The mileage rate rose for the first time in fifteen years
The Approved Mileage Allowance Payment for a car or van went from 45p to 55p a mile on the first 10,000 business miles in a tax year, with effect from 6 April 2026. It had been frozen at 45p since 2011. The rate for miles beyond that first 10,000 did not move: it stayed at 25p before the change and after it.
A claim log that covers a period either side of that date is mixing two different rates whether it realises it or not. This tool works the rate out from each entry's own date rather than applying today's figure across everything, so a March journey is costed at 45p and a May journey at 55p inside the same claim, and the total is correct either way.
The 10,000 mile threshold is annual, not per claim
The higher rate applies to the first 10,000 business miles in a tax year, across every mileage claim submitted that year, not the first 10,000 miles on any single form. A log built one claim at a time cannot know that running total on its own, so each mileage line asks plainly which band it falls in rather than guessing from the miles entered here alone. Keeping track of the year-to-date figure is worth doing separately if mileage is a regular part of the job.
Receipts are a policy question, not a legal one
Nothing in law fixes whether a receipt is required before an expense is reimbursed: that is down to whatever the employer's own expenses policy says. What the log does is make the gap visible before a claim goes in, flagging every item marked with no receipt attached so it can be sorted out while the claim is still being put together, rather than discovered after it lands on somebody else's desk.
What the categories are for
Travel, mileage, accommodation, subsistence and a catch-all "other" cover the shape most expense claims take. Splitting mileage out as its own category is what lets the rate and the receipt rule both change for it: a mile driven does not produce a receipt the way a train ticket does, and the amount is worked out from the miles and the date rather than typed in directly, which is also what stops a mileage line quietly using the wrong rate.
Whether it is a taxable benefit is a separate question
Whether an expense is reimbursable, and whether it counts as a taxable benefit if the employer does not have a matching exemption, are both employer and HMRC questions this tool does not answer. It produces the itemised record; whether each line is paid is a decision for whoever approves it.
Common questions
What is the mileage rate for a claim?
55p a mile for a car or van on the first 10,000 business miles in a tax year, rising from 45p on 6 April 2026, the first increase in fifteen years. Beyond 10,000 miles the rate stays at 25p, unchanged by the rise. The tool works out which rate applied from the date on each entry, so a claim covering both sides of 6 April 2026 mixes the two rates correctly rather than applying one across the whole thing.
How do I know if I have gone over 10,000 miles?
That is a running total across every business mile claimed in the tax year, from every claim, not just this one. This tool logs one claim at a time and asks which band each mileage entry falls in, because only you have the year-to-date figure across everything already claimed.
Do I need a receipt for every item?
That depends entirely on the employer's own expenses policy, not the law. The tool flags anything marked with no receipt attached so it is visible before the claim is submitted, rather than silently missing.
Is a mileage claim the same as claiming the running costs?
No, and you cannot do both for the same vehicle. The approved mileage rate is designed to cover everything: fuel, insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation. Claiming the rate and then also claiming for a set of tyres is claiming twice. The alternative, claiming actual costs with a business use proportion, is available to some people and is a great deal more paperwork, so most keep to the rate.
Can the business reclaim VAT on a mileage claim?
Only on the fuel element, and only with a VAT receipt to support it. The approved rate is not all fuel, so the reclaim is worked out from the advisory fuel rate for that engine size rather than from the mileage rate itself. The receipt does not have to match the journey, but it has to exist and cover at least the value being reclaimed. This is the single most commonly got wrong item in a small company VAT return.
Does this claim get sent anywhere?
No, and an expense claim is worth being careful with. Filled in properly it is a movement log: where you were on which day, who you met, what you drove and what you spent, which is more about your life than most people notice while typing it. All of it stays on this device and the PDF is written locally, so the only copy that exists is the one you hand to your employer. Nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and closing the tab without saving the PDF loses the lot.