Tools / Mileage & home office
Work from your truck or your spare bedroom? Estimate your 2026 business mileage and home office deductions, and roughly what they save you in tax.
The simplified home office method caps at 300 sq ft. The regular method, based on actual expenses, may be worth more.
Make sure you're claiming everythingThe IRS set the 2026 business rate at 72.5 cents per mile, then raised it to 76 cents for miles driven from July 1, 2026 on. Use the rate for when each mile was driven.
Driving between job sites, to clients, to the bank or supply house, and to a temporary work location. Your regular commute from home to a main workplace does not count. Keep a mileage log with dates, destinations and purpose.
Self-employed people who use part of their home regularly and only for business. W-2 employees generally can't deduct a home office on their federal return.
2026 rates: IRS business standard mileage rate 72.5¢ (Jan 1–Jun 30) and 76¢ (Jul 1–Dec 31); simplified home office $5 per sq ft up to 300 sq ft. Savings are a rough estimate.