Add your home postcode once, then a site's postcode the first time you work there. DayGraft works out the driving distance and applies HMRC's simplified rate, without you measuring a single route. Or use the free calculator below.
HMRC's simplified rate for cars and vans, 2026/27. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Only journeys to temporary workplaces count. Ordinary commuting to a permanent workplace doesn't. If you claim mileage, don't also claim fuel, insurance or repairs for the same vehicle.
Self-employed subcontractors can claim business mileage using HMRC's simplified expenses rate instead of working out actual running costs. From 6 April 2026, the rate for cars and vans rose from 45p to 55p a mile, the first rise since 2011.
| Business miles in the tax year | 2026/27 | Before April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| First 10,000 miles | 55p | 45p |
| Each mile over 10,000 | 25p | 25p |
Travel to a temporary workplace, such as a site you're on for a job, usually counts as business travel. Ordinary commuting to a permanent workplace doesn't. Whether a site counts as temporary depends on your circumstances, so check with an accountant if you're on one site for a long time.
A 24-mile round trip, 220 days a year, is 5,280 business miles. At 55p, that's a £2,904 mileage allowance taken off your profit. For a basic-rate taxpayer in England, that's about £755 less tax and National Insurance.
If you claim mileage, you can't also claim fuel, insurance, repairs or road tax for the same vehicle. It's one or the other.
Sources (last checked 23 October 2026): Simplified expenses: vehicles — GOV.UK · Travel for work: temporary workplaces (490) — GOV.UK
Enter a site's postcode once and DayGraft remembers the distance from home every time you log a day there.
55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles, then 25p. Earlier tax years keep the old 45p rate, so past figures stay correct.
Work two sites in one day and DayGraft suggests the real route (home, first site, second site, home) instead of counting two full round trips.
Mileage is your own tax deduction, not something a contractor pays you for, so DayGraft keeps it off the statement you send.
In Simple Hours, set the correct miles and apply them to days you've already logged, for the whole tax year or from a date. Nothing is deleted or re-entered.
55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in the tax year, then 25p a mile after that, for cars and vans. It rose from 45p on 6 April 2026. DayGraft applies whichever rate applied at the time, so earlier tax years are unaffected.
Not always. HMRC's simplified rate generally applies to travel to a temporary workplace, not ordinary commuting to a permanent one. DayGraft works out the distance and the allowance, but doesn't decide whether a journey qualifies, so check with an accountant if you're unsure.
Yes, from postcodes. Add your home postcode once in Settings, then a site's postcode the first time you use it. DayGraft works out the driving distance and remembers it for next time.
DayGraft spots same-day entries at different sites and suggests a sensible total route, home to the first site, to the second, and home again, instead of counting two full round trips.
No. Mileage is a deduction against your own income, not part of what a contractor owes you, so DayGraft keeps it off the statement.
No. If you use HMRC's mileage rate for a vehicle, you can't also claim its fuel, insurance, repairs or road tax. DayGraft's expenses section reminds you of this under Travel.
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