How to claim mileage for a business journey

Knowledge base

Last updated 17/09/2026

Get paid back for business trips in your own car, motorbike or bicycle — Mighty works out the amount for you.

When you use your own car, motorbike or bicycle for a business journey, your company can pay you back a set amount for every mile. This is called a mileage claim. You don't pay tax on the money, and it lowers your company's tax bill too. This guide shows you how to add a journey in Mighty.

What counts as a business journey

A business journey is a trip you make for work. Driving to a customer, to a supplier, to a training course or to a temporary place of work all count.

Your normal commute does not count. If you travel from home to the same office every day, that is an ordinary journey to work and you can't claim it.

If you're not sure about a journey, ask your accountant before you add it.

How much you get for each mile

HMRC (the UK tax authority) sets the most your company can pay you for each mile without any tax to pay. Mighty uses these rates for you, based on the date of the journey.

How you travelled	Rate for each mile
Car — your first 10,000 miles in the tax year	55p (45p for journeys before 6 April 2026)
Car — every mile after 10,000	25p
Motorbike	24p
Bicycle	20p

These rates cover your fuel and the wear on your vehicle. So you can't also claim for petrol, insurance or repairs on the same car.

If someone else from your company travelled with you in your car, tick Additional passenger. You get an extra 5p for each mile. You only see this box if your company has more than one person in it.

The 10,000 mile limit

The higher car rate only covers your first 10,000 business miles in a tax year (6 April to 5 April). After that, each mile is paid at 25p.

You don't need to keep count. Mighty adds up each person's miles for the tax year and changes the rate at the right point. A round trip counts as the miles there and the miles back.

The limit is for each person, not for the company. If two of you claim mileage, you each get your own 10,000 miles.

Your list of journeys

Everything you've claimed is on Expenses > Mileage Claims. The two figures at the top show the miles and the money you've claimed this tax year. Use Employee and Year to look at another person or an earlier year.

The Mileage Claims screen, with the miles and total claim at the top and a list of journeys below

Journeys with more than one stop

If you visited several places in one trip, select Build Journey instead of Lookup. Add each part of the trip as a leg, then select Calculate. Mighty adds the legs together. Select Confirm & Use to put the total into your claim.

The Build Journey window with two legs and a total of 190 miles

On your phone

The same screen works on your phone. Select the + button to add a journey. Your phone can also record a journey for you as you travel — see How to track a journey with your phone.

The Mileage screen on a phone, showing two journeys as cards

Common questions

How do I change or delete a journey?

Select the three dots at the end of the journey's row. Choose Edit to change it, Duplicate to copy it for a trip you make often, or Delete to remove it. Mighty works out the amounts again for you.

The menu on a journey row, with Edit, Duplicate, Notes, Attachments and Delete

Why can't I change an old journey?

Your accounting period is the 12 months your company's accounts cover. Once your accountant has finished and locked a period, journeys in it can't be changed. If one needs correcting, ask your accountant.

Do I need to keep proof?

Keep a note of why you made each trip. Use Notes to write the reason, such as "Meeting with a customer". You can also add a photo or file with Attach receipt. If your company is VAT registered, read Mileage, VAT and company cars — you need a fuel receipt.

What if the car belongs to the company?

Tick Is this a company car? on the form. Company cars are paid at a lower, fuel-only rate. Mileage, VAT and company cars explains how it works.

I can't add mileage for someone

Each person needs permission to claim expenses. Your company's main user can turn this on by opening the person's record and ticking Can they claim expenses?

How do I get the money?

Adding a journey records what your company owes you. To get paid, see How to get your mileage paid back.

How to do it in Mighty

Step 1

Open Mileage Claims and select Add mileage From the menu, choose Expenses, then Mileage Claims. The Add mileage form opens by itself when you arrive. If you closed it, select the blue Add mileage button at the top right.

Step 2

Enter the date and where you went Pick the Date of the journey. Enter the postcode you set off from in Start location, and the postcode you went to in Destination.

Step 3

Select Lookup to work out the miles Select Lookup and Mighty fills in the Miles for the drive between the two postcodes. You can change the number if your real route was different.

Step 4

Tick Round trip if you came back again Tick Round trip if you drove there and back. Mighty doubles the miles for you, and Total miles shows the full distance.

Step 5

Check the Transport type Choose Car, Motorbike or Bicycle in Transport type. Each one is paid at a different rate for each mile.

Step 6

Select Save Select Save. Your journey appears in the list with the amount in Total claim, and the Total claim figure at the top goes up.

What counts as a business journey How much you get for each mile The 10,000 mile limit Your list of journeys Journeys with more than one stop On your phone Common questions How do I change or delete a journey?Why can't I change an old journey?Do I need to keep proof?What if the car belongs to the company?I can't add mileage for someone How do I get the money?