Realtors · problem and fix
How to track mileage between showings for taxes on Mac: a 2026 guide for realtors
To track mileage between showings for taxes, log every business drive on the day it happens. The IRS wants the date, the destination, the business purpose, and the miles for each trip, recorded at or near the time of use. You can't deduct miles you estimate. This page covers what missed miles cost you, why logs slip, and fixes you can start on your Mac today.
The short answer
- Log each showing drive the same day, with the date, destination, purpose and miles.
- IRS Publication 463 says a timely kept record has more value than one prepared later.
- Estimated miles aren't deductible, and logs rebuilt from memory often fail.
- The 2026 business rate is 72.5 cents a mile through June 30, then 76 cents from July 1.
- Free fixes work: a Google Sheet, an end-of-day reminder, and a weekly check against your calendar.
What missed mileage deductions costs you
Money you never get back
Each business mile you don't log is a mile you can't deduct. The IRS business rate is 72.5 cents a mile from January 1 to June 30, 2026, and 76 cents a mile from July 1 to December 31. A missing mile costs you that rate. Over a year of showings the gap adds up, and you pay it again every year you skip the log.
Rebuilt logs often fail
A log rebuilt from memory is weak evidence. The Journal of Accountancy says re-created expenses likely fail the documentation requirements if they weren't contemporaneous. You can end up owing tax on income you could have offset, with little proof for the miles. Rebuilding also takes a full weekend you would rather spend with clients.
Weak evidence in an audit
IRS Publication 463 says a timely kept record has more value than a statement prepared later. If an examiner asks for your log, a list written months afterward is the weakest option you have. The log you wrote on the day is your defense.
Hours of your week
Trade coverage of NAR's 2025 Member Profile reports a median of 35 hours a week for Realtors. Your calendar is already full. Time spent rebuilding a log is time taken from clients, listings, or sleep.
Why it happens
Logging waits until later
A plan to log later is easy to make. Later becomes Sunday night, then the end of the quarter, then January. The Journal of Accountancy notes that an app's effectiveness depends on the user's commitment. The same is true of a notebook. Waiting turns a quick entry into a memory test.
Showing days leave no room
Showings run back to back, with calls and texts in between. Your attention goes to the next address, not the odometer. Nothing in the day reminds you to write down the miles, so the drive disappears by evening.
Logging fades over months
A small trial of digital food tracking found that adherence fell across months. Those were dieters logging meals, not realtors logging drives, so treat it as an analogy only. The pattern is still worth keeping in mind, even though that trial never studied mileage.
Personal and business drives blur
A drive to a showing might also include a grocery stop. Without a purpose line, the business part is hard to prove. The fix is a clear entry for each business leg, not a guess at how many miles were personal.
Small trips feel too small to log
A short hop between two listings can feel trivial. At the 2026 business rates, though, each mile still has a value in cents. Small entries add up to a total that matters when the return is filed.
Automatic apps feel like a finish line
An app can record movement without knowing its purpose. It's easy to assume the tracker handles everything and stop checking. Automatic detection still needs your labels, so review them each week.
How to fix it
These work with or without any app.
Log each drive before you leave
Open your sheet or a Notes entry before you drive off from the showing. Enter the date, the destination, the purpose, and the starting odometer. Add the ending reading when you park at the next address. The whole entry takes under a minute, and it is written at the time of use.
Cross-check your calendar every week
Put each showing on Apple Calendar with the listing address in the Location field and the buyer or seller in the title. Once a week, compare those events to the sheet. Fill any missing row while you still remember the route. A calendar entry can't state the business purpose by itself, but it can jog your memory.
Keep a notebook in the glovebox
A small paper notebook is a backup when the phone dies or the sheet won't load. Write the same fields, then copy the entries into the sheet at the end of the week. The Patitz case involved electronic logbooks, so ask your accountant whether paper is acceptable too.
Photograph the odometer at year start and end
Publication 463 asks for total miles for the year. Photograph the dashboard on January 1 and again on December 31. Photos on your Mac carry the date they were taken, so each reading comes with a date. Put both readings in the sheet's first and last rows.
