Every untracked mile is money left with HMRC. Here’s what you can claim, what counts, and how to log trips by text so the record actually gets kept.
19 July 2026 · 6 min read
If you drive for work and you're self-employed, mileage is probably your single most under-claimed expense. At HMRC's approved rates, 8,000 business miles a year is worth £3,600 off your taxable profit — but only if there's a record. This guide covers what you can claim and the lowest-effort way to actually keep the log.
Under the simplified "mileage allowance" (AMAP) rates, you claim 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles each tax year and 25p per mile after that. That covers fuel, insurance, servicing and depreciation in one number — no receipts for fuel needed. Try your own numbers in the free HMRC mileage calculator.
Trips between jobs, to the merchant, to quote a job, and to your accountant all count. Ordinary commuting from home to a single permanent workplace doesn't — but for most tradespeople with no fixed site, travel from home to each job usually qualifies. When in doubt, log it with a description; you and your accountant can decide at year-end.
Everyone starts a spreadsheet in April and abandons it by June, because the log lives somewhere you aren't. The fix is to record the trip where you already are: text "45 miles to the Birmingham job" to GraftG on WhatsApp and it's logged against the date, at the right rate, with the 10,000-mile threshold handled automatically across the tax year. Postcode-to-postcode works too ("site visit SG14 to RG1") — the distance is worked out for you.
Text "MILES REPORT" for the month, or "MILES YEAR" for the tax year to date with its HMRC value — and a weekly email summary lands every Monday. At self-assessment time the whole log exports in one click. More detail in the WhatsApp mileage tracker overview and the mileage help guide.
Mileage is one strand of running your whole admin from WhatsApp — the same number also handles quotes, invoices and receipts. Mileage logging is included in the Solo plan at £14/month, first month free; see pricing.
Under HMRC’s approved mileage rates you can claim 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles in a tax year and 25p per mile after that. The rate covers fuel, insurance, servicing and depreciation in one figure.
Yes — to claim mileage you need a record of the date, distance and business purpose of each trip. A contemporaneous log kept as you go, like texting each trip to GraftG, is exactly what HMRC expects to see.
Text each trip to GraftG on WhatsApp — for example "45 miles to the Birmingham job" or "site visit SG14 to RG1". The trip is logged with its date and HMRC value automatically, and you can pull a monthly or tax-year report any time.
Usually yes if you’re a tradesperson without a single permanent workplace — travel from home to each customer’s site generally qualifies. Ordinary commuting to one fixed workplace doesn’t. Log the trip with a description and check edge cases with your accountant.
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