Record and reimburse business trips directly in Qonto – no manual calculations needed. When a team member uses their personal vehicle for a business trip, they can submit a mileage expense request and receive a real-time transfer to their personal IBAN once it's approved.
This feature is available on the Essential plan, Business plan, and Enterprise plan (no additional add-on required) for companies registered in Germany. It's available both 💻 on web and 📱 in the mobile app.
Who can use the mileage expense feature?
Access to this feature depends on your role:
- Submit a request: Owners, Admins, Advanced Managers, and Employees
- Approve or reject a request: Owners, Admins, and Advanced Managers with payment permissions enabled
☝️ Users with the Accountant role can't submit, approve, or reject mileage expense requests.
Owners, Admins, and Advanced Managers with payment permissions can also approve and reimburse their own mileage expense requests – following the same steps as any other approver.
What do I need to submit a mileage expense request?
- Your trip's starting point and destination
💡 You can select your route via Google Maps in the app. The distance between the two points is calculated automatically, and you can also convert it into a round trip. - Vehicle type and tax class: you'll find this information on your vehicle registration document.
💡 The reimbursement amount is calculated automatically based on the location and vehicle details you provide – you can't enter or edit it manually. - Purpose of the trip: give your Admin or Advanced Manager more context on your expense.
- Your personal IBAN: you can provide this when submitting the request, or save it in your profile in advance.
💡 Your IBAN is stored in your profile, where you can add or update it directly.
How do I submit a mileage expense request?
💻 On web:
- Go to Expenses → Expense reports and click Create expense report
- Select Add a mileage expense
- Set your route using Google Maps, confirm it, then enter the purpose of the trip and your IBAN
📱 In the mobile app:
- Tap Menu → Expense reports and click Create expense report
- Select Add a mileage expense
- Set your route using Google Maps, confirm it, then enter the purpose of the trip and your IBAN
Once submitted, you can track the status of your request in the Task section. If it's approved, you'll receive a real-time transfer to your IBAN. If it's rejected, you'll receive an email and an in-app notification with the reason.
How is the reimbursement amount calculated?
🇩🇪 This section of the article applies to companies in Germany.
Every year, the German tax authorities set guidelines for mileage reimbursement, based on vehicle type and distance travelled.
At Qonto, we use the flat rate that currently applies to each vehicle type to determine the rate. The total amount is calculated by multiplying the total distance travelled for the request by the per-kilometre rate for the selected vehicle type and tax class.
- For cars: d x €0.30
- For two-wheelers: d x €0.20
d = distance travelled in km
Example: A 50 km trip by car → 50 x €0.30 = €15.00
How is the total distance calculated?
The requester selects the starting point and destination via Google Maps in the Qonto app. To calculate the distance, we use a Google Maps integration for an accurate route. You can also convert a one-way trip into a round trip when setting your route.
How do I approve or reject a mileage expense request?
When a team member submits a mileage expense request, Owners, Admins, and Advanced Managers with payment permissions enabled receive an email and a push notification.
💻 On web:
- Go to Expenses → Expense reports → To approve
- Select the request and click Approve or Reject
- If you reject it, provide a reason so the requester understands why
📱 In the mobile app:
- Tap Task and select the mileage expense request
- Select the request and click Approve or Reject
- If you reject it, provide a reason so the requester understands why
Once approved, the requester receives a real-time transfer to their IBAN. You can also manage pending requests from the Tasks section in the left-hand menu.
☝️ Bulk approval of mileage expense requests isn't currently possible.
Can I set up an approval workflow for mileage expense requests?
Yes – you can set up a multi-level approval workflow to keep control over reimbursement amounts. This applies to mileage expense requests as well as all other types of reimbursements.
You'll find more information on setting this up here: How to customize approval workflows for transfer, reimbursement, and supplier invoice payment requests?
How can I check the status of my request?
You can check the status of your request in the Task section. If a reimbursement request is approved, you'll receive an immediate reimbursement transfer to the IBAN you provided. If a request is rejected, you'll receive an email and a notification with a reason from your Admin or Advanced Manager. You can view this information by clicking on the request.