Roadfolio mileage tracking setup

Mileage is the biggest deduction most self-employed people miss. The 2026 IRS rate is 70 cents per mile. Drive 15,000 business miles, that's a $10,500 deduction. Set up Roadfolio once and never miss another mile.

Step 1: Enable automatic tracking

1. Tap Mileage in the bottom nav.
2. Tap the gear icon > Auto-tracking.
3. Toggle on Automatic GPS tracking.

From this moment, Roadfolio detects driving and logs every trip in the background. You don't need to open the app.

Step 2: Grant location permission

Critical step. Background tracking requires "Always Allow" location.

iPhone

1. Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Roadfolio
2. Tap Always
3. Toggle on Precise Location

Android

1. Settings > Apps > Roadfolio > Permissions > Location
2. Tap Allow all the time
3. Make sure battery optimization is disabled (Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization > Roadfolio > Don't optimize)

If you only allow "while using app," the GPS will only log when Roadfolio is open. Drives in the background get missed.

Step 3: Set business hours

Trips during your business hours auto-classify as business. Trips outside auto-classify as personal. You can override either with a swipe.

1. Mileage settings > Business hours
2. Pick your work days (e.g., Mon-Fri)
3. Set start and end times (e.g., 8 am to 6 pm)

If your work is unpredictable, set wider hours. You can always swap a trip later.

Step 4: Add your vehicles

1. Mileage settings > Vehicles > +
2. Enter make, model, year
3. If you use the actual expense method (not standard mileage), add MPG and ownership info
4. Set one as the default if you have multiple

Step 5: Test it

Drive somewhere. After you arrive, open Roadfolio > Mileage. You should see the trip logged with start point, end point, distance, and duration. If you don't, recheck location permission.

Daily use: swiping trips

Each trip shows up as a card. Swipe right for business, swipe left for personal. Takes 1 second per trip. Set a daily reminder to clear yesterday's trips.

For business trips, add a purpose tap: "Site visit," "Client meeting," "Office supplies," "Delivery." Linking to a client or job is optional but helpful for job costing.

IRS compliance checklist

Roadfolio captures everything the IRS requires:

• Date of trip
• Distance
• Start and end locations
• Business purpose
• Vehicle

Export at year end as CSV or PDF for your tax preparer. Bulletproof if you're audited.

What counts as a business mile

• Driving from your home office to a client site
• Site visit to site visit
• Picking up materials
• Delivery
• Meeting with a client or vendor
• Driving to the post office for business mail
• Bank trips for business deposits

What doesn't count

• Commuting from home to a regular workplace (if you have one)
• Personal errands
• If you stop for personal errands, only the business legs count

If you work from home, almost every drive related to your business is deductible.

Standard mileage vs actual expenses

For 2026, standard mileage rate is 70 cents per business mile. Simple. You only need the miles.

Actual expense method: track gas, maintenance, insurance, registration, depreciation. Multiply total expenses by business-use percentage. More work, sometimes more deduction (especially for expensive vehicles).

Roadfolio supports both. Pick standard if your vehicle is paid off and reasonably efficient.

Tips to maximize the deduction

• Drive Monday-Friday with the app always on; you'll capture trips you'd otherwise forget
• Use the app to navigate; trips end where you say they end (more accurate)
• Note odometer Jan 1 and Dec 31 each year (in Settings > Vehicle); required for IRS
• Tag trips to clients; helps you spot which clients are unprofitable when you account for drive time
• Don't skip short trips. 4 miles to Home Depot = $2.80. Five trips a week = $14 = $728/yr deduction = $200 cash if you're in the 22% bracket

Troubleshooting

Trips aren't logging

• Check location permission is "Always Allow" with "Precise Location" on
• iPhone: turn off Low Power Mode
• Android: exempt Roadfolio from battery optimization
• Make sure motion permission is granted

Trips logging when I'm not driving

Sometimes happens if you're on a bus or train. Swipe to delete or mark personal.

Battery drain

Roadfolio is optimized to use minimal battery. If you see 5%+ drain attributed to Roadfolio, file a support ticket; that's not normal.

5 things to do this week

1. Install Roadfolio and enable auto-tracking.
2. Set location to "Always Allow."
3. Add your vehicles.
4. Drive normally for a week; swipe trips daily.
5. End of week, check your dashboard. See your deduction adding up.