How Sole Traders Can Claim Mileage

Can sole traders claim mileage?

Yes. As a sole trader, you can claim mileage for any business journey you make in your own vehicle. This reduces your taxable profit and therefore your tax bill.

You can use the HMRC approved mileage rate (55p per mile up to 10,000 miles, 25p above) without needing to keep records of actual fuel costs, insurance or maintenance. This is by far the simplest method for most sole traders.

What journeys can you claim for?

You can claim for any journey that is wholly and exclusively for business purposes. This includes travel to client meetings, supplier visits, business errands and travel between different work locations.

You cannot claim for your regular commute to a fixed workplace, or for private journeys. If a journey is partly business and partly personal, you can only claim the business portion.

• Client meetings and site visits
• Supplier and vendor visits
• Business errands (bank, post office, stationery)
• Travel between multiple work locations
• Trips to temporary work locations (under 24 months)

How to claim mileage on your Self Assessment

On your Self Assessment tax return, enter your total business mileage and the approved rate in the self-employment section. The amount is deducted from your taxable profit, reducing your tax bill.

For example, if you drive 8,000 business miles at 55p per mile, your mileage allowance is £4,400. This is deducted from your profit before tax is calculated.

MileageCalendar produces a compliant report with all the details HMRC needs — dates, routes, miles and purposes — so you can simply copy the total onto your return.

How to maximise your mileage claim

The biggest reason sole traders under-claim is forgotten journeys. Studies show that manual tracking misses up to 50% of business trips. Automatic GPS tracking ensures every journey is recorded.

MileageCalendar also syncs with your calendar, so appointments automatically become potential mileage entries. If you have a client meeting in your calendar, the app can calculate the mileage for you.