ShiftCare’s GPS Mileage Tracking feature gives you complete control over how your staff members log their travel. Whether using real-time GPS tracking or manual odometer readings, staff can accurately capture both To-Shift (Provider Travel) and In-Shift (Client Transport) travel.
This feature also allows you to manage a fleet of company vehicles, enforce strict logging rules, and fully automate client billing for travel.
Enabling GPS Tracking
To use these features, an Admin must first enable them in the Account Settings.
Navigate to Account > Settings.
Turn on 'Advanced Mileage Settings'.
Important: Once enabled, this action is irreversible. Read the reminders and click 'Turn on'.
Configuring Mileage Rules
You have complete control over how your staff members can log their mileage. You can restrict them to GPS tracking only or allow them to manually enter their mileage.
Navigate to Account > Settings > Mileage Logging and click 'Edit'.
Set the To-Shift Travel Threshold. This setting defines the maximum acceptable time gap between clocking out of a previous shift and starting the next shift for the travel to be considered billable. If the time between two shifts exceeds this limit, To Shift Travel is not charged to the client but may still be visible for internal tracking.
Set the Default Entry Method. Choose the default way your staff should log mileage:
GPS Only: Staff must use their phone's GPS to track the route.
Manual Only: Staff must manually type their mileage into the app.
Both: Staff can choose which method they prefer when starting a trip.
Odometer Photos Mandatory: If you selected Manual Only or Both, a new toggle will appear. Turn this on to require staff to upload a start-and-end photo of their car's odometer reading before the app allows them to submit a manual mileage entry.
Click 'Save'.
These settings will apply as the default for all new shifts. All shifts created prior to enabling this feature will automatically default to 'Both' so past behaviours are not disrupted.
Company Vehicle Management
Admins can manage a fleet of company vehicles directly within ShiftCare to track registration and maintenance dates.
Navigate to Account > Settings > Mileage Logging and click 'Edit'.
To add a vehicle, click '+ Add Vehicle'.
Fill out the registration number, description, registration expiry date, and maintenance due date, then click 'Add'.
To edit a vehicle, click the pencil icon next to it. To archive a vehicle, click the trash bin icon. It will automatically disappear from the list.
Click 'Save'.
Shift Pre-assignment
When rostering a shift in the Advanced Edit page, Admins can pre-assign how a staff member should log their travel and what vehicle they should use.
Create or edit a shift and go to 'Advanced Edit'.
The Entry Method will default to the global account setting you configured above. However, you can use the dropdown menu to override the rule for this specific staff member.
You can also pre-assign a specific vehicle in the 'Vehicle Used' dropdown menu:
Personal vehicle: The system will automatically add a mileage allowance to the shift.
Company vehicle: The system will automatically remove the mileage allowance.
When this is selected, a second dropdown menu will let you choose which company vehicle to assign.
When the worker starts tracking their trip via the mobile app, they will select the actual vehicle used. As an Admin, you can still override the staff member's mileage and vehicle selection via the Advanced edit page after the trip is completed.
Automated Billing for To-Shift Travel
You can configure ShiftCare to automatically bill the client for the staff member's travel to the shift.
Create or edit a shift.
Go to 'Advanced Edit'.
Navigate to Invoice Settings and click 'Expand'.
Enable the 'Add To-Shift Mileage from Carer Travel' toggle.
When enabled, To-Shift Travel will automatically be added to the client's invoice when the carer submits a trip. When disabled, mileage is still logged in timesheets and trip logs, but not added to the invoice.
The system will automatically populate the billable travel mileage only if all the following conditions are met:
The 'Add To-Shift Mileage from Carer Travel' toggle is enabled for the shift.
The carer has logged a To-Shift trip.
The carer has a clock-out record from a previous shift that falls within the To-Shift Travel Threshold (configured in Account > Settings).
If these conditions are met, the recorded GPS distance is added to the invoice. If not, the travel mileage remains 0.
Shift Details: Trips Tab
After the trip, Admin users can review detailed map data and distance logs from the Shift Details page.
Open any shift from the Scheduler and navigate to the Trips tab.
This view displays:
Trip Details: Logged Date and Time, Distance, Entry Method (GPS or Manual), and Vehicle Information (whether a company or personal vehicle was used, and the registration number if applicable).
View Map: A visual route of the trip (zoomable).
Notes: Any notes added by the carer.
Managing Carer-Submitted Mileage
When a staff member submits mileage via the mobile app (whether using GPS or manual entry), the data is sent directly to the shift's Advanced Edit page. This allows Admins to review, edit, or approve the distance.
Open the relevant shift.
Click 'Edit', then 'Advanced Edit'.
The distance submitted by the staff member will appear in the Carer Mileage field under their name, along with their vehicle details. Mileage can be edited here.
Staff Timesheets and Mileage Variance
Admins can view detailed travel information, vehicle usage, and billing caps when they navigate to the staff timesheet report.
Navigate to Staff > List. Select the staff member and click on their 'Timesheet' sub-menu.
In the Timesheet breakdown table, visual indicators will be displayed:
Dark Grey Car Icon: Indicates whether a company or personal vehicle was used.
Red Car Icon: Indicates a deviation from the pre-assigned vehicle type (e.g., the admin assigned a personal vehicle, but the carer logged a company vehicle).
Group Shift Icon: Indicates the shift involves multiple workers or clients.
Cap Warning Icons: Displays the client’s mileage cap variance percentage. For group shifts, it displays the total number of clients exceeding their mileage cap.
Client Cap and Variance Breakdown
Click on the value in a shift's Distance column. A drawer will open showing the To-Shift and In-Shift travel details.
Calculated Distance: The actual distance captured by GPS.
Submitted Distance: Can be manually overwritten by an Admin if necessary.
Scroll below the mileage records to view the Client Cap and Variance Breakdown. This section shows the billable distance for each client (derived from shift mileage totals and ratios) and their respective cap statuses.
If the billable distance is equal to or less than the client's cap, the status will show as UNDER CAP.
Note: The timesheet view focuses on staff-related info and does not display client billing data.
Company Vehicle Compliance Report
Admins have full visibility into vehicle compliance and upcoming registration risks.
Navigate to Reports > Report Hub > Company Vehicle Compliance.
You can filter this report by status (Registration Expired or OK). You can also export the filtered report, which will be processed and sent to Reports > Download Center.
Read this in-depth guide to learn how Mileage Tracking works in the mobile app.
For further assistance with Advanced GPS Mileage Tracking (In-Shift and To-Shift) and Company Vehicle Management, please contact our Support team using online chat when you're logged into ShiftCare or email our Support team at support@shiftcare.com.