Operating cost · Automotive operating costs
IRS standard mileage rate
$0.76
Business from 2026-07-01
Source-stated
- Unit / scope
- Business 72.5¢/mi for 2026 H1 and 76¢/mi from 1 July 2026. Estimator default is the later official business rate.
- Data period
- 2026-01-01 to 2026-06-30
- Source
- Internal Revenue ServiceUnited States — IRS optional standard mileage rates
- Last verified
- 2026-09-06
The IRS optional standard mileage rate is a deduction convention, not a measurement of what your car costs to own.
Additional sourced observations are listed below and are not blended into this headline.
How to use this figure
Use this page to apply the IRS optional business mileage rate to miles you enter. It is a deduction convention, not a reconstruction of your car’s costs.
- Check the date the miles were driven. The estimator defaults to 76¢, the business rate from 1 July 2026.
- Miles driven earlier in 2026 may belong to the 72.5¢ rate. The page states both. It does not switch dates for you.
- Multiply miles by the rate you are applying. Do not also add this page’s gasoline total on top and call it the IRS method.
What the result means
One thousand miles at 76¢ is $760. That product is not an IRS audit of a trip and not a receipt total.
A comparison that stays on this source
The gasoline page is a retail pump average. The IRS rate bundles categories by rule. Using both as one ownership study double counts.
If the number looks wrong
- Medical and moving rates are a different published figure and are not the default.
- Actual fuel plus depreciation is a different method. This estimator will not mix them.
CalcMage can do general multiplication. This page exists to keep the IRS rate and its date limits in view.
Record last verified 2026-09-06. That date is the record’s verification stamp, not a claim that a market price is unchanged today.
Operating-cost rate: this is an official optional reimbursement or deduction convention, not a measured ownership cost.
High evidence confidence
High evidence confidence is an internal CostMage evidence-quality score (79 of 100). It describes source strength and extract completeness, not the probability that a quoted figure matches your bill.
Labels: 75–100 high, 60–74 moderate, below 60 limited. The number is not a probability that the cost is correct.
Estimator
miles × official IRS rate
Source basis: IRS Announcement 2026-11 business 76¢/mi from 2026-07-01
The total below is a CostMage calculation from sourced inputs. It is not a figure the publisher printed as your bill or quote.
CostMage calculation
$760.00
- Quantity1,000
- Sourced unit rate$0.760
Your unit price against this sourced rate
Type a unit price you already have, such as a line on a bill or a station sign. The sourced rate above stays locked. Nothing is sent off this page.
Enter a non-negative unit price to see the gap.
Same sourced rate at other quantities
These rows multiply the sourced unit rate already used above. They do not look up another price.
- Half the entered quantity (500)$380.00
- Entered quantity (1,000)$760.00
- Double the entered quantity (2,000)$1,520.00
- Optional deduction rate, not observed cost.
What this figure covers
- Included
- Business 72.5¢/mi for 2026 H1 and 76¢/mi from 1 July 2026. Estimator default is the later official business rate.
- Excluded
- Actual fuel plus depreciation, AAA ownership studies, and automatic medical/moving 23.5¢ treatment.
Worked example
CostMage calculation: 1,000 miles × $0.76 = $760 using IRS Announcement 2026-11. That product is not an IRS audited trip cost.
Sourced observations
| What was published | Figure | Claim kind | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business from 2026-07-01 | $0.76 | Source-stated | Current official business rate at last verification. Estimator default. |
| Business H1 2026 | $0.73 | Source-stated | Optional standard rate, not observed trip cost. |
Sources
CostMage shows what the source published. Derived figures are labeled. We do not claim partnership with these publishers.
Source 1 · Tier 1 · SAFE FACTUAL USE
2026 standard mileage rates (Notice 2026-10)
- Publisher
- Internal Revenue Service
- Published / dated
- 2026-01
- Data period
- 2026-01-01 to 2026-06-30
- Last verified by CostMage
- 2026-09-06
Business 72.5¢/mi.
Source 2 · Tier 1 · SAFE FACTUAL USE
Announcement 2026-11 mid-year revision
- Publisher
- Internal Revenue Service
- Published / dated
- 2026-07
- Data period
- From 2026-07-01
- Last verified by CostMage
- 2026-09-06
Business 76¢/mi. Medical/moving 23.5¢/mi.
What changes the cost
- Tax year half
- Business vs medical/moving purpose
Methodology
Miles × the official IRS optional rate for the selected period. This is a deduction rate, not a measured AAA operating-cost study.
Limitations
- Optional standard rate, not your actual fuel and depreciation.
- Medical/moving 23.5¢ is a different, narrower rate.
Questions
Is 76¢ what driving actually costs?
It is the IRS optional business rate from 1 July 2026. Actual operating cost can be higher or lower.
Should I use 72.5¢ or 76¢?
Use the official rate for the date the miles were driven. This estimator defaults to 76¢, the rate in effect from 1 July 2026.
Is this the same as a gasoline page total?
No. Gasoline is a retail fuel price. This page is an IRS optional reimbursement/deduction rate that bundles several cost categories by convention.
Related cost pages
- U.S. regular retail gasoline priceEIA weekly U.S. regular gasoline retail price including taxes.