If you claim business travel on your tax return, SARS expects a proper logbook, not a rough estimate at the end of the year. Here’s how to keep one that actually holds up, without turning it into a daily chore.
Record every trip as it happens
The most common mistake is trying to reconstruct months of travel from memory in March. Record each business trip on the day it happens: date, starting odometer reading, closing odometer reading, and the business purpose. A line or two per trip is enough, as long as it’s consistent and done at the time, not backfilled later.
Separate business and private kilometres clearly
Only the business-related portion of your travel is relevant to a claim. Keep the logbook focused on business trips specifically, and note your odometer reading at the very start and end of the tax year so your total annual kilometres are on record too.
Keep it somewhere you’ll actually use it
A logbook that lives in a drawer at home doesn’t get filled in. Keep it in the car, or somewhere you touch it right after a trip, so the entry happens while the details are still fresh rather than being guessed at weeks later.
This is general guidance, not tax advice
Every situation is different, and SARS requirements can change. For anything specific to your own tax return, check the current SARS guidance or speak to your accountant. What we can help with is giving you a simple, consistent place to record the trip details as they happen.
