Mileage Tracking for the CPA

I was recently asked what kind of tools are available for tracking mileage simply and easily. Simply tends to have one answer, and easily has another. We'll try and address both in this article and hopefully you'll find a solution that works best for your needs.

Trip Cubby is a solid app choice for iOS.

"Simply" starts out with using the tools you already have at hand. In most cases that is a smartphone of some sort. There are several highly regarded applications out there, including Trip Cubby for iOS devices. Trip Cubby offers most of the features you would expect to find in a mileage tracking app including: easy of entry, multiple drivers or vehicles to be tracked, a search function, and most especially emilaing of reports as a .csv file that can easily be imported into other programs.
TripLog/1040 is also worth checking out if you don't prefer Trip Cubby.



An Android based equivalent is the highly rated "Mileage Tracker" app. There are also apps that try and leverage the built in GPS of your smartphone to track your mileage without having to enter any odometer readings into the applications. Precision is definitely a problem on many of those apps, as many only measure mileage from your starting point to your end point via map and don't track actual distance travelled. There are also some apps that are trying clever new ways to get around the problem of precision, but in most cases reliablility can still be a pretty big concern. If you are interested in GPS tracking apps, check out: Tap2Track Mileage or AutoMilez.

"Easily" is a bit more fancy of a solution, though it may seem a little creepy at first. There are a bountiful number of GPS "spy" tracking devices available on Amazon.  Be careful that you read all the reviews and choose one that best meets your needs.  Many are battery operated or zero install, but several also require hardwiring into the car and a monthly subscription fee.  Your "mileage" may vary.

What Mileage Tracking Tools are you using for your client trips?  Let us know in the comments!

*Special Thanks to Ms. Peck for asking the question that inspired this post!