How long does a monthly audit take?

1-2 hours for a 5-10 reimbursement sample. Less if you use a filtered system (like Clara).

Ideally, someone in finance or internal audit who is NOT the approver. Segregation of duties.

Does it work for external audit?

It is preparation. External (Big 4, IRS) uses its own methodology, but findings overlap.

Is there a fleet version?

This covers reimbursement. For fleets, add corporate-fuel and maintenance points.

Yes — modern systems (Clara, Concur) automate 60-70%. The remaining 30% needs human review.

Reference · PDF

Mileage audit checklist

PDF for finance and internal audit teams — 25 verification points before monthly or annual close.

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Before monthly accounting close or annual tax filing, finance should audit the mileage reimbursement base. This 25-point checklist covers the 4 areas that most often trigger findings: log integrity, policy compliance, substantiation quality, and approval flow correctness. Use monthly in fast cycles (5 samples) or annually for full audit.

When to use this template

Monthly for sampling (5-10 reimbursements per sample) and annually for full audit before fiscal close. If your company faces external audit (Big 4, IRS), apply 30-60 days ahead to remediate findings before the auditor arrives.

How to use in 5 steps

1. Define scope — Monthly: random sample of 5-10. Annual: 100% of the year.
2. Apply the 25 points — Mark each as compliant/non-compliant/N/A. Note exceptions.
3. Compute compliance rate — Compliant / applicable × 100. Above 90% is good; below 70%, system is broken.
4. Build a remediation plan — For each non-compliance, define action, owner, and deadline. Track until closed.
5. Archive 7 years — Checklist + remediation plan = evidence in audit.

Common pitfalls

Auditing only at year-end — Annual audit catches problems too late. Run monthly.
Biased sampling — Do not always pick the same employees. Use random or stratified sampling.
Ignoring small non-compliances — Small ones grow. Treat all, even low-risk.
Not sharing findings — Audit without feedback fixes nothing. Share and train.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a monthly audit take?: 1-2 hours for a 5-10 reimbursement sample. Less if you use a filtered system (like Clara).
Who should do it?: Ideally, someone in finance or internal audit who is NOT the approver. Segregation of duties.
Does it work for external audit?: It is preparation. External (Big 4, IRS) uses its own methodology, but findings overlap.
Is there a fleet version?: This covers reimbursement. For fleets, add corporate-fuel and maintenance points.
Can I automate?: Yes — modern systems (Clara, Concur) automate 60-70%. The remaining 30% needs human review.

The online calculator automatically applies 60% of these points (limits, policy, purpose, odometer consistency) — eliminating most exceptions before they become reimbursements.

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