Free CRA Mileage Log Template (Excel & Google Sheets)
Every self-employed Canadian who claims vehicle expenses needs a mileage log — and most searches for a "template" end at a download link wrapped in an email-capture form. You don't need a download. A CRA-compliant mileage log is six columns and two odometer readings, and you can build it in Excel or Google Sheets in five minutes by copying the tables below. This guide gives you the exact column structure, a realistically filled example month so you can see what good entries look like, the year-end formula that turns your kilometres into a business-use percentage, and the common template mistakes that get logs rejected in a review.
The Template: Exact Columns the CRA Expects
Recreate this header row in a blank spreadsheet. One row per business trip; personal trips don't need rows (the odometer readings capture them implicitly).
| Date | From | To | Purpose | Client / Job | Km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Five of the six columns are CRA-required substance: date, starting point, destination, purpose, and kilometres. The Client/Job column is optional but strongly recommended — "Site visit" is a weak purpose on its own; "Site visit — Nguyen deck rebuild" ties the trip to invoiced income, which is exactly the connection an auditor wants to see. For the full requirements behind each field, see our CRA mileage log requirements guide.
Two rules for the Purpose column: be specific ("Materials pickup — lumber and fasteners", not "errand"), and never leave it blank. A kilometre figure without a business purpose is a personal trip as far as a reviewer is concerned.
A Filled Example Month
Here is what one real-looking month from a home-based contractor in Ontario might look like. Notice the messy, believable numbers — real driving produces 23.4 km and 11.7 km, not a wall of round 25s — and notice that every row has a specific purpose tied to a job.
| Date | From | To | Purpose | Client / Job | Km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2 | Home office | 214 Lakeshore Rd E, Oakville | Site visit — deck rebuild quote | Nguyen deck rebuild | 23.4 |
| Mar 3 | Home office | Home Depot, Burlington | Materials pickup — lumber and fasteners | Nguyen deck rebuild | 11.7 |
| Mar 3 | Home Depot, Burlington | 214 Lakeshore Rd E, Oakville | Materials delivery to site | Nguyen deck rebuild | 9.2 |
| Mar 5 | Home office | 88 King St W, Hamilton | Client meeting — kitchen reno consult | Patel kitchen reno | 31.8 |
| Mar 9 | Home office | 214 Lakeshore Rd E, Oakville | Build day 1 | Nguyen deck rebuild | 22.9 |
| Mar 10 | 214 Lakeshore Rd E, Oakville | Equipment rental, Stoney Creek | Rent post-hole auger | Nguyen deck rebuild | 26.3 |
| Mar 12 | Home office | TD branch, Bronte Rd | Deposit client cheque | Admin | 6.4 |
| Mar 16 | Home office | 88 King St W, Hamilton | Measurements and quote drop-off | Patel kitchen reno | 32.1 |
| Mar 19 | Home office | 214 Lakeshore Rd E, Oakville | Final inspection and walkthrough | Nguyen deck rebuild | 23.1 |
| Mar 24 | Home office | Paint store, Appleby Line | Stain and sealant pickup | Nguyen deck rebuild | 8.8 |
| Mar 27 | Home office | Convention centre, Mississauga | Trade show — tools and suppliers | Business development | 28.6 |
| March business kilometres | 224.3 | ||||
Two details worth copying: the March 3 trips are logged as two separate legs rather than one guessed round trip, and the March 12 bank run is logged even though it's small — a log made only of big, convenient trips looks curated, and small admin trips are legitimately business.
The Odometer Rows and the Year-End Math
Above or below the trip rows, add a small second table with two entries per year:
| Reading | Date | Odometer (km) |
|---|---|---|
| Start of year | Jan 1 | 84,212 |
| End of year | Dec 31 | 102,648 |
| Total kilometres driven | 18,436 | |
The whole point of the log is one number:
Business kilometres ÷ Total kilometres = Business-use %
Worked example: if the trip rows sum to 8,571 business km and the odometer shows 18,436 total km, business use is 46.5%. If the year's eligible vehicle expenses (fuel, insurance, maintenance, lease or loan interest, parking) totalled $9,800, the claim on T2125 line 9281 is $9,800 × 46.5% = $4,557. There is no per-kilometre rate anywhere in that calculation — the published per-km rate is for employer reimbursements to employees and does not apply on T2125. The kilometres exist purely to establish the percentage; the dollars come from your actual expenses. See the T2125 form guide for where the result lands on the form.
