Can I backdate mileage expenses if I forgot to log my miles last year?
Yes, you can reconstruct missing mileage logs to claim expenses for a previous tax year, provided you have evidence.
Last checked 25/10/2026.
Yes, you can backdate mileage expenses for a previous tax year by reconstructing your miles from your app history, calendar entries, and delivery receipts.
HMRC needs proof that the miles you claim were genuinely driven for work. If you did not keep a running mileage log, you have to build a reliable estimate using the records you still have.
How to rebuild missing mileage
- Download your yearly earnings summaries or monthly statements from every app you drove for during that tax year.
- Check your Google Maps timeline, dashcam footage, or old MOT certificates if they show your mileage readings.
- Count the total number of jobs or shifts you worked and multiply by your average daily route distance.
- Add up the miles using the approved flat rate of 55p per mile for the first 10,000 miles in cars and vans, and 25p per mile after that.
If you already submitted your Self Assessment return without your mileage, you can amend it within a certain time limit by logging into your online tax account.
Sources
Related
The complete mileage guide for delivery drivers
What counts as a business mile, the 55p and 25p approved rates, the 10,000-mile threshold, and whether mileage or actual costs leaves you better off.
Mileage & expensesUpdated 19/08/2026
Allowable expenses for delivery drivers: the full list
What you can claim, what you cannot, and the ones that depend on how you have claimed for your vehicle. Written for drivers using the mileage method, because most are.
Mileage & expensesUpdated 20/08/2026
Record keeping, and how long to keep it
You have to keep enough to show how every figure on your return was arrived at: what you were paid, what you spent, and how far you drove for the work. Records have to be kept for 5 years after the filing deadline for the year they cover.
HMRC & taxUpdated 27/08/2026
What HMRC asks for on your return, box by box
Most drivers file the short self-employment pages, which want four things: your turnover, your allowable expenses, your taxable profit, and the dates you traded. Everything else on the form either does not apply or follows from those.
HMRC & taxUpdated 27/08/2026
How much do Yodel drivers actually earn per week?
A realistic look at Yodel take home pay, covering parcel rates, van costs, fuel, and what drivers actually keep after expenses.
Earnings & profitabilityUpdated 17/10/2026
Business miles, commuting and the depot run
A business mile is one driven wholly for the work. Commuting between home and a regular workplace is never claimable. For most gig drivers the working day starts when the app goes on, which makes the drive to a chosen pickup zone personal and the drive between drops business.
Mileage & expensesUpdated 27/08/2026