Landlord mileage deduction 2026: 72.5¢, then 76¢ from July 1

Updated 2026-11-08 · Lintel

Driving to your rental to meet a plumber, show a unit or pick up supplies is deductible. In 2026 the IRS changed the rate partway through the year, so a mileage log that applies one rate to the whole year will be slightly wrong.

The 2026 rates

Trips on	Business rate	Source
Jan 1 – Jun 30, 2026	72.5¢ per mile	IRS Notice 2026-10 (IR-2025-128)
Jul 1 – Dec 31, 2026	76¢ per mile	IRS Announcement 2026-11

The mid-year increase was reported by the Journal of Accountancy and others. Always confirm the current rate on irs.gov before filing.

Which trips count

Driving to the rental to make or supervise repairs, inspect it, show it or collect rent
Trips to the hardware store for rental supplies
Driving to meet your property manager, attorney or the county office about the rental

Trips that are mostly personal don't count just because you drove past the property. Long-distance trips to an out-of-town rental have their own rules about travel and lodging. Keep receipts and the purpose of each trip.

Standard rate or actual costs?

You can deduct either the standard mileage rate or your actual car expenses (gas, repairs, insurance, depreciation) for the business share. If you want the standard rate for a car you own, you generally must choose it in the first year you use that car for the rental. Parking fees and tolls for rental trips are deductible on top of the standard rate.

What to record for each trip

Date
Which property
Purpose (“meet electrician”, “move-out inspection”)
Start and end point
Miles

Write it down when it happens, or within a few days. A reconstructed log made in April is weak evidence if you are ever asked.

Where it goes on your return

Mileage for each property goes on Schedule E line 6, Auto and travel. Your tax software may also ask for vehicle details (total miles driven in the year, when the car was placed in service), so keep the odometer reading from January 1.

Quick example

Six trips to a lake cabin in 2026, 96 miles each: three before July and three on or after July 1. The first three are 288 × $0.725 = $208.80. The last three are 288 × $0.76 = $218.88. Using 72.5¢ for the whole year would undercount by $10.08. That isn't much, but it adds up across properties and years.

Landlord Ledger's Mileage tab picks the rate by trip date and adds each property's total to its Schedule E line 6. If you deduct actual car costs instead, there's a switch to leave mileage out.

Get Landlord Ledger — $12

Sources: IRS IR-2025-128; IRS Announcement 2026-11 (as reported by the Journal of Accountancy, July 2026); IRS Publications 463 and 527. General information, not tax advice.