The IRS lets you deduct 72.5 cents for every business mile you drive. Most freelancers never log those miles — and leave hundreds of dollars on the table every year.
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The IRS standard mileage rate for 2026 is 72.5 cents per mile. Every business mile you drive — to a client meeting, a coworking space, a supply run — reduces your taxable income by that amount.
A freelancer who drives 2,500 business miles per year — one client visit per week — deducts $1,812 at the 2026 IRS rate of 72.5¢/mile. At a 25% effective tax rate, that is $453 in taxes saved from mileage alone. Most freelancers never log those miles.
The IRS requires that miles be driven for a bona fide business purpose. Commuting — driving from your home to a regular place of business — does not qualify. But most other client-facing and business-purpose trips do.
The IRS also requires a contemporaneous log — a record made at the time of the trip, not reconstructed later from memory. That means date, destination, business purpose, and miles. A log reconstructed from credit card statements or calendar entries months after the fact is likely to be rejected in an audit.
Tap once when you start driving and SoloDesq logs the trip with GPS while the app is open — your location is only used while you are actively logging a trip, never in the background. Prefer to type it in? Manual mileage entry works too. Either way, the IRS-rate math is done for you and your running deduction total updates with every trip.
Standard mileage rate is for 2026. Rate may change annually. Verify the current IRS rate before filing. The actual deduction method that maximizes your refund (standard mileage vs. actual vehicle expenses) depends on your specific situation — consult a tax professional.
Join freelancers who log every business mile with SoloDesq. Contemporaneous records the IRS expects, without the spreadsheet. Just the deduction, tracked all year.