Stranger, Tallman & Lautz Accounting

H ow the 90-Day Mileage Log Rule Works for You Often in an IRS audit, the examiner will ask for your mileage log at the beginning of the audit. If you do not have a mileage log, then you are in danger of losing more than just vehicle deductions. Think about it. If you don’t have a log for mileage, what is the IRS examiner going to think about your other records? Right—he or she is going to think you are a bad taxpayer with bad tax records who needs extra scrutiny. The IRS says that you may keep an adequate record for part of a tax year and use that part-year record to substantiate your vehicle’s business use for the entire year. To use a sample record, you need to prove that your sample is representative of your use for the year. By using your appointment book as the basis for your mileage, you not only build great business-use proof, but you also do a great job of showing that your sample veh