Driving log book

[vegemite4me]

I recently formed my own company and am a few months into my first contract. I have been claiming the miles that I have been driving to my client for a few months now, but have not been keeping a proper record of it. What kind of things do I need to record? Start miles, end miles, time, date, etc?? And must I record *every* trip which I will want to claim for?

And, can someone suggest the best method to keep this (book in the car, spreadsheet, etc)!

thanks
robin

[xoggoth]

I once mentioned I kept a little log book in my van and people laughed at me. So I won't.

[privateeye]

Reriving log book

I had a tax investigation and I didn't have this logged formerly. The investigators were happy with a simple written statement similar to:

From dd/mm/yyyy to dd/mm/yyyy a total of n journeys were made to client site totalling n miles.

They were happy that I could look back at records (in my case timesheets) and could accurately calculate the mileage. I'm not sure if a formal log book is required but this is what they allowed me to do.

[Darren at 1st Accountancy Serv Ltd]

Log Book

I once mentioned I kept a little log book in my van and people laughed at me. So I won't.

Xog is spot on, this is the preferable method of recording mileage and if accurately maintained is likely to give you a better return in expenses than trying to back track through the year and trace every instance of business mileage.

[zeitghost]

Re: Log Book

Xogg is right.

I kept records much the same as he did.

Amazingly useful when the IR queried my expenses...

They ended up owing me 46p.

[sparklelard]

Re: Log Book

If you use company vehicle for private use as well, it is deemed as a benefit in kind. This is the case where I work.

All company vehicles have log books and it is a disciplinary offence not to complete them.

All journeys are recorded and the mileage recorded as either business or private. Also, when and how much fuel has been put in.

It's also useful if the vehicle has more than one driver. This is important for those damm speeding fines.