What does a mileage tracker do?
A mileage tracker records the distance and timing of a journey. A car logbook app helps organise those journeys with details such as the destination and work purpose. Kmlog combines user-started GPS recording, trip history and image or PDF reports for people who drive for work.
It suits individual records for client visits, support work, sales appointments, trade call-outs and delivery trips. For example, a support worker can record the drive between appointments, label the places and review the trip after parking. A contractor can keep the journey to a job alongside a short description of the visit.
What should I record for a work trip?
Keep enough detail to explain the journey without relying on your memory at the end of the month. A useful working record includes:
- The date, start and finish time, and places visited.
- The distance travelled and the route, where available.
- A specific work purpose, such as “equipment delivery to a client”.
- The vehicle used and any additional evidence required by your employer, client or chosen tax-record method.
Keep client labels concise. Avoid putting health details, participant identifiers or other unnecessary sensitive information into travel notes or reports.
How do I record a trip in Kmlog?
- Before driving, open Kmlog and start the trip. Precise and background location permissions help it record the active route.
- Drive normally. Kmlog writes active trip data to the device first; a temporary loss of mobile data does not stop local capture.
- After arriving and parking safely, stop the trip.
- Review the route, distance, places and work purpose. Check any gaps before sharing the record.
- Select a report date range and generate an image or PDF, then save or share it using your phone.
Background recording means an active trip can continue with the screen locked. It does not mean automatic trip detection: Kmlog records trips you choose to start and stops the location task when you end them.
How do I prepare a mileage reimbursement report?
First check which journeys your employer or client accepts, the reporting period and the agreed kilometre rate. Review each relevant trip, add a clear purpose and create a date-range report. A custom rate can help calculate a supporting amount; it does not determine what another party owes you.
Check the report before sending it. Keep the generated copy with your other work records so you can explain the dates, distances and purpose later. Kmlog can export PDF and image reports; it does not currently advertise spreadsheet or accounting-system exports. Inspect a sample PDF and its fields before deciding what additional evidence to attach.
Are GPS kilometres the same as odometer readings?
GPS distance is calculated from location data. An odometer reading is the cumulative distance shown by the vehicle. The two can differ because of signal quality, route gaps and measurement methods.
The next Kmlog app update adds optional odometer readings, separate vehicle profiles and vehicle usage details in new reports. These keep GPS distance and odometer evidence separate. Check the release notes for public availability before relying on those tools.
Can a car logbook app support Australian tax records?
A car logbook app can help organise supporting travel records. The records you need depend on your circumstances and the method you use. The ATO's employee guidance describes logbook and odometer records, including journey dates, distances and purpose. Other expense evidence may also be needed.
Kmlog does not determine deductibility or claim ATO approval or certification. Read the ATO's Employees guide for work expenses and check the requirements that apply to you.
What should I look for in a car logbook app?
Choose a recording workflow you will use consistently. Check whether trips start automatically or manually, what happens without mobile data, which report formats are available, and what the free plan includes. If you drive more than one vehicle, check how each vehicle's records are kept separate. Read our manual-start and automatic-detection comparison or the support-worker workflow for a specific example.
Kmlog offers user-started GPS trips, image and PDF reports, a 14-day free trial for new users and then 10 free trip starts each month. It is available on the iPhone App Store; the Android app is currently in testing. Explore Kmlog features or get recording and report help.