5 Things Every Uber Driver Should Track for Tax (That Most Don't)
If you drive for Uber, Deliveroo, Amazon Flex, or any other gig platform in the UK, you're self-employed. That means you file a Self Assessment tax return, and you can deduct legitimate business expenses from your earnings before you pay tax on them.
Most drivers know about mileage. But there are at least four other things you can claim that most people completely miss - and they add up to hundreds of pounds a year.
1. Mileage (obviously)
This is the big one. HMRC lets you claim 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles in a tax year, then 25p per mile after that. If you're on a motorbike, it's 24p per mile flat.
Let's say you drive 12,000 business miles in a year. That's:
- 10,000 miles x 45p = £4,500
- 2,000 miles x 25p = £500
- Total deduction: £5,000
That £5,000 comes off your taxable income. If you're a basic rate taxpayer (20%), that's £1,000 back in your pocket. And you don't need receipts - just a log of your business trips with dates, distances, and start/end points.
The catch? You need to actually track it. HMRC won't accept a guess. You need a proper mileage log, which is exactly what MileClear does automatically in the background.
2. Your phone bill
You can't do gig work without a phone. The Uber app, Google Maps, the Deliveroo rider app - they all run on your phone, and you're paying for that phone and the data it uses.
If you use your phone for both personal and business, you can claim the business proportion. A common approach is to estimate the split - if you reckon 60% of your phone usage is for work (maps, rider apps, customer calls), you can claim 60% of your monthly bill.
On a £30/month contract, that's £216 a year. Not huge on its own, but it adds up when you combine it with everything else.
3. Car cleaning and valeting
If you drive passengers (Uber, Bolt) or deliver food, keeping your car clean is a business expense. Regular car washes, interior valeting, air fresheners - all claimable as long as they're for the business vehicle.
Even if you're just doing deliveries, a monthly wash at £8 is nearly £100 a year. Keep the receipts or bank statements.
4. Parking and tolls
Any parking charges or road tolls you pay while working are fully deductible. The Dartford Crossing, congestion charges, parking at a collection point - all of it counts.
This one catches out a lot of drivers because parking charges feel like they're just part of driving. They are - but they're a deductible part. The key is keeping a record. A photo of the parking receipt or a note in your mileage log is enough.
Note: parking fines and speeding tickets are NOT deductible. HMRC draws the line at penalties.
5. Equipment and accessories
Phone mounts, charging cables, delivery bags, hi-vis vests, phone cases - anything you buy specifically for your gig work is a business expense. If you bought a thermal bag for Deliveroo deliveries, that's claimable. If you bought a phone mount so you can see Google Maps while driving, that's claimable too.
Some drivers also claim for dashcams on the basis that they protect them while working. This is a grey area - talk to an accountant if you want to be sure - but it's worth knowing about.
The bottom line
Most gig drivers only track mileage - if they track anything at all. But when you add up your phone bill, car cleaning, parking, and equipment, you could easily be looking at an extra £500-800 in deductions per year on top of your mileage.
At the 20% basic tax rate, that's £100-160 extra back from HMRC. Not life-changing, but not nothing either - especially when you're already doing the work.
The mileage is the biggest piece by far, and it's the one most people get wrong because they don't track it properly. MileClear handles that automatically - your phone records every business trip in the background, calculates the HMRC deduction, and gives you a ready-to-export report when Self Assessment time comes around.
Start tracking for free at mileclear.com, or download the app from the App Store.