# Stop Photographing Your Odometer: A Free Auto-Mileage Tracker for Home Health SLPs If you work in home health or mobile therapy, you likely spend a good deal of time driving between sites, and tracking all of it is tedious. How do you document your mileage without photographing your odometer at every stop and typing it into a spreadsheet, or worse, paying for an expensive and invasive tracking system? At Melospeech®, we use a simple form that one of our SLPAs on our expansion team built for us years ago. We've modified it for you free. It helps do the tracking work for you, and it makes submitting your mileage to your employer or contracting agency that much easier. Pair it with a visit verification signature (which our cool [SLPeace®](https://slpeace.com) tool offers, by the way) and you can show you were at each site, while the form pulls the shortest driving distance straight from Google Maps. We're sharing this resource free in hopes it saves you time the way it saves us. Make a copy and add it to your workflow! 👉 [**Make your free copy of the SLPeace® Mileage Tracker (Google Sheet)**](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17dDOZnHjRMB09xGa7SWFaapyVh1qfEIrlmx2xJREu1E/copy) * * * ## Why mileage tracking eats your time Mileage is money you've already earned. But when logging it is a hassle, it gets put off until the end of the pay period. Then you're reconstructing a week of visits from your calendar and guessing at distances. Some clinicians give up and don't claim it at all. When I was a school SLP there were times when I just didn't submit my mileage because I was too busy to keep track. The fix is to log each drive as you go, in a format that does the math for you. * * * ## What the tracker does You type in where you started and where you went. The sheet does the rest. | Tab | What it's for | | --- | --- | | **Start Here** | Quick start steps and privacy tips | | **Mileage Log** | One row per drive. Google Maps fills in the shortest driving distance and the drive time | | **Calculator** | Multiplies your total miles by the current IRS rate, plus any tolls or parking | | **Policies** | A sample reimbursement policy you can adapt, with a link to the current IRS rate | | **Example** | A filled-in day of visits so you can see how it works | A few features we added for you: * **Manual Miles override.** If a road closure or detour meant you drove farther than Google's route, type your actual miles. The sheet uses your number instead. * **A Purpose column.** An optional way to note what each visit was (session, evaluation, IEP meeting) so every drive has a business reason attached. * **No hardcoded rates.** The IRS rate can change, and *has* changed mid-year before. You enter the current rate on the Calculator tab, using the link to the IRS page, so the math is never out of date. * * * ## Set it up once (about 1 minute) 1. **Make your copy** using the link above. 2. **Fill in your name, pay period, and employer** at the top of the Mileage Log. That's it. The Google Maps lookup is already built in, so there's no app to install, no code, and no subscription. If Google ever asks permission to use Google Maps, click **Allow**. The sheet only looks up driving routes. It does not track your location. * * * ## Use it every visit day * **After each drive, add one row:** date, start and end client (initials or ID), and both addresses. Adding the purpose is optional, especially if you are only logging visits each time, but can be used if required by your employer. * **Check the miles.** If Google's distance doesn't match what you drove, enter your actual miles in **Manual Miles**. * **At the end of the pay period,** you or your employer can open the Calculator tab and enter the current IRS rate. The sheet can then be downloaded or shared with whoever approves your mileage! It can also be stored for future audit. > **Tip:** Keep the tracker bookmarked on your phone and log each drive before you pull away from the curb. Thirty seconds per stop beats an hour of reconstruction on Friday. * * * ## What counts, and what doesn't Policies vary by employer, so use your employer's rules if they differ. The sample policy on the Policies tab is a starting point you can edit. * * * ## Back it up with visit verification A mileage log shows *where* you drove. A visit verification signature shows you were *actually there*. Together, they can make a simple, easy-to-check record for whoever approves your reimbursement, without anyone tracking your phone all day. Our [SLPeace®](https://slpeace.com) tool offers visit verification signatures, so each logged drive can line up with a signed visit. * * * ## Protect your clients' privacy A list of client names next to home addresses is sensitive information if not kept securely. In any case, at Melospeech® we like to minimize sensitive data on any form that may be shared with other unrelated parties (e.g., auditors). To keep your log safe: * **Use initials or client ID numbers,** instead of full names. * **Keep the sheet in a secure folder or location** that only you and your approver can open. * **Follow your employer's HIPAA and FERPA policies** for anything that includes client information. * * * ## Get the free tracker 👉 [**Make your free copy of the SLPeace® Mileage Tracker (Google Sheet)**](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17dDOZnHjRMB09xGa7SWFaapyVh1qfEIrlmx2xJREu1E/copy) Log as you go, submit on time, and keep the money you've earned. Your time is worth protecting, and so are your miles. * * * *This tracker is a general template, not tax or legal advice. Your employer's policy and a tax professional have the final say on what is reimbursable. Google Maps and Google Sheets are trademarks of Google LLC; this tracker is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.* * * * ### Resources Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). *Standard mileage rates*. [https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates](https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates) Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). *Publication 463: Travel, gift, and car expenses*. [https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463)