Travel Expense Report Calculator
Compiling a travel expense report requires totalling all business trip costs across flights, hotel, meals, ground transport, and incidentals. This calculator provides a structured summary of all standard reimbursable expense categories and shows totals by category, a per-day average, and the amount owed after subtracting any advances already received.
Travel expense report formula
Mileage reimbursement = Miles x IRS mileage rate
Total expenses = Airfare + Hotel + Meals + Ground + Parking + Mileage + Other
Amount owed = Total expenses - Cash advance received
Daily average = Total expenses / Trip days
The IRS mileage rate is published annually in an IRS Notice or Revenue Procedure. The GSA M&IE per diem rates for US locations are updated annually and published at gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates.
Travel expense report calculator: frequently asked questions
What business travel expenses are typically reimbursable?
Standard reimbursable business travel expenses include: airfare (economy class for most employers), hotel accommodation at a reasonable rate, meals up to a daily limit (per diem), ground transportation (taxis, rideshares, rental cars), parking, tolls, business-related communications (phone calls, internet), and baggage fees for checked luggage required for the trip. Personal expenses (minibar, room service beyond a reasonable meal, entertainment unrelated to business) are generally not reimbursable.
What is the IRS per diem rate for meals and incidentals?
The US General Services Administration (GSA) publishes per diem rates for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) for locations within the continental United States. The standard M&IE rate for 2026 is $68 per day for most locations; higher-cost cities have rates up to $79 per day. The IRS accepts per diem rates as a reasonable meal and incidental expense for business travel without requiring individual receipts, per IRS Publication 463.
Do I need receipts for all business travel expenses?
Under IRS rules, receipts are required for any expense of $75 or more. For expenses below $75, the IRS does not require a receipt but the expense must still be documented with the date, business purpose, and amount. Many employers have stricter internal policies requiring receipts for all expenses. Per diem meal allowances do not require individual meal receipts.
How do I calculate the mileage reimbursement for driving?
The IRS standard mileage rate for 2026 for business use of a personal vehicle is a user-editable input in this calculator. The 2025 rate was $0.70 per mile. Multiply total business miles driven by the applicable rate. Keep a mileage log with dates, start and end locations, and business purpose. See IRS Rev. Proc. on standard mileage rates for the current figure.
Can I claim both the standard mileage rate and actual vehicle expenses?
No. You must choose between the standard mileage rate method and the actual expense method (fuel, insurance, depreciation, maintenance) for a given vehicle in a given tax year. Once you switch to actual expenses for a vehicle, you generally cannot switch back to the standard mileage rate for that vehicle in a later year. For most business travellers, the standard mileage rate is simpler.
Official sources
- IRS Publication 463, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses: irs.gov/publications/p463.
- GSA per diem rates for the continental US: gsa.gov per diem rates.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 14 June 2026. See our methodology.