What this calculator does
Find out how much you're owed for driving your own car for work, volunteering or medical trips. Many employers, clients and programs pay a set amount for every mile. The math is easy, but it's just as easy to forget the drive back or miscount trips.
Here's what the calculator does. It doubles one-way distances when you tick round trip. Then it multiplies by the number of trips and the rate per mile. Last, it adds any parking and tolls that are paid separately.
The rate is yours to set. It starts at 76 cents a mile, the IRS 2026 business standard mileage rate for driving on or after July 1, 2026. Many organizations use the IRS figure as their own rate. Your employer's policy, a client contract or a volunteer program may use a different rate. Check yours and change the number to match.
Where it's used
Why this math matters outside the classroom:
- Employee expense claims. A sales rep who drove 432 business miles in a month claims 432 × $0.76 = $328.32.
- Volunteer driving. A volunteer who drives 7.3 miles each way five times logs 73 miles, or $10.22 at the 14-cent charitable rate.
- Pricing a service call. A contractor bills a 25-mile round trip at $0.76 a mile and adds $19.00 for travel to the invoice.
- Unit rate practice. Students multiply a per-mile rate by a distance, the same unit-rate reasoning as a price per pound.
Grade level and standards: Grade 6; Common Core State Standards for Mathematics 6.RP.A.3.b, 6.NS.B.3. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
How to use it
- Enter the one-way distance of a typical trip, and tick round trip if you drive back.
- Enter how many trips you made in the period you're claiming.
- Enter the rate per mile your employer or program pays.
- Add any parking and toll costs you'll claim. Then read the reimbursement and total miles.
What the inputs mean
- Miles per trip (one way)
- Use the shortest practical route, as most policies expect. For trips of different lengths, add them up and enter the total with 1 trip. Or run the calculator once per route.
- Rate per mile (IRS 2026 business rate from July 1: $0.76)
- IRS 2026 standard mileage rates: business is 72.5 cents a mile for January–June and 76 cents for July–December. Medical and military moving is 20.5 cents, then 23.5 cents. Charitable service is 14 cents all year. Employers may pay any rate their policy sets.
- Parking and tolls (optional, total)
- Parking fees and tolls on business trips are usually paid back on top of the per-mile rate when you have receipts. Leave this blank if they don't apply.
Formula and method
miles per trip = one-way miles × 2 (round trip) or × 1 (one way) total miles = miles per trip × number of trips reimbursement = total miles × rate per mile + parking and tolls
A round trip covers the distance twice. So the calculator doubles the one-way miles before multiplying by the number of trips.
The rate per mile is meant to cover the cost of running the car: fuel, wear, insurance and depreciation (the value a car loses as it ages). That's why parking and tolls are added separately. The calculator keeps every decimal while it works and rounds to the cent only for display.
Worked example
You drive 18 miles each way to a client's office 12 times in August 2026 and are reimbursed at 76 cents a mile.
- Miles per round trip: 18 × 2 = 36 miles.
- Total miles: 36 × 12 = 432 miles.
- Reimbursement: 432 × $0.76 = $328.32.
Result: You would claim 432 miles for $328.32, or $27.36 per trip. With $24.00 of parking added, the claim would be $352.32.
Understanding the result
The reimbursement is what you'd be paid for the miles at that rate. Maybe your employer pays less than you think is fair. Compare the per-trip figure with your actual fuel cost to see whether the payment covers it. The fuel cost calculator can help.
Whether a reimbursement is taxed, or whether miles nobody paid you for can be deducted, depends on tax rules and your situation. This calculator only does the arithmetic.
Assumptions and limitations
- Every trip has the same distance.
- One rate applies to all the miles. If your trips span June and July 2026, split them. Run the calculator for each period at its own IRS rate.
- Parking and tolls are a single total added on top.
- The calculator doesn't check your employer's policy, daily caps or commuting rules. Your ordinary commute between home and a regular workplace usually doesn't count as business mileage that gets paid back.
- IRS rates change, sometimes mid-year, as in 2026. The preset is there for convenience. Confirm the rate on irs.gov or in your policy.
- Not tax advice. Record-keeping rules (dates, destinations, purpose and miles) aren't covered here.
Frequently asked questions
What is the IRS mileage rate for 2026?
For business driving, it's 72.5 cents a mile from January 1 to June 30, 2026. After a mid-year increase, it's 76 cents a mile from July 1 to December 31, 2026. The medical and military moving rate rose from 20.5 to 23.5 cents. The charitable rate stays at 14 cents, which is set by law.
Do I count the drive home?
If you drive to a business destination and back, both legs are usually business miles, so tick round trip. Your normal commute between home and your regular workplace generally doesn't count.
Does the employer have to pay the IRS rate?
Not necessarily. The IRS rate is a benchmark that many organizations adopt. But employers set their own policies. Some pay a lower or higher rate, or pay back actual costs instead. Use the rate in your policy.
How do I handle trips of different lengths?
Add up the one-way miles of every trip, and enter that total with 1 trip. Tick round trip if each trip was there and back. The result is the same as adding up each trip separately.
Sources
- IRS: Standard mileage rates (checked 2026-10-19)
- IRS: IRS sets 2026 business standard mileage rate at 72.5 cents per mile, up 2.5 cents (checked 2026-10-19)
- IRS: Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-29 (Announcement 2026-11) (checked 2026-10-19)
How this calculator is checked
Method: Distance × rate per mile, plus separately reimbursed parking and tolls; IRS 2026 standard mileage rates as the editable default. The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-18. Found a problem? Tell us.
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