How to keep a logbook for SARS | Tax Return

 

We all dread that time of the year when the Taxman comes for a visit. It means having to find everything we already know is either lost or stuffed right into the back of our storage areas in boxes that look identical.



This feeling is made worse for those of us who are made to keep track of their mileage driven on company time or for tax related returns. However, just because you have a logbook and sometimes remember to fill in what you’ve been doing doesn’t mean that you’re doing it correctly.



The process is made even more difficult and tedious because we rarely know exactly what we’re supposed to be doing. Here are a few tips on how to keep a paper logbook:

 

1.       The easiest way to forget to log your mileage is by forgetting to keep the book with you. A simple solution: Find a place inside the vehicle where it will be clearly visible during your trip. This way, you’re reminding yourself every time you see it.

 

2.       Make it a habit. When you make an act part of your daily routine, it becomes quite difficult to stop yourself from doing it without much of an effort. By doing this, you allow yourself to keep it in the back of your mind without regretting it later.

 

3.       Record everything. If you decide to only track your trips that are relevant to work, or only record longer trips, you risk forgetting the smaller trips which all add up substantially. By recording every single trip (which is again made much easier if you have picked up the habit of doing it), you will never have to worry about forgetting about any of your trips. Remember to fill in the relevant info (i.e destination address, distance travelled, reason for visit) every time you reach a destination, no matter how short or menial the trip is. Even a trip to the local grocery store warrants an entry.

 

4.       Be accurate. SARS requires your logs to be 100% accurate, down to the last kilometre. If one trip ends on 100.5km, the next one then MUST start on 100.5km in order to account for every meter of your trip. This is why it is important to keep a detailed account of every single trip.

 

5.       Once you have filled an entire book, replace it with a new one immediately. Take the full book and keep it in a safe place until you need it again (to record or hand in to your employer/tax consultant). It is important to keep all of your full booklets together in one place in order to avoid losing one and being stuck with a big gap in your yearly log.

 

Now, if this list has helped you figure out how to keep a logbook without pulling your hair out, there is one more solution. Paper is no longer the easiest way of logging mileage and distances. Electronic logbooks such as those made by The Little LogBook have made the whole process so much easier and don’t require half the effort on your part. Their GPS trip logger simply plugs into your vehicle, and does all of the work for you. It generates detailed trip reports that are compliant with SARS outlines, and can be password protected for your ease of mind. If you feel your day would be made easier with the use of lists instead of a single plug-in device, feel free to take my above advice, but it is always easier to let someone else do the work for you.

 

Call The Little LogBook now on (011) 050 0999 or visit their website directly from the above link to find out more about their fantastic product and where to find it.