New York → District of Columbia · Interstate 95 (New England Thruway)
What does it actually cost to drive from New York, New York, to Washington, District of Columbia? The hard numbers: 387 km (240 miles) of pavement primarily along Interstate 95 (New England Thruway), 3h 41m behind the wheel, and roughly $32.38 in fuel alone — that is 35.2 liters (9.3 gallons) of regular unleaded at a 0.92 USD/liter benchmark. Anyone leaving New York, the most populous US city and global financial capital, typically carries samples, signed proposals, or service equipment to deliver in Washington, the capital of the United States and seat of the federal government, and aims to be home the same evening. It is worth confirming whether the haul fits inside your daily hours-of-service window or whether an overnight at a midpoint hotel makes more sense. Applying the IRS standard mileage rate (2025) mileage rate of $0.43/km ($0.69/mile), the gross outbound reimbursement settles at $166.41. Attach the visit purpose, client name, and plate number to the Clara receipt so the journal entry lands directly in the business-travel expense account. For the Canadian professional driving the 387 km between New York and Washington, reimbursement of $166.41 stays excluded from T4 employment income provided the per-kilometre rate matches the CRA's reasonable allowance benchmark for the province. Canadian employers typically reimburse at the CRA reasonable per-kilometre rate (61¢ for the first 5,000 km in 2024) so the payment is excluded from T4 employment income. Keep the GST/HST-compliant fuel receipt from any NRCan-tracked retail network station used during the trip — Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) auditors regularly verify fuel-receipt GST/HST when reviewing T2200 declarations of conditions of employment. The New York→Washington mileage must be logged with date, business purpose, opening and closing odometer readings inside the corporate expense system before month-end close to remain deductible.