General

How to use your Google Maps trips for your IRS mileage log

Companies which have a fleet of cars, or employees using their vehicles for business purposes, can deduct their expenses in the form of a tax write-off. There is no need to keep track of the mileage log in a paper version, with so many electronic devices and software, allowing us to do it more effectively and automatically. The apps cooperate greatly with Google Maps, making it the best tool for creating IRS mileage log trips.

How to use Google Maps Timeline?

Google Maps Timeline is an excellent option for those who spend long hours in their car, and try to recreate the logs, especially the forgotten ones. The perfect pair – MilegeWise and Google Maps, with the opportunity of recreating missing logs by use of AdWise Wizard technology.

To start using Google Timeline Maps in cooperation with MileageWise mileage tracker app, you need to allow access to your Location history. The Timeline exporter from Google Maps, can be easily used to export all the data into the MileageWise app.

The most effective way is to export Google Timeline to Excel by use of Google Takeout. It’s quite easy, and it’s enough to find and select Location history in Google Maps Timeline. Choose the format and frequency of your export, remembering the format of your mileage log template in Google Sheet. After creating the export, it’s enough to wait for the download link, to finally receive the file in a ZIP format.

Can you limit your mileage log to Google Maps Timeline?

Using Google Maps Timeline may be quite handy when it comes to a simple mileage teacher for taxes, yet it’s difficult to make sure your logs will be IRS-compliant mileage log. First of all, Google Maps is unable to differentiate the way taken by a bus, car, or on foot.

Google Timeline will not provide you with the retrospective history. In case you forgot to track miles, they are lost, and you won’t be able to hand in a complete mileage report. The places visited are also shown as one common visit, which means you have to separate them. Sounds like lots of work?

Merge Google Maps with mileage tracking app

Google Maps Timeline is not useless for business purposes, and there is an easy way of downloading the location history into a mileage app. In case of the IRS mileage audit, you are protected from getting a fine, providing you have the complete mileage report.

You already know how to export location history from Google Timeline, so then it’s time for the last step which is MileageWise’s Fixed Trip Import.

Is it better to use MileageWise or Google Timeline?

Using MileageWise Tracker instead of Google Timeline has a number of advantages. First of all, it’s a fully IRS-compliant mileage log app, which tracks errors and helps us follow all of the necessary steps.

MileageWise is a perfect app for companies and employees looking for an effective way of tax optimization. The mileage log generator will save you lots of time you would spend with a pen and a piece of paper. Google Timeline tracker is an effective tool, yet it lacks some of the necessary functions.