Mileage

Mileage logs record business trips made in a private car and reimburse the driver at a rate per kilometre. Each log calculates distance × rate, goes through an optional approval, and on reimbursement posts an expense payment from your bank or cash account.

Where to find it

• Sidebar: Purchases → AP (Purchases) → Documents → Mileage (URL /mileage). The page is titled Mileage Tracking — "Business trips and reimbursements".
• Settings: Settings → Mileage Settings (URL /settings/mileage), or the Mileage Settings panel at the bottom of the mileage page. Only users with the mileage.manage_all permission see either.
• Requires the mileage tracking feature in your plan.

Who sees what

Set up mileage (once)

1. Open Mileage Settings.
2. Fill in:

3. Click Save Settings ("Mileage settings updated.").

Log a trip

1. On the mileage page, click New Mileage Log (top right).
2. Fill in:

3. Estimated reimbursement shows distance × rate as you type.
4. Click Save. The log is saved as Draft ("Mileage log created."). The amount must be above zero: "Calculated amount must be greater than zero."

You can change a log on its page and click Update at any time until it is reimbursed ("Reimbursed logs cannot be edited.").

Submit, approve and reject

1. On a Draft or Rejected log, click Submit.
   • If approval is not required, the log goes straight to Approved.
   • If the amount is at or below the auto-approval maximum, it is Approved automatically.
   • Otherwise it becomes Submitted ("Mileage log submitted.").
2. An approver opens the submitted log and clicks Approve ("Mileage log approved.") or Reject ("Mileage log rejected."). A rejected log can be corrected and submitted again.

Reimburse

1. On an approved log (or any unreimbursed log when approval is not required), choose the account in Pay from bank/cash.
2. Click Reimburse & Post.

SolaCount creates and posts an expense payment dated today for the calculated amount, with reference MILEAGE-<log id> and the description "Mileage reimbursement (start → end) #id". The log becomes Reimbursed and shows a Reimbursed payment: link to that payment ("Mileage reimbursed and posted to ledger."). A log can be reimbursed only once ("This mileage log is already reimbursed.").

Status lifecycle

The mileage list

Columns: Date, User, Trip (start → end), Distance (km), Rate, Amount, Status. Filters: search (Search location/notes), status, date range and — for managers — All users. The header shows Total Distance and Total Amount for the filtered logs. Excel exports the filtered list.

Worked example

Al Noor Trading LLC reimburses staff at AED 0.75 per km, with approval required and auto-approval up to AED 100.

1. Sara drives from the Al Quoz warehouse to a client in Abu Dhabi and back: 290 km. Estimated reimbursement 290 × 0.75 = AED 217.50.
2. She submits it. AED 217.50 is above AED 100, so it waits as Submitted.
3. Her manager approves it. Finance chooses Emirates NBD in Pay from bank/cash and clicks Reimburse & Post:

A 60 km trip (AED 45) would have been approved automatically on submission.

Mileage reimbursements carry no VAT: a private car allowance is not a taxable supply to you, so there is no input VAT to recover. Record actual fuel receipts as expenses if you reimburse fuel instead of distance.

Effect on AP

None. Reimbursement pays the driver directly from the bank or cash account on the same day, so nothing is left in Accounts Payable or AP aging. Approved but unreimbursed logs are not liabilities in the ledger until reimbursed.

Tips

• Set the default rate and expense account before staff start logging; a 0 rate makes every log fail with "Calculated amount must be greater than zero."
• The reimbursement payment is dated the day you click Reimburse & Post, not the trip date.
• Use the date filter and Excel export for month-end mileage summaries per user.

Related

• Expenses
• Payments
• Settings
• Workflow approvals