Mileage Tracking for Sales Reps
Many sales reps drive 18,000 to 35,000 business miles a year. At the 2026 IRS standard rate of 72.5 cents per mile, that is a deduction range of $13,050 to $25,375 for the workers who can claim it.
Who can deduct
Outside sales reps are usually one of two things: 1099 independent reps (file Schedule C, deduct mileage at 72.5 cents per mile), or W-2 employees of the company they sell for. W-2 reps cannot deduct mileage federally; instead, they typically receive employer mileage reimbursement. California, Illinois, and Massachusetts mandate that reimbursement.
How sales reps actually drive
A territory rep visiting accounts in person 3 to 5 days a week commonly logs 22,000 to 32,000 miles a year. Hybrid inside-outside reps log 10,000 to 18,000.
Typical deductible trips
The trips below are the ones sales reps most commonly forget to log, plus the obvious ones. Auto-tracking catches all of them, including the small ones that add up.
- Driving to scheduled client visits across your territory
- Driving to prospective accounts for cold visits
- Driving to industry trade shows and conferences
- Driving to internal sales meetings at a regional or HQ office
- Driving to a customer to deliver samples, demos, or contracts
How TruMile helps
TruMile auto-detects every drive using motion plus location, so the trips above get logged whether you remember them or not. Smart classification learns your repeat routes (between regular client homes, between job sites, to your supply store) and starts tagging them automatically after a few trips.
At year-end, one tap turns your trip log into an IRS-compliant CSV or PDF you can hand to your accountant or paste into Schedule C. The math is already done.
Free for 40 auto trips a month, every month. If you are anywhere near the high end of the typical mileage range, the unlimited Pro tier at $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year usually pays for itself in the first week of tax season.
FAQ for sales reps
I'm W-2 with an unaccountable car allowance. Is my driving still tax-relevant?
Unaccountable car allowances are taxed as wages on your W-2. You cannot deduct mileage on the federal return to offset that. State law may give you additional reimbursement rights (CA, IL, MA), but the federal deduction is closed off for W-2 employees.
I'm a 1099 manufacturer's rep. What miles count?
Every mile you drive in pursuit of sales is business mileage. Visits to current accounts, prospective accounts, demos, lunches with customers, trade shows. The drive from your home office to the first appointment is deductible if your home is your principal place of business.
Can I deduct miles for personal errands done during a sales day?
Personal stops break the deductible portion of a trip. The cleaner approach is to separate the drives in your log. Auto-tracking handles this without you having to remember each detour.
Start tracking your sales reps miles for free.
40 auto trips a month, free forever. Switch from any tracker with a one-tap CSV import.
Download free on the App Store