What billable mileage does
Driving to the job costs you — the gas, the wear, the hour you're not turning wrenches or laying block. Billable mileage puts that on the bill: add a travel line to the job, set the miles and your rate, and it shows on the estimate and invoice as a clear line the customer pays.
This is a charge the customer pays for your travel — separate from the business miles you track for your own taxes. That deductible side lives in expenses. Billable mileage is about getting paid for the drive, not just writing it off.
What you can use it for
Cover the drive to out-of-the-way jobs
The rural property, the far side of town, the job an hour out — charge for the trip instead of quietly eating it every time.
Show a fair, clear travel line
Miles times your rate, itemized on the document, so the customer sees exactly what the charge is and why.
Price the whole job honestly
A job that's a two-hour round trip isn't the same as one down the street. The travel line makes that difference real instead of invisible.
Keep it optional
Add it when the drive warrants it, skip it when the job's close. It's per job, not a blanket fee.
How to charge for travel
- 1
Open the job that's a long drive
The one out past where you'd normally go without charging for the trip.
- 2
Add the travel line
Turn on the travel line and enter the miles for the trip.
- 3
Set your rate
Set your per-mile rate, so the charge is miles times rate — clear and consistent.
- 4
Send it
The travel line rides the estimate and the invoice like any other line, and the customer pays it.
Why the drive is where you undercharge
Undercharging is usually the little stuff you don't put on the bill — and the drive is the biggest one. An hour each way to a job you didn't charge travel on is an hour of free work plus a tank of gas. Putting it on the invoice, clearly and at a fair rate, is how you stop giving that away.
It's included, and it's money in — not a write-off. The business miles you deduct on your taxes are tracked separately; this is the customer paying for the trip.
Billable mileage — common questions
How is this different from tracking business miles for taxes?
Billable mileage is a charge the customer pays for your travel to the job — money in. Business miles for taxes are the miles you deduct on your return — a write-off. SideWRK handles the deductible side separately in expenses.
How do I set the travel charge?
Add the travel line to the job, enter the miles, and set your per-mile rate. It lands on the estimate and invoice as miles times rate.
Does the customer see it?
Yes — it's an itemized line on the estimate and invoice, so it's clear what the charge is for and how it was figured.
Do I have to add it to every job?
No. It's optional per job — add it when the drive is worth charging for and leave it off when the job's close by.