What this log is for
Use this page to capture the fill and fuel information for a single vehicle driven by one typical person over some time. Fill out the form in the browser and get back a CSV or PDF file.
It records the vehicle, the odometer reading at each fill, the amount of gas pumped (or other gallon gasoline equivalent), the price, and the station. It also includes an option to calculate miles per gallon across the period, the total gallons, price, and miles for the period, and a signature. A fill row shows date/odometer/gallons/price/grade/station.
What it is not
- It is not a trip mileage log. Destinations, commuting vs business use, and trip purpose belong on a separate mileage record. Check that box on the header so this page is not treated as a trip book.
- It is not a CMV pre-trip, post-trip DVIR, or hours-of-service (RODS) log. Do not copy walkaround OK / Defect marks onto a fill row.
- It is not a tax return, Form 2106, or Schedule C. Totals here are inputs you may copy if actual expenses apply.
- It does not print an IRS cents-per-gallon deduction. There is no such Pass/Fail on this form. If you use the optional standard mileage rate for the year, Pub 463 says you cannot also deduct gasoline (including gasoline taxes) as an actual expense for that year.
How to fill each block
Keep the pump receipt with the row. The template doesn't calculate a deduction; it's not an IRS form. Instead, it's based off IRS Publication 463, which categorizes actual car expenses vs. optional standard mileage as two separate methods. Actual car expenses includes gasoline.
The entry includes vehicle information like year, make, model, VIN, plate, unit, starting odometer reading and usual driver; along with the log year and start and end date of the period. You select the quantity unit to write (GGE, US gallons or a mix). You also give names for the usual fuel (and an optional home station). Tank capacity is optional, again, it just alerts you if there's no way a fill could of been a full tank.
Fill in Fuel 1 to Fuel 12. Each fill includes the date, odometer reading, gallons or GGE, price per unit, total cost, fuel grade, station or vendor, and fill type. You can also include optional details like miles since last fill, MPG, the driver (if someone other than yourself filled up), and notes.
Leave any unused rows blank. Use the row you intend to fill. Because the plugin adds a prefix to the field IDs, this works.
CNG Pumps: A metered pump (typically) prints a number of gallons of gasoline equivalent. Write the unit the pump printed. Diesel and liquid gasoline pumps prints US gallons that are copied from the dispenser. Some time-fill pumps count cubic feet. Write down the printed unit.
Optional MPG is something you do on the row. Calculate MPG using consecutive complete fills, based off EPA calculations at fueleconomy.gov. Subtract the previous full-tank odometer from the next full one. Then divide that number of miles by the number of gallons/GGE needed to top off the tank. EPA has a worked example here: 13.5 gallons and 356.2 miles = 26.4 MPG. If it is a partial fill, you just skip MPG. For this math, tenths of a mile are OK.
Enter your period totals. Enter your start miles, end miles, total miles, total gallons (or GGE), total spend, and number of fills. Only enter period MPG if you has both miles and the corresponding amount.
What varies
If you mix in partial tanks and full tanks, it’s misleading. If you mix in gallons and GGE, it’s also misleading on that ratio. Selecting the cost method is simply a reminder, not a deduction. Sign and date the document. Certify the log. Verify that you checked off that entries were made at or near the time of each fill. Verify that you keep card slips or receipts with this log.
Regular, Midgrade, and Premium are three types of retail gasolines listed on the EIA’s website. Octane is what “super” or “unleaded” still means in brand names. Generally, Regular has a pump number of 87, Midgrade ranges from 89-90, and Premium is 91-94 (all per the EIA). High altitudes requires lower numbers for the same grade name. Required vs. Recommended grade is noted on the OEM fuel door. About 10% by volume of finished motor gasoline sold in the US includes ethanol as a fuel. Formulations change by season and region.
These are not gasoline octane grades: diesel, biodiesel blends, LPG, CNG, and E85 (a mix of 15% gas and 85% ethanol, according to the label glossary in EPA's Find-a-Car Help).
The EPA label also expresses fuel economy as miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent, which is used for fuels not measured in gallons. By geography and season, E85 ethanol content at retail may be between 51% and 83%, according to AFDC. This explains the details on the EPA gasoline label.
If you’re converting quantities to GGE for some other unit of energy, you would use that stated factor. You would put it into your notes. The DOE EPAct fleet conversion factors are: 1.00 GGE/gal gasoline; 1.14 GGE/gal diesel; 0.78 GGE/gal E85; 0.74 GGE/gal LPG; 1.05 GGE/gal B100; and 1.00 GGE/kg gaseous hydrogen. They are energy-comparison factors. They are not IRS rates. They are not cents-per-gallon deductions.
After you finish
If you need additional fills for a given time frame, create another copy of this page and download it. Mark the dates on both versions as the same time frame and retain both. This template does not include any extra columns, which may be necessary for fleet cards, IFTA, and/or state motor-fuel tax reports. If you prefer to download a filled copy without this tab, choose either the CSV or the filled PDF. Only answers remain within this browser. Next person who visits gets a blank form.
This is the written copy you'll attach with the receipts for the pumps. According to Pub 463, documentary evidence must include date, amount, place, and necessary character. The receipts should complement your log. There's no need to re-write what's already in print on the slip. This is the log. The form is above this post. Below the form are a preview image and printable PDF.
It is a recordkeeping template only. This is not advice of any kind. It is not legal or tax advice. It should not replace consulting with a licensed tax preparer or following the fueling instructions from the vehicle’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
Not tax advice and not a substitute for the OEM
Rates and methods vary by the IRS. For the applicable year of your logging, you consult that year's Publication 463 to verify what's current. The grade is either recommended or required by the vehicle's manufacturer. Actualy, the grade is either recommended or required by the vehicle's manufacturer.