Forgot Uber Eats Mileage? How to Recreate a CRA Log

Forgot Uber Eats mileage? How to recreate a CRA logbook

I know the moment: tax season is getting close, you open your delivery records, and you realize the mileage log is mostly a blank page.

You remember the shifts. You remember driving from restaurants to customers. You might even remember the neighbourhoods. But the CRA does not accept “I drove a lot” as a complete vehicle record.

The good news is that a missed mileage log does not automatically mean you should give up on the vehicle claim. The right move is to reconstruct what you can from reliable evidence, label the reconstruction honestly, and avoid pretending that an estimate is a contemporaneous log.

This guide explains a practical way to rebuild a delivery-driver mileage record for Uber Eats, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, or another platform in Canada. It is based on current CRA guidance reviewed on September 30, 2026. It is general educational information, not personal tax advice.

The short answer

The CRA says the best evidence for vehicle use is an accurate logbook maintained for the year. For each business trip, the log should show:

• date;
• destination;
• purpose; and
• distance travelled.

You also need the vehicle's odometer reading at the start and end of the fiscal period, plus records of total kilometres and the kilometres driven to earn business income.

If you missed trips, use the best available evidence to reconstruct them. That can include:

• Uber Eats, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, or other platform trip history;
• Google Maps Timeline or other route history;
• calendar entries and work schedules;
• bank and platform payout records;
• fuel, repair, parking, and charging receipts;
• phone location history;
• beginning and ending odometer photos; and
• notes showing how the reconstructed distance was calculated.

The CRA's motor-vehicle records guidance is the authority. A reconstruction can support a claim, but it is not as strong as a log recorded at the time of each trip.

First, do not make up a perfect log

The temptation is to create a spreadsheet with a neat entry for every delivery and a suspiciously exact kilometre total. That is the wrong direction.

A reconstructed log should be transparent about what happened:

• mark entries as reconstructed or estimated;
• explain which source supports each entry;
• use ranges or conservative figures when exact distance is unclear;
• do not backfill trips that you cannot reasonably support; and
• keep the original files used to build the reconstruction.

A reasonable reconstruction is not the same as guessing. For example, a delivery history may show that you completed five orders in a specific area on a specific evening. A map can help estimate the route between those destinations. A fuel receipt can support that you were using the vehicle during the period. Together, those records tell a more credible story than a blank log or an invented exact number.

The CRA can examine records and supporting documents during a review or audit. The goal is not to make the reconstruction look perfect; it is to make the method understandable.

Step 1: Set the boundaries of the affected period

Start by writing down the period where mileage tracking is incomplete.

Record:

• tax year;
• vehicle used;
• date business use began;
• date business use ended, if applicable;
• beginning odometer reading;
• ending odometer reading; and
• whether the vehicle changed during the year.

If you do not have a January 1 odometer reading, use the earliest reliable reading you have and explain where it came from. Look for:

• a vehicle service invoice;
• a registration or inspection record;
• a photo taken near the beginning of the year;
• a lease or purchase document; or
• a later odometer reading that allows you to work backward carefully.

If you changed cars mid-year, keep separate records for each vehicle. The mid-year vehicle switch T2125 guide explains why the old and new vehicles need separate records and calculations.

Step 2: Download every platform record

Do not begin with Google Maps. Begin with the apps.

Download or save the most complete available records from each platform. Look for:

• delivery dates;
• pickup and drop-off locations;
• order or trip history;
• shift history;
• payout periods;
• tips and adjustments; and
• platform earnings summaries.

The records may not give you a perfect kilometre total, but they can establish where and when the delivery work happened.

If you used more than one app, put all platforms into one reconstruction schedule. The multi-app tax tracking guide explains how to keep each platform visible without counting the same route twice.

Step 3: Use Google Maps as supporting evidence

Google Maps Timeline can be useful when it contains location history for the dates you worked. It may help you identify:

• when the vehicle was moving;
• the route between locations;
• restaurants, stores, or customer areas visited; and
• the approximate distance of a route.

But Google Maps does not know whether a trip was business or personal. It also may not show the business purpose, the order number, the platform, or the exact route you intended to claim.

For each reconstructed work period, turn the route history into a clear record:

This table is only an illustration. Use the dates, places, and distances your own records support. Do not copy the example into a return.

If Google Maps shows a long route that includes a personal stop, separate the personal portion. A trip does not become fully business-related merely because the app was open.

Step 4: Rebuild the shift log, not just the kilometres

A strong reconstruction connects mileage to actual work.

For each shift or work block, add:

• platform used;
• start and end time;
• delivery area;
• number of completed deliveries;
• route or destination notes;
• business distance;
• personal distance, if mixed; and
• supporting files.

If the platform records five deliveries but your reconstructed spreadsheet claims 180 kilometres, stop and investigate the gap. Maybe the shift included driving to a different zone, multiple apps, a personal detour, or a long return trip. Write down the explanation.

The Canadian gig worker bookkeeping guide has a monthly income, expense, and vehicle-record workflow that can help organize the reconstruction once the source files are gathered. The personal and business bank-account guide explains how to keep platform deposits, personal transfers, and business payments easier to reconcile.

Step 5: Separate business and personal driving

The key vehicle number is not “how many kilometres were on Google Maps.” It is the amount of vehicle use connected to earning business income compared with total vehicle use.

