2026 Mileage Deduction Calculator
The IRS split 2026 in two: business miles are worth 72.5 cents through June 30 and 76 cents from July 1 (Announcement 2026-11 - a rare mid-year increase). Most calculators still use one flat rate; this one applies the right rate to the right half and estimates what the deduction saves you in actual tax.
Know your exact split? Enter first-half and second-half miles
Estimates for planning. SE-tax savings assume you stay profitable after the deduction; income limits, QBI interactions, and state tax are not modeled. Not tax advice.
Why the split matters this year
On July 13, 2026 the IRS raised the business rate mid-year for the first time since 2022, citing fuel prices. That makes 2026 a two-rate year: a December total of your annual miles can't be filed correctly, because 7,500 miles driven in spring are worth $5,437.50 while the same miles driven in fall are worth $5,700. Your log has to say when you drove - which a dated, per-trip record does automatically and a year-end odometer guess does not. Full coverage of the change is in our mid-year rate article, and the rate's history and rules are in the 2026 rate guide.
What the deduction is really worth
Two taxes shrink when your mileage deduction grows. Self-employment tax runs 15.3% on 92.35% of net profit - roughly 14.1 cents saved per deduction dollar while you remain profitable. Federal income tax comes off at your bracket. A driver in the 12% bracket saves about $260 per $1,000 of deduction; in the 22% bracket, about $360. That's why the difference between a complete log and a platform's partial estimate is real money, not bookkeeping pride - and why the quarterly estimate math moves when the rate does.
The miles most drivers forget to count
Platform year-end figures cover engaged miles at best - DoorDash's estimate is on-delivery only, and Walmart gives Spark drivers no mileage summary at all. Deductible working miles also include repositioning between offers, driving toward hotspots while available, and multi-app gaps that no single platform sees. Gridwise estimates unreported deadhead adds 30-40% on top of what apps show. At second-half rates, an uncounted 200-mile week is $152 of deduction - $790 of deduction per thousand uncounted miles, every month, forever. An automatic tracker exists so none of this depends on memory.
Stop estimating. Start measuring.
GigOdo logs every working mile automatically with the correct IRS rate for each trip's date - the split year is handled for you. Free, no platform logins.
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