<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16414" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#d8d0c8> <DIV><FONT size=2>Most customers know the IRS mileage rates for business expenses, as it's the rate they get back when they use their car for business:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><A href="http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=163828,00.html">http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=163828,00.html</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>This is a good thing for them, so they think of it kindly, and it has an independent rationale (rather than being an arbitrary fee).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>I charge about half of that as a separately listed mileage fee for trips of more than about half an hour away from home.  I set my trip odometer to zero at home, and note what it is when I get onsite, and charge for the round trip.  If the price of gas goes way up, I adjust the rate accordingly.  By using the round trip, it's pretty easy for customers to verify with Mapquest.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>I also split the charge between all customers on the same day (because I schedule them in the same area).  This encourages them to find other customers for me, and it's a win/win/win for all of us.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Dan Levitan has a great concept to use: establish a "policy".  This lets you make exceptions, without rolling over completely.  For example, "My policy is to charge for mileage on out-of-town trips, but in this case, Mrs. Jones, I'm waiving it for you.".</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>--Cy--</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>