Can I switch from mileage to actual costs?
Not for a vehicle you have already claimed mileage on. You can choose again when you change vehicle.
Last checked 12/09/2026.
Not for the same vehicle. Once you have used the mileage method for a vehicle, you have to keep using it for that vehicle for as long as you use it in the business.
The choice resets when you change vehicle. Buy a different car and you can pick either method for it, so a driver moving from a cheap runaround to a van can reconsider properly.
You can also run different methods on different vehicles at the same time, which occasionally matters for somebody with a car for food work and a van for parcels.
The rule exists to stop people picking whichever is bigger each year. It is worth getting the first decision right rather than treating it as reversible.
Related
Should I claim mileage or actual running costs?
For almost every delivery driver, the mileage method. It is worth more, needs no receipts, and the choice is locked in per vehicle once you make it.
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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
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.
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