.

Questions

Isn't the mileage on my rideshare tax summary enough?

It may not be. Platforms often count only the miles you were online or on a trip, and the IRS asks for your own record of business drives. A log of every drive shows all the miles you drove for the work.

Do I need to start the app before every shift?

No. With location set to Always, Own Miles notices the drive itself. You can also start trips by hand if you prefer.

Can I import my history from another mileage app?

Yes. Own Miles imports the CSV exports of MileIQ, TripLog, Everlance and Stride, and any spreadsheet with a date and a distance column.