Mileage claim calculator
Put in your business miles for the tax year. It works out HMRC’s approved amount at 55p a mile for the first 10,000 and 25p after (45p before April 2026), then what you can claim back if your employer pays less.
How it is worked out
HMRC sets one approved rate for cars and vans, whatever they run on: 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in the tax year, and 25p a mile after that. For 2025/26 and earlier, the first 10,000 miles are at 45p. The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April. This calculator is for cars and vans: motorcycles are 24p a mile and bicycles 20p.
If you are employed and your employer pays less than the approved amount, the gap is your Mileage Allowance Relief. You do not get the gap as cash: you get back the income tax on it, so 20% of it as a basic-rate taxpayer and 40% at the higher rate. If they pay more than the approved amount, the extra is taxable.
If you are self-employed and use simplified expenses, the approved amount is what you deduct from your profits instead of your real running costs. The tax it saves depends on your rate. This calculator shows income tax only, using the rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish income tax bands are different.
A worked example
You drive 12,000 business miles in 2026/27 and your employer pays 30p a mile. The approved amount is 10,000 × 55p plus 2,000 × 25p, which is £6,000. You were paid 12,000 × 30p, which is £3,600. The £2,400 gap is worth £480 back to a basic-rate taxpayer and £960 at the higher rate.
What counts as business mileage
Journeys you make for work, such as visiting clients, travelling between sites or going to a temporary workplace. Your normal commute between home and your usual workplace does not count. If you claim tax relief online, you must send HMRC your mileage log, with the reason for each journey and where it started and ended.
Keeping the record without trying
With Premium, Odomint records each drive by itself, lets you mark it business or personal, and adds up the claim at the right rate for each tax year, or at a rate you set. Every business drive exports as a spreadsheet for your accountant.
Common questions
How much can I claim per mile in 2026/27?
In your own car or van, 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in the tax year and 25p a mile after that. It was 45p for the first 10,000 miles before 6 April 2026.
Is it still 45p per mile?
No. The approved rate rose to 55p on 6 April 2026. 45p still applies to business miles driven in 2025/26 or earlier, so a claim for those years uses 45p.
Does my employer have to pay 55p a mile?
No. 55p is the most they can pay tax-free, not a minimum. If they pay less, or nothing, you can claim tax relief on the difference.
Does 55p a mile include fuel?
Yes. GOV.UK says the approved rate covers the cost of owning and running the vehicle, so fuel, electricity, car tax, MOTs and repairs cannot be claimed on top.
How far back can I claim mileage tax relief?
For the current tax year and the four before it, if you were eligible. If you fill in a Self Assessment return, you claim through the return.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Expenses and benefits, business travel mileage
- GOV.UK: Claim tax relief for vehicles you use for work
- GOV.UK: Simplified expenses for vehicles