A simple planning framework is:

Business kilometres ÷ total kilometres = business-use percentage

The CRA's vehicle guidance says to keep both total kilometres and kilometres driven to earn business income. If the car was used personally, the personal portion is not part of the business claim.

For example, suppose reliable records support:

• 12,000 business kilometres; and
• 20,000 total kilometres.

The business-use percentage would be 60%. That percentage may be relevant to eligible mixed-use vehicle costs, but it does not automatically determine every expense. The cost category, receipts, vehicle type, CCA, interest, leasing, and other rules still matter.

The DoorDash gas and car expenses guide explains how fuel, repairs, insurance, financing, and other vehicle costs fit into the broader calculation. The CCA and vehicle depreciation guide covers purchase-related depreciation separately. If insurance coverage is part of the concern, the Uber and DoorDash insurance guide explains why tax deductibility and coverage are separate questions.

Step 6: Add receipts and financial records

Mileage without expense records is only half the vehicle file.

Gather:

• fuel or charging receipts;
• repair and maintenance invoices;
• insurance records;
• licence and registration costs;
• lease or loan documents;
• parking receipts;
• platform earnings statements; and
• bank statements used to reconcile payouts.

The CRA says business expense claims need receipts or other vouchers. If the receipt is missing, record the supplier, date, amount, and transaction details in your expense journal and mark the item as reconstructed.

Do not claim an expense just because it happened on a delivery day. A personal meal, personal shopping, or personal errand remains personal even if it occurred during a shift.

What if the missing mileage is a lot?

If only a few trips are missing, reconstruct those trips and explain the evidence. If several months are missing, the standard is higher.

A larger reconstruction should include:

1. a written explanation of when tracking stopped and why;
2. a list of all source records used;
3. the method used to estimate routes or distances;
4. separate business and personal classifications;
5. beginning and ending odometer evidence;
6. the resulting business-use percentage; and
7. a note identifying any unresolved uncertainty.

Do not claim every kilometre between your home and a delivery area unless your records support the business purpose. Do not use a mileage number simply because it produces the deduction you hoped for.

If the amount is material, several tax years are affected, or a CRA review is already underway, speak with a qualified Canadian tax professional. The CRA audit guide for Canadian gig workers explains how records and explanations fit into an audit response.

How does this connect to Form T2125?

Form T2125 is where self-employed business income and expenses are organized with the broader T1 return.

A mileage reconstruction can support the vehicle portion of the calculation, but it does not get entered as an unexplained lump sum. A practical filing workflow is:

1. reconcile gross delivery income from every app;
2. calculate total and business vehicle use;
3. separate operating costs from CCA, interest, and leasing costs;
4. apply the appropriate business-use allocation;
5. keep the reconstruction and receipts with the tax working papers; and
6. enter the eligible amounts on the relevant T2125 sections.

The T2125 guide for Uber and DoorDash drivers walks through the form line by line. The gig-worker tax deductions guide provides the wider expense-category context. For the broader filing sequence, see the delivery-driver tax filing guide, and use the GigPulse tax calculator guide for planning only.

A better system for next year

Once the old gap is reconstructed, prevent a repeat with a small routine:

• take a beginning odometer photo;
• start and stop a mileage app or shift log every time;
• record the purpose immediately after a shift;
• download platform history monthly;
• save fuel and repair receipts in a dated folder;
• record total kilometres periodically; and
• reconcile before tax season instead of waiting until April.

A mileage app can automate trip detection, but the driver still needs to classify the trip as business or personal and preserve the report. A spreadsheet or paper log can also work if it is complete, readable, consistent, and supported.

The best mileage tracker apps guide for Canadian gig drivers compares app and low-tech options. If the reconstructed mileage changes how much you expect to owe, use the tax set-aside guide as a planning companion.

Bottom line

Forgotten mileage is a recordkeeping problem, not an invitation to invent numbers.

Reconstruct the log from platform history, map routes, calendars, receipts, odometer evidence, and bank records. Clearly separate supported business use from personal driving. Keep the calculation with your T2125 working papers, and ask for qualified help when the gap is large or uncertain.

The safest log is the one recorded during the shift. The second-best log is an honest, evidence-based reconstruction that explains exactly how each number was reached.

How this guide was researched

This guide was researched using current Canada Revenue Agency guidance on motor-vehicle records, business records, Form T2125 expenses, and business audits. It was reviewed on September 30, 2026. GigPulse is an educational resource, not a tax-preparation firm, accounting firm, law firm, or CRA representative.

Disclaimer

This article is general educational information, not personal tax, legal, accounting, or financial advice. The correct vehicle calculation depends on your tax year, vehicle, records, business use, personal use, accounting method, expenses, and other facts. Consult a qualified Canadian tax professional if the reconstruction is material, covers multiple years, or relates to a CRA request.

Official CRA and Government of Canada sources

This guide was researched using official Government of Canada and Canada Revenue Agency sources, accessed and reviewed on September 30, 2026.

• CRA: Motor vehicle records
• CRA: Calculating motor vehicle expenses
• CRA: Expenses section of Form T2125
• CRA: Business records
• CRA: Business audits
• CRA: Completing Form T2125

Written by Tyler Heinrichs — September 30, 2026