Email yourself a dated copy each week
In Gmail, send yourself a PDF or a link to the log once a week. The email carries a timestamp. It is a dated copy, not a replacement for the log, but it shows the record existed at that point. File those emails under a Gmail label named Mileage.
Ask your accountant three questions
Ask which format they want, how they want mixed trips marked, and whether drives from home to a first showing count for you. Send the email in January, not April. Lazur can draft it on your Mac if you want a starting point.
Start with the rule that decides everything. You can deduct business miles only if you can document them. IRS Publication 463 lists what each business use of a car needs: the date, the business destination, the business purpose, and the business mileage. It also asks for the total miles you drove that year. Miss one piece and the deduction gets weak fast.
72.5 cents
IRS business mileage rate for January 1 to June 30, 2026
Standard mileage rates (tax professionals)76 cents
IRS business mileage rate for July 1 to December 31, 2026
Standard mileage rates (tax professionals)35 hours
median weekly hours for Realtors in NAR's 2025 Member Profile, per trade coverage
The average Realtor has 12 years of experience (coverage of NAR 2025 Member Profile)54%
of real estate sales agents are self-employed, per the BLS
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Real Estate Brokers and Sales AgentsIRS mileage log requirements for each trip
Think of the log as a set of fields you fill in for every trip. A notebook, a notes file, or a spreadsheet can hold them. Electronic logbooks count too. In Patitz (T.C. Memo. 2022-99), the Tax Court relied on electronic logbooks as contemporaneous records that allowed a deduction, according to the Journal of Accountancy. The format matters less than the timing.
- Date of the drive, written on the day it happens
- Business destination, such as the listing address or your brokerage office
- Business purpose, such as showing a home to a named buyer client
- Business miles for that trip, from your odometer or a route tool
- Total miles on the car for the year, from a starting and an ending odometer reading
Publication 463 also says you can't deduct amounts you approximate or estimate. A guess like 'about a day's worth of driving' will not hold up. Write the odometer reading or the route distance for each trip, and keep the reading with the entry.
Which showing drives count as business miles
A showing drive is usually the trip from one property to the next, or from your office to a listing you're showing. The purpose line is what turns a drive into a business drive. Name the client or the property, so a stranger could read the entry later and understand it.
Mixed trips need extra care. If you stop for a personal errand between two showings, log the business legs and leave the personal stop out. Ask your accountant how they want mixed trips marked before the year starts.
How to set up a mileage log in Google Sheets on a Mac
Open Google Sheets in Chrome, then choose Blank. Click the file name at the top left and rename it Mileage 2026. In row 1, type six headers: Date, Destination, Purpose, Start odometer, End odometer, and Miles. Then choose View > Freeze > 1 row, so the headers stay on screen as you scroll.
In the Miles column, type =E2-D2 in the first data row, then drag the small square at the corner of that cell down the column. Each row now works out its own miles. For the date, press ⌘ and the semicolon key to insert today's date.
Google Sheets keeps an edit history you can read. Choose File > Version history > See version history to see who changed what and when. The history won't prove the purpose of a drive, but it does show when each row was entered.
Mac mileage tracker apps: what works on a Mac
Automatic trackers usually run on your phone, so check the platform before you pay for one. MileIQ's Mac-targeted App Store listing says 'Only for iPhone' and lists iOS 16 or later, with no macOS version. Its pricing page lists a Free plan with 40 free drives per month. The Unlimited plan costs $11.66 a month billed annually, or $13.99 a month billed monthly.
TripLog's App Store listing covers iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch on iOS 16 or later, with no Mac support. The listing says its free Basic plan includes unlimited automatic trip detection. Read the listing for current terms before you rely on it.
Miley's App Store listing requires macOS 15.0 or later and a Mac with an Apple M1 chip or later. This page did not check its drive detection or price, so read the listing before you commit. Search results did not show a native Everlance app for the Mac. Check their site for supported platforms.
