Even though we are surrounded by technology, helping us in everything, some people still use Google Sheets to log their mileage. Could you spend your time more efficiently in a different way or is it still a good idea? Let’s find out what the best alternative for Google Sheets mileage log templates is.
What is a vehicle mileage log book?
What is a vehicle mileage log book, and why do people track mileage? In short, a vehicle mileage log book is a way of tracking miles for mileage reimbursement or tax deduction.
We may enumerate three cases in which a simple mileage log is required:
- self-employed people use their private cars for business purposes
- employees use their private cars or company cars on business
- employers need their employees to track miles.
Some use a mileage spreadsheet for the mileage report, but more and more people swap to mileage tracker apps.
The vehicle mileage log book contains the information about trips purposes, date of the trip, odometer reading, miles driven for each trip, the destination of the trips, and the deductible amounts.
Mileage log in Google Sheets: Should you do it?
If you are a conservative person, not willing to try new things, especially if the situation is connected to modern technologies, you may still use Google Sheets, yet make sure you download a Google Sheet mileage log templete that is 100% IRS-compliant, based on the IRS’s mileage rates.
However, using Google Sheets as mileage logs for taxes, you may easily make a mistake and miss a logical conflict in logs, which may result in a fine from IRS.
Google Sheets vs mileage tracker app
Google Sheets is way better than simple pen and paper, yet, by avoiding using a mileage tracker app you will still miss a range of features:
- 3+1 auto-tracking methods ( Bluetooth, vehicle movement monitoring, and Plug’N’Go phone charging tracking)
- retrospective mileage reconstruction, which may prevent you from paying fines to the IRS.
- mass distance calculation, checking door-to-door distances without the need of using GPS all the time.
- in-built IRS auditor, which is one of the most important features to track logical conflitcs.
MileageWise’s Google Maps Timeline import function
If you used Google Timeline as your Google Maps mileage tracker, you can import the data to the mileage app in a few steps:
- Open Google Takout
- Find and select Location History
- Select JSON File Format to Export
- Choose a file type to compress, export frequency, and destination on your PC
- Import the JSON fila via MileageWise’s Fixed Trip Import.
