Mileage should be simple.
You drive somewhere for work. You record the journey. You claim the expense. Done.
And yet, every year, huge numbers of sole traders lose money because they either:
- • track mileage badly
- • misunderstand the rules
- • or fail to claim it at all
The frustrating part is that mileage is often one of the largest legitimate expenses available to self-employed people.
Especially for:
- • tradespeople
- • CIS subcontractors
- • consultants
- • cleaners
- • surveyors
- • mobile service businesses
Small mistakes repeated over hundreds of journeys quickly become expensive.
Mistake 1: Forgetting Short Journeys
This is probably the most common issue.
People remember:
- • long motorway drives
- • cross-country jobs
- • airport runs
But they forget:
- • local supplier visits
- • quick client meetings
- • short site trips
The problem is that these small journeys quietly stack together.
Ten forgotten 4-mile trips per month equals 480 missed miles per year. At 55p per mile, that is £264 lost — from tiny journeys most people never think about.
Mistake 2: Reconstructing Mileage Months Later
This almost always goes badly.
Trying to rebuild mileage logs from memory in January leads to:
- • missing journeys
- • inaccurate dates
- • rough estimates
And once records become vague, people often underclaim because they lose confidence in the numbers.
Mistake 3: Assuming Fuel Receipts Are Enough
This is a huge misunderstanding.
Mileage claims are based on qualifying business miles — not simply fuel purchased.
Without mileage records, fuel receipts alone usually do not prove business use properly.
Mistake 4: Confusing Commuting With Business Travel
Not every drive counts.
Travel between home and a permanent workplace is usually treated as ordinary commuting.
However, journeys between:
- • client sites
- • temporary workplaces
- • supplier visits
- • multiple work locations
often qualify.
This is where many sole traders either overclaim accidentally, or underclaim out of caution.
Mistake 5: Mixing Personal and Business Trips
A business trip that also includes personal errands can create confusion if records are poor.
The simplest solution is separating journeys clearly at the time they happen.
Mistake 6: Not Claiming Mileage At All
This sounds ridiculous. But it happens constantly.
Many small businesses either:
- • forget entirely
- • think the amounts are too small
- • or assume claiming is complicated
Over time this can mean losing thousands in legitimate tax relief.
Why This Matters More Under Making Tax Digital
Under MTD, businesses will increasingly move toward:
- • quarterly reporting
- • digital records
- • more frequent submissions
That means messy annual reconstruction becomes far harder.
The businesses already maintaining accurate mileage logs will find the transition dramatically easier.
Summary
Mileage is one of the simplest legitimate expenses available to sole traders, yet it is also one of the most commonly underclaimed.
The biggest mistakes include:
- • forgetting short journeys
- • reconstructing records later
- • misunderstanding qualifying travel
- • failing to separate personal and business use
With the mileage allowance now increasing to 55p per mile, proper tracking becomes even more valuable.
For many sole traders, fixing mileage habits alone could save hundreds of pounds each year.