A kilometre log is the evidence behind your car claim. Here's what it needs to show, what a good one looks like, and how to keep one without the pen.
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By the Nomo team · Last reviewed 24 September 2026
A kilometre log (or km log) is a record of the trips you drive for work. It's how you show the ATO where your work kilometres came from. Without one, a car claim is a guess, and the ATO doesn't accept guesses.
| Cents per km | Logbook method | |
|---|---|---|
| Date of each work trip | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose of each trip | Yes, it's how you show the trip was for work | Yes |
| Kilometres | Yes | Yes |
| Odometer readings | Not required | At the start and end of each trip, and of the 12 week period |
| How long | Enough to show how you worked out your work km, like a diary | 12 continuous weeks, valid for up to 5 years |
More on each method: the cents per km rate and the ATO logbook method.
| Date | From → to | Km | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 3 Aug | Office → 14 Smith St | 12.4 | Site visit |
| Mon 3 Aug | 14 Smith St → supplier | 6.8 | Pickup |
| Mon 3 Aug | Supplier → 2 Cooper St | 9.1 | Site visit |
| Tue 4 Aug | 2 Cooper St → client office | 15.2 | Client meeting |
| Week total | 43.5 | Work trips only |
Addresses and distances are made up. The trip from home to your regular workplace is private, so it doesn't go in your work total.
| Paper | Spreadsheet | Kilometre log app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filling it in | Every trip, by hand | Every trip, later | Recorded while you drive |
| Forgotten trips | Gone | Gone | Picked up automatically |
| Adding it up | By hand | Formulas | Done for you |
| Keeping it for 5 years | A fading notebook | A file somewhere | Stored and exportable |
The ATO app's free myDeductions tool can record trips too. Nomo puts the log next to your receipts and work from home hours, with one running total.
Keep your kilometre log with your other tax records for five years from when you lodge. Digital records are fine, as long as they're easy to access and in English. See the ATO's records you need to keep.
Nomo records each drive during your work hours, with the date and kilometres.
Swipe work or personal, then tap Site visit, Client meeting, Pickup or Delivery.
Every trip with the date, route and kilometres, plus your running total.
See how the Nomo logbook app turns those trips into a 12 week report.
Export your trips as a PDF or CSV for your tax agent. Nomo is an Australian tax deduction and mileage/work kilometre tracking app for PAYG employees and sole traders.
Anyone claiming car expenses who'd rather not keep a notebook in the glovebox.
A record of the trips you drive for work: the date, the kilometres and the purpose of each trip. It's the evidence behind a car expense claim.
You need to be able to show how you worked out your work kilometres, and a trip log or diary is how most people do it.
A logbook is a stricter kilometre log for the logbook method: 12 continuous weeks, with odometer readings, used to work out your work use percentage.
Five years from when you lodge the return it supports.
Yes, as long as it shows the date, kilometres and purpose of each work trip. The hard part is remembering to fill it in.
Yes, as a PDF or CSV.
Yes. Nomo works on iPhone and Android.
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Your km log, kept for you.
Every work trip with a date, distance and purpose. 14 days free, no card needed.
Start 14-day free trialBy the Nomo team · Last reviewed 24 September 2026. We check these pages against current ATO guidance and update them when the rules change.
General information only, not tax advice. Rules change and everyone’s situation is different, so check ato.gov.au or talk to a registered tax agent about your situation. Nomo is a record keeping app, not a registered tax agent.