No one will ever mistake me for a CPA, or even a reasonably competent bookkeeper. In fact, if it weren’t for a handful of apps and my husband’s expertise, I’d be spending big bucks on accounting and bookkeeping services.

My New Favorite Mobile App

One of those is a mobile app called MileIQ. Let’s be honest, there is absolutely no way I’m going to keep a notebook and write down my business mileage. I drive all over Memphis, from my suburban home/office in Germantown to downtown and midtown. I know my mind, and I just will not remember to write it down.

If you drive a significant number of miles for your business, expenses can mount before you realize it. The current IRS rate for business mileage is 57.5 cents per mile. If you drive 10 miles, that’s $57.50. It doesn’t take long for those short drives to meetings or clients’ offices add up. It pays to keep track.

Enter MileIQ. I don’t have to remember it, because the app does it for me. It uses my GPS to track all of my drives and store them on my phone. As long as I remember my phone — and who forgets their phone — I’m logging my mileage every time I leave my driveway. Then with a swipe right or left, I can classify the drives as business or personal.

It’s seriously that simple. The app syncs with a free cloud account you set up and allows you to keep a running total of your business mileage. It works with almost no thought or attention, as it stores the drives and keeps them on the screen until you swipe them one way or the other. It even nags me if I don’t classify them, so it’s pretty foolproof.

No thinking. No remembering. No notebooks or pens.

You can download your mileage reports, and view them daily, weekly, or monthly, and send them to you accountant (or husband, if you’re fortunate like me) at the end of the year.

Here’s the online interface, with more detail.

I cannot believe this app is free. It’s available for both iPhone and Android, so check your app store. Go get it.

I’m not paid or endorsed in any way for this post; I just discovered an awesome app and thought you might like it as well.