Is there an official IRS mileage reimbursement form?
No. The IRS publishes the standard mileage rates and the record rules in Publication 463, but it does not issue a claim form for an employee to submit to an employer. Employers use their own form. The blank form includes the per-trip fields Publication 463 asks a mileage record to show: date, destination, business purpose and miles. Form 2106 is a different document. It is for the narrow group of employees who can still deduct job expenses, not for a normal employer reimbursement.
What should a mileage reimbursement form include?
The claim header needs the employee name and ID, department, company, claim period, submission date, distance unit and rate basis. Add one row per trip with the date, purpose, start, destination, distance, rate and amount. Add an approval with a dated signature, a note for parking or tolls claimed separately, and a certification that the miles were business miles.
What is the difference between a mileage log and a reimbursement form?
A log records the trips. A form submits them for payment. The log is the evidence behind each row, and the form is the request with the total, the certification and the approval. Keep them together so every line on the form traces back to a record.
Should I use Excel, Word or PDF?
All three files carry the same nine trip columns, so the choice is about how you fill the claim in. Excel calculates the Amount column and the total, Word lets you replace the header or the policy wording, and the PDF is the one you print and sign by hand. It is not a fillable form, so type into Excel or Word if you need to edit on screen. Each of the three is shown in full before you download one.
How is the reimbursement amount calculated?
Multiply the business miles or kilometres on the row by the rate that applies to that trip, then add the line amounts. For a 2026 US claim, the IRS benchmark is 72.5 cents per mile from January 1 to June 30 and 76 cents from July 1. The form uses the rate your employer's policy sets. The IRS figure is a benchmark, not a rule that sets a private employer's rate.
Can I include commuting miles?
No. Travel between home and your regular workplace is commuting, not business mileage, and the IRS treats it as a personal expense. Keep commuting out of the claim. If you record it for a business-use calculation, put it in its own category so a reviewer can see the split.
What if the rate changed during the year?
Put the rate in force on the trip date in that row. In the US, 2026 has two business rates, so a claim that covers trips before and after July 1 needs both. Pricing the whole claim at one rate overstates or understates the total. The filled sample shows 5 trips across that change.
Are parking and tolls included in the mileage rate?
No. The standard mileage rate covers the cost of operating the car. Business parking and tolls are claimed in addition. Keep the receipts and put the amount in the Notes column or on a separate expense line. Do not fold it into the distance or the rate.
Do I need receipts for every trip?
The trip record is the evidence for the mileage: date, destination, business purpose and miles. Keep receipts for parking, tolls and any actual expenses claimed separately. An accountable plan also asks you to account to your employer within a reasonable time. Submit the form with the log instead of reconstructing it months later.
How long should I keep the form and the log?
For a US tax deduction, keep the records for three years from the date you file the return. For an employer reimbursement, the employer's retention policy controls. Keep the form and log with the payroll records for at least that long. When more than one rule applies, keep the longer period.
Is mileage reimbursement taxable?
A reimbursement under an accountable plan is not wages. The employer pays a business expense, the employee provides evidence, and the employee returns any excess. A flat allowance without evidence is generally taxable. The form is part of the evidence, not a tax return. The taxability guide covers the difference.
Can I use this form in Canada, the UK or Australia?
You can use the form's columns, but the rate and the record rules are country-specific. Use the country's own rate and log requirements: HMRC's approved mileage rates and records, the CRA's automobile allowance records, or the ATO's logbook or cents-per-kilometre method. The form does not replace those records.
Can I use this form if I am self-employed or drive for a gig app?
The form is a claim to an employer. An employee asks the employer to pay business miles. A self-employed driver claims the mileage deduction on Schedule C from a mileage log, not a reimbursement form. The same trip records support it. A gig driver who is treated as an employee uses the employer's process. An independent contractor claims the deduction instead.
Can I use this form for a car allowance?
No. A car allowance is a fixed payment, usually monthly, that does not depend on the miles driven. This form claims business miles. If the employer pays both an allowance and mileage, the policy decides how the two work together, and the allowance's tax treatment is a separate question. The car allowance guide covers that choice.