Common mistakes that cost the mileage deduction
- Writing the log from memory on Sunday night, then guessing the miles
- Entering purposes like 'client meeting' with no name or property
- Skipping the year-end odometer reading, so the total can't be checked
- Using a rate from a blog post instead of IRS.gov
- Forgetting the July change, when the business rate moves from 72.5 cents to 76 cents
- Logging only the busy days that stood out
A worked example for one week of showings
| Day | Destination | Purpose | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Elm Street listing | Showing to buyer clients | End odometer minus start odometer |
| Monday | Office | Return after showing | End odometer minus start odometer |
| Wednesday | Lakeview condo | Seller walkthrough | End odometer minus start odometer |
The Monday rows and the Wednesday row fall between January 1 and June 30, 2026, so their miles use 72.5 cents. A drive on or after July 1 uses 76 cents. Keep the date on every row, so the split is easy to total at tax time.
Where Lazur helps, and where it doesn't
Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac, not a mileage tracker. It doesn't follow your car or log drives in the background. It listens and looks at your screen only while you hold the shortcut. Hold ⌥ ⌘ to ask about the sheet in front of you, and Lazur answers out loud.
Ask where a field is, and Lazur draws a circle and a label around it on your screen. Ask how to do a task, and Lazur guides you one click at a time, waiting for each click. It doesn't click for you, so you make each change.
For end-of-day entries, hold fn and speak the note. Dictation types clean text at the cursor in Google Sheets, Notes, or any text field. Check the miles against your odometer yourself, because a voice note can't read the dashboard.
Edge cases to ask your accountant about
Some questions don't have a one-line answer. Ask about drives from home to your first showing, a car you use for both personal and business trips, and whether the standard mileage rate or your actual car costs fit your situation. This page doesn't settle those choices, so a CPA or tax preparer should.
Also ask how long to keep the log and the receipts that go with it. A short email gets you a written answer you can file with the log.
Client privacy in a mileage log
A mileage log lists clients and addresses, so treat it as client information. If your brokerage has a policy on client data, follow it. If it asks you to use initials or property labels, do that. If you work in a regulated job such as nursing, law, or accounting, follow your employer's rules on client or patient data first.
Faster with Lazur
Where Lazur helps with missed mileage deductions
Hold ⌥ ⌘ and say what you want. Lazur sees your Google Sheets window. Lazur draws a circle and a label around the button or menu you need.
- 1
Hold ⌥⌘ and talk
- 2
Lazur draws a circle and a label around the button or menu you need.
- 3
You stay in Google Sheets. Nothing to copy into a chat window.
More things to say in Google Sheets
- “Lazur, where do I enter the odometer reading?”
- “Lazur, what does business purpose mean on this page?”
- “Walk me through freezing the header row.”
- “Hold fn, then speak the entry.”
- “Remind me to log today's drives every evening.”
- “Draft an email asking my accountant about mixed trips.”
Free for 3 days, then $18/month. Download for Mac
You say“Lazur, where do I type the starting odometer?”
Lazur · points at itLazur circles the Start odometer column and labels it, so you enter the reading in the right cell.
What realtors say to Lazur for this
Each one is a single hold of ⌥ ⌘.
“Lazur, where do I enter the odometer reading?”
Lazur circles the column you need and labels it on screen, so you type in the right place.
Points at it
“Lazur, what does business purpose mean on this page?”
Lazur explains a term on the page you're reading, out loud, while you keep your place.
Explains what's on screen
“Walk me through freezing the header row.”
Lazur walks you through the freeze and formula steps one click at a time, waiting for each click.
Walks you through it
“Hold fn, then speak the entry.”
Dictation types a clean note at the cursor in Sheets or Notes, so you can log right after a showing.
Types what you say
“Remind me to log today's drives every evening.”
Lazur sets an Apple Reminders alert for the end of the day, so the log has a daily prompt.
Handles the small stuff
“Draft an email asking my accountant about mixed trips.”