Setting It Up in Google Sheets or Excel
Five minutes of setup makes the log self-totalling:
- Format the columns. Column A as a date format; the Km column as a number with one decimal place. Freeze the header row (View → Freeze → 1 row) so it stays visible as the log grows.
- Total your business kilometres. In a cell below the Km column: =SUM(F2:F400) — a generous range means you never have to update the formula mid-year.
- Compute total kilometres. Put the January 1 odometer in one cell (say B502) and December 31 in another (B503), then =B503-B502.
- Compute the business-use percentage. =F401/B504 (business km total ÷ total km), formatted as a percentage. This single cell is the number your vehicle deduction depends on.
- One tab per year. Duplicate the sheet each January instead of continuing the same tab — the CRA assesses each tax year separately, and per-year tabs keep the odometer pairs clean.
Detailed vs Simplified Log — Which This Template Covers
This template is a detailed log: every business trip, all year. That's what the CRA expects in your first year of claiming vehicle expenses, and it establishes the "base year" that later unlocks the simplified option — a detailed three-month sample whose ratio is applied to the full year, valid only while your driving pattern stays within 10% of the base year. If you qualify for the simplified method, the template works unchanged; you just fill it for one representative quarter. The full rules and conditions are in our mileage log requirements guide.
Template Mistakes That Get Logs Rejected
- Round numbers everywhere. Every trip logged as 20, 25, or 30 km signals estimation. Log what the trip actually was — messy decimals are what measurement looks like.
- Reconstructing the year in April. A log created at tax time from memory shows suspicious regularity and misses trips. Fill the sheet weekly at worst; the CRA expects a contemporaneous record.
- Blank or vague purposes. "Work", "meeting", and empty cells don't substantiate anything. Name the client, the job, or the errand.
- Missing odometer readings. Without the January 1 and December 31 readings there is no denominator, and without a denominator there is no defensible percentage.
- A log that doesn't reconcile. If your business trips sum to 15,000 km but the odometer says you drove 14,200 km all year, the log is arithmetically impossible. Sanity-check the totals before filing.
- Counting the commute. Trips from home to a regular workplace are personal. If your home office is your principal place of business, trips from home to client sites are business — a distinction that matters enormously and is covered in the requirements guide.
Skip the Spreadsheet Entirely
A spreadsheet log works — if you actually fill it in after every trip, all year. That discipline is exactly what fails for most people by February.
InvoiceFast — the same app you invoice from — includes an automatic mileage tracker. On iOS and Android it detects when you drive and records the date, start and end times, start and end locations, and distance for each trip (trip endpoints only, not your continuous route). You classify each trip as business, personal, or commute — or set time-of-day rules that classify them for you — and the business-use percentage builds itself from the same math shown above. On the web app you can log trips manually in seconds, with one-tap recall of your last route.
Your first 25 trips are free. Pro + Tax unlocks unlimited trips and exports the full log and vehicle summary as a PDF or CSV — the same columns as this template, already filled in — ready for your accountant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What columns does a CRA mileage log need?
Date, starting point, destination, specific business purpose, and kilometres for every business trip — plus odometer readings on January 1 and December 31. A client/job column is optional but strengthens every entry.
Is a spreadsheet mileage log acceptable to the CRA?
Yes. The CRA cares about substance, not format — spreadsheet, notebook, or app export all work if the required fields are there and the log was kept contemporaneously.
Do I still need odometer readings if I log every trip?
Yes. Logged trips are the numerator; the annual odometer difference is the denominator. Both are required to compute the business-use percentage, and the two should roughly reconcile.
Can I multiply my kilometres by the CRA per-km rate?
Not on T2125. That rate is for employers reimbursing employees. Sole proprietors claim actual vehicle expenses multiplied by the business-use percentage this log produces.
What if I forgot to log trips for a few months?
Reconstruct what you can from your calendar, invoices, and maps history — as a memory aid, not a fabrication — and resume contemporaneous logging immediately. Gaps weaken the log, which is the strongest argument for automatic tracking: the log fills itself whether or not you remember.