Gone are the days when you had to log your mileage manually in bulky journals and scraps of paper. You can use a logbook app to automatically complete your vehicle write-off for this fiscal year. If you’re a self-employed tradie, the ATO allows you to claim your business expenses at tax time. Since driving takes up much of your day, you don’t want to miss out on claiming your car expenses. And why would you? For crying out loud, it’s a great way to inject money back into your home budget. But how do you choose the best logbook app? Courtesy of tip-offs from tradies like yourself. We trawled the interweb to bring you a list of 6 vehicle logbook apps Aussie tradies swear by. What You’ll Learn Toggle 1. GOFAR2. Squirrel Street3. Driversnote4. Vehicle Logger5. Travel Logs6. LogbookMeGet a Vehicle Logbook App That Saves You Money 1. GOFAR Learn more about GOFAR vehicle logbook app features You want your vehicle logbook app to log your trips accurately so you can keep a qualified ATO logbook. You also want an app that will offload a big chunk of logbook work for you. GOFAR lets you have the best of both worlds. This Australian-made system can help you file a fully ATO-compliant car tax deduction. GOFAR makes your tax return as easy as a few swipes on your phone. Here’s the app’s basic functionality: Accurate Logging. Odds are you won’t always remember to log your business kilometres. Nothing to worry about. GOFAR will still keep recording your trips, using an OBD2 leave-in device that starts and stops your trips automatically. Even if you forget your phone! Automatic Location Tagging. Set up your location tags for repeated destinations and the app will classify trips for you. Your only job is to flick your report to the ATO office. Filter Data for Reports Search your logbook for the window with the largest average of business drives. This will allow you to maximize your tax deductions. But GOFAR can help you save more. It boasts extra features that can help you save on fuel, repair and maintenance. An advantage not found in other apps of this kind. Cost: Starter Kit (adapter and logbook app) – $99; Standard Kit (adapter, logbook app and Ray) – $129. Download: App Store and Google Play Store 2. Squirrel Street Screenshot from: Squirrel Street Receipt Tracker Squirrel Street is more of a receipt storage app than an ATO logbook app. However, it does a great job at logging your mileage. This ATO receipt app’s main function is to store your receipts, invoices and documents in the cloud. You can use it to maximise your tax deductions and create expense reports in seconds. Send your documents via post or scan them with your phone and email them to Squirrel Street. Your documents will be validated and recorded by their ATO-registered storage service. The app offers plenty of useful features which enable you to: Archive your receipts as easily as snapping a picture. Browse your archives and export expense reports to Excel, Xero, Outright, and QuickBook. Enjoy one-click, hassle-free mileage tracking. Cost: Monthly plans from $27.95 Download: App Store and Google Play Store 3. Driversnote Screenshot from: Vehicle Log Book App Driversnote Driversnote logs information for your business-related trips automatically. This vehicle logbook app is ideal for self-employed tradies who want to calculate their ATO car expenses. Want to make the process zero hassle? Try the Auto Tracking Feature that comes with a paid version of the app. Or opt for the free Lite Version, but bear in mind it allows you to record only 20 trips per month. Now onto the key features of this app: Automatic Data Capturing. The app records the odometer readings and distance travelled, and instantly calculates reimbursement. Easy Mileage Logging. Just press start and stop on your phone and the app will do the rest. It uses GPS technology to capture your tax-deductible mileage. Getting an idea of your reimbursement amount is an additional perk. Automatic backup. The app stores your data on a server so you never lose your records. One-Click Reporting. Create ATO-compliant mileage reports and send them to your accountant in one click. Cost: Free for Lite Version, or paid for Basic and Enterprise Versions Download: App Store and Google Play Store 4. Vehicle Logger Screenshot from: Vehicle Logger | Log Book Vehicle Logger has all that it takes to keep an ATO-compliant vehicle logbook in Australia. Whether you’re a solo tradie or you have a team of tradies that each uses a separate car for work, this app comes in handy. With support for multiple vehicles, your whole team will be able to claim their car expenses. The app uses both metric and imperial units to capture trip data and calculate your tax return. The app’s unique features enable you to: Log your miles either manually or via GPS tracking. Track your trips automatically once you unlock the trip trigger feature. Log your fuel, parking and maintenance expenses by snapping photos of your receipts Cost: Free (with in-app purchases) Download: Google Play Store 5. Travel Logs Screenshot from: Travel Logs – Vehicle Logbook App If you’re an Apple Watch owner, you can use it to log your kilometres for tax return. Travel Logs is the only ATO approved logbook app that offers Apple Watch integration. The app is packed with iOS integration features which will make life easier for iPhone users. You can sync the app with iCloud to store your driving data, and even print your reports via AirPrint. The app offers different levels of automation for logging your business-related trips. Namely: Auto-Fill Trip Information Feature. The app automatically logs your trip location, odometer readings and distance travelled. So no need to type in your odometer readings. Places Feature. Assign places you check into frequently and the app will start and end your trip using your input. Bluetooth Hands-Free Support. Take the hands-free device with you and the app will start and stop your trips. All you need to do is connect and disconnect from the device. Cost: Free (with in-app purchases) Download: iTunes Store 6. LogbookMe Screenshot of the vehicle logbook app LogbookMe LogbookMe is an electronic vehicle logbook app suitable for tradies who are looking to calculate their mileage for tax reimbursement. Take note though that to start tracking your mileage you first need to subscribe to a paid account and get a GPS device that will do the tracking. Once you receive the device, you can enjoy the full stack of the app’s functionalities. Now, brace yourself for the key features of this app. It: Tracks your trips automatically by syncing them with the events in your calendar. Sends you push notifications after each trip to remind you to fill in the trip details. Allows you to set your business mileage percentage targets and track how you’re going. Cost: Annual – $375 per vehicle excluding GST Download: App Store and Google Play Store Get a Vehicle Logbook App That Saves You Money Now, the rest is easy. Choose from the list of vehicle logbook apps preferred by Aussie tradies and start logging your mileage. You’ll be able to have peace of mind knowing you did what it takes to get your money back on your tax return. All the apps listed above are ATO-compliant, so you won’t ever have to worry about adhering to the ATO tax rules. Not many apps these days clear on deliverables, but GOFAR is an exception to this rule. It’s the best vehicle logbook app for Aussie tradies because it ties in a host of money-saving features. Get GOFAR and you’ll be able to: Maximise your tax deduction on car expenses. It uses a set-and-forget OBD2 port device so you can be sure you don’t miss a trip, even if you forget your phone. It also lets you handpick a logbook period with the biggest mileage to maximise your claim. Save money on fuel. The Ray device provides you with intuitive feedback so you save money on your drives. Save money on car servicing. The OBD2 port device works as your private diagnostic tool. Once connected to your phone, it sends you car fault notifications. Now you can react before servicing becomes too heavy on your pocket. With all said and done, GOFAR will earn you back many times over what it costs. So get your money-saving car companion for smart trip logging and even smarter driving. Make burning money on your car a thing of the past.