Lazur drafts a short note to your accountant with your questions, for you to review before you send.
Drafts it
A plan you can start this week
- Day 1
Build the sheet once
Create Mileage 2026 in Google Sheets with the six columns and the =E2-D2 formula in Miles. Enter your starting odometer reading and today's date. Bookmark the sheet in Chrome, so it opens with one click.
- Day 2
Log your first showing live
Log the next showing as soon as you park at the next address. Check the miles against the odometer. If a column feels awkward, change the template now, not in April.
- Morning
Set a daily reminder
Ask Lazur to remind you to log drives each evening, or add an Apple Reminders alert yourself. Keep the alert short, so you actually open the sheet.
- Day 3
Email your accountant
Ask the three questions from the fixes section, and keep the reply with the log. Lazur can draft the email from a short description you dictate.
- Friday
Run the weekly check
Compare Apple Calendar events with the sheet and fill any missing row. Email yourself a dated copy of the sheet through Gmail, then file it under your Mileage label.
- Year end
Close out the year
Photograph the odometer on December 31 and add the reading to the sheet. Check that the total miles match the Miles column. Save a copy with File > Download > Comma-separated values.
Questions people ask
Do I have to log every showing drive?
Log every drive you plan to claim as business. A drive you don't record is a drive you can't support. Personal drives don't belong in the business log. If one trip mixes both, ask your accountant how to split it before you file.
Is a mileage app enough by itself?
An app can capture drives, but it can't label their purpose for you. Check each trip, add the client or property, and keep an export. Check the platform first, since several listings show iPhone support only.
Can Apple Maps or Google Maps history fill gaps?
Maps can confirm a route or a distance. It doesn't record why you drove. Use it to check a gap, then write the purpose in your log yourself. Ask your accountant whether they accept that approach.
What if I missed last month's entries?
Rebuild them from your calendar, texts, and emails, and mark each row as rebuilt. The Journal of Accountancy says re-created expenses likely fail the documentation rules if they weren't contemporaneous. Start the daily log now, and ask your accountant what they will accept.
Which mileage rate should I use for 2026?
Use the rate for the date of each drive. The IRS business rate is 72.5 cents a mile from January 1 to June 30, 2026, and 76 cents from July 1 to December 31. Check IRS.gov before you file, because rates can change.
Does Lazur track my drives?
No. Lazur is not a mileage tracker, and it doesn't log drives in the background. It listens and looks at your screen only while you hold the shortcut. Audio and the screenshot go to AI providers to answer, and they are not stored. Use Lazur for explanations, reminders, and dictated notes.
Do I need a Mac app to track mileage?
No. A Google Sheet, a notebook, and Apple Calendar cover the basics on any device. An automatic app is optional. If you want one, check its platform page first, since MileIQ's listing says iPhone only and TripLog lists iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
Is this tax advice?
No. This page explains the record the IRS describes and the gaps that cost deductions. A CPA or tax preparer decides how the rules apply to your return. Bring them your sheet and your calendar.
Sources
- Publication 463 (2025), Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses · IRS · checked 2026-11-07
- IRS sets 2026 business standard mileage rate at 72.5 cents per mile · IRS · checked 2026-11-07
- Standard mileage rates (tax professionals) · IRS · checked 2026-11-07
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked 2026-11-07
- Digital documentation: Avoiding a business deduction disallowance · Journal of Accountancy (AICPA) · checked 2026-11-07
- Digital self-monitoring: Does adherence or association with outcomes differ by self-monitoring target? · PubMed Central · checked 2026-11-07
- The average Realtor has 12 years of experience (coverage of NAR 2025 Member Profile) · Houston Agent Magazine · checked 2026-11-07
- MileIQ Pricing · MileIQ · checked 2026-11-07
- MileIQ: Mileage Tracker & Log (Mac-targeted listing) · Apple App Store · checked 2026-11-07
- Mileage Tracker App by TripLog · Apple App Store · checked 2026-11-07
- Miley: Mileage Tracker · Apple App Store · checked 2026-11-07
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