ComparisonLast reviewed 27 Oct 2026
Spreadsheet logbook or logbook app?
Short answer
A spreadsheet works if you can fill it in the same day for 12 weeks. An app helps if you forget trips. Either way, the ATO's rules decide what the record must contain.
Source: ATO, logbook method · checked 27 Oct 2026
Side by side
| Spreadsheet or paper | Kestly | |
|---|---|---|
| Recording each trip | By hand: date, kilometres and reason, each trip | Trips can be recorded by your phone for you to check |
| Odometer readings | By hand, at the start and end of the period | Kept for each vehicle next to your trips |
| Business and personal trips | By hand: mark each trip and add up the kilometres | Each trip is marked business or personal in the app |
| Cost | Your time | See our pricing page |
The ATO logbook method needs a logbook kept for at least 12 continuous weeks. ATO, logbook method, checked 27 Oct 2026. We make no claim about any particular spreadsheet software.
More on the method
See how the logbook method works, or the mileage tracker.
Who should pick which
Pick a spreadsheet if
You drive few trips and keep notes daily.
Pick an app if
You drive often or forget.
See it with your own trips
Create a free account and record your first trips.