ATO Compliant Vehicle Log Book Template 

If you are claiming vehicle expenses for business purposes, you must keep proper records in order for the ATO to approve your claim.

Download the free log book template here as a PDF or Excel

You can download the free Driversnote template as an Excel, Sheet, or printable PDF. 

The Excel and Sheets versions include a vehicle log example so you can see how to fill out your logbook, as well as an empty sheet you can use for your own log.

Alternatively, you can try the Driversnote logbook app for logging your trips even quicker. The app helps you get ATO-compliant tax log books for your claims and is recommended by accountants in Australia.

Claim your deductions

Reclaim your time

Automatic mileage tracking and ATO-compliant reporting.

Get started for free Get started for free

Claim your deductions

Reclaim your time

Automatic mileage tracking and ATO-compliant reporting.

Get started for free Get started for free

Do you need a vehicle log book template for your team? 

If you are a manager or an employer in need of a solution for your entire team, you can try Driversnote Teams. While using the Sheet or Excel car log book template may suffice for your team to report their mileage, an app will save you and your employees a lot of time by automating the reporting and reimbursement process. Some of the benefits of using a mileage tracking app for your team are: 

• Your team will provide you with accurate and consistent mileage reports;
• In seconds, you can approve or reject mileage reports:
• Invite and remove users, as well as assign roles quickly;
• Your team will save time by having all trips tracked for them automatically.

What to include in the car log book template

According to the logbook method, there are a few things that you must always remember to include in your log book. The ATO outlines clear rules on what information you need to fill out in your log book template.

When using the logbook method, the following information is required:

General

• The time span being tracked
• The odometer readings at the start and end of the period
• The total number of kilometres driven
• The percentage of business-related kilometres travelled.

For each trip recorded, the following information is required:

• Start and end times
• Odometer readings
• Distance travelled in total
• The reason for the trip

Expenses such as fuel, servicing, and other operating costs can be claimed based on the percentage of business driving throughout the year - for example, if your business use percentage is 50%, your operating costs can be deducted at the same 50% rate. Keep all receipts related to those expenses, as these will be used to support your claims to the ATO or your employer.

How to use the car log book template

After you have logged everything in, you can use the data to calculate your reimbursement. Because the formula is already present in the template, it is set to automatically calculate your reimbursement (note: this sheet uses the ATO official rate). For 2023/2024, the cents per km rate is $0.85.

If you're curious about how it works, here's a quick rundown of how to calculate mileage reimbursement after you've entered all of your trips.

Assume you drive your own vehicle for business and receive reimbursement by the cents per km rate.

For example, you keep track of your mileage and you have driven 1300 kilometres for work. You can receive reimbursement of $0.85 per km (the ATO standard rate). To determine how much you will be reimbursed, multiply the number of kilometres by the rate:

1300 (km) x 0.85 $ (rate) = 1105 $ (your reimbursement)

Alternatively you can also use our ATO cents per kilometre calculator.

If you use a mileage tracking app that can generate reports, this calculation will be automatic for you and you will not have to worry about calculating your reimbursement.

FAQ