Offer miles estimate a job
An offer screen may estimate pickup and delivery distance before the trip. It is useful for deciding whether to accept but is not designed as a tax ledger.
Route changes, parking, and map assumptions can make the estimate differ from actual driving.
Active miles describe platform work
Platforms often emphasize miles from acceptance or pickup through completion. That metric helps explain job economics but may omit waiting-area repositioning or other driving you believe had a business purpose.
It may also use GPS methods or reporting periods that do not match your odometer.
Online miles can be too broad
Simply leaving an app online does not automatically make every mile business mileage. Personal errands, commuting questions, and mixed-purpose trips need fact-specific analysis.
A defensible log connects date, distance, route or destination, and business purpose.
One multi-app log prevents duplicates
When two apps are online, they can both describe the same physical mile. Your tax record should count distance once and preserve the business context.
Record from odometer or a consistent tracker, then use platform totals as reconciliation—not addition.
Frequently asked questions
Are all miles while an app is online deductible?
Not automatically. Deductibility depends on business purpose, tax-home and commuting rules, and your facts. Online status alone is not a complete tax test.
Should I use an odometer or GPS app?
Either can support a consistent log. Preserve date, distance, destination or route, and business purpose, and periodically reconcile totals to the vehicle.
Can I count miles between deliveries?
They may be business miles in some fact patterns, but not every repositioning or trip is automatically eligible. Record the purpose and review current guidance.
What if two apps were online?
Count each physical mile once. Note the business activity or allocation without duplicating distance across platform summaries.
What if I forgot to track for part of the year?
Gather contemporaneous evidence such as statements, service odometers, calendars, and maps, then seek advice on a reasonable reconstruction. Do not invent a log.
Official sources
- IRS 2026 inflation adjustments (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
- IRS Topic 554: Self-employment tax
- IRS Publication 463: car-expense records and substantiation
See methodology for formulas, source status, assumptions, and known limits.
Keep going
DoorDash mileage deduction
Apply the official rate to the miles you can support.
Compare vehicle methods
See why both methods still need business-use evidence.
True hourly wage
Use actual shift mileage to evaluate economics.
By the GigTakeHome Editorial Team · Content last reviewed: August 13, 2026. Report an error.