How TripLedger works

Track trips. Count days. Understand your tax residency.

The basic idea

You log each journey between locations. We count how many days you spent in each country.

A journey is Point A to Point B. Not "time in Paris" — that's what we calculate from your journeys.

Track actual trips, not stays. Log "Berlin → Barcelona," not "3 weeks in Barcelona."

Layovers vs stopovers

The rule everyone gets wrong at first

Did you leave the airport and clear immigration?

If yes → log it as a separate journey (you were physically present in that country)
If no → skip it (you were in transit, it doesn't count)

Example: NYC → Dubai (overnight) → Bangkok

Stayed in a Dubai hotel? That's two journeys.

Example: NYC → Dubai (2hr layover) → Bangkok

Stayed in the transit lounge? One journey: NYC → Bangkok.

How we count days

Different countries, different rules

Each country has its own rules for counting days. We apply the correct method based on each country's tax law.

Any Presence

If you were in a country at any point during a calendar day, that day counts. Both arrival and departure days count. Used by most countries.

Note: Your yearly total might exceed 365 days since arrival and departure days can overlap between countries.

Midnight Rule

Only counts days where you were present at midnight. Departure day doesn't count. Used by UK (Statutory Residence Test) and a few other countries.

Quick example:

Arrive Thailand: Jan 15, 3pm
Depart Thailand: Jan 17, 10am

Any Presence: 3 days (Jan 15, 16, 17)

Midnight Rule: 2 days (Jan 15, 16)

Days spent in transit (on planes, ferries) don't count toward any country.

Getting timezones right

Use the local time where you're departing from and arriving to. Don't convert to UTC or your home timezone.

Example that trips people up:

Depart: Los Angeles, Dec 25 11pm (Los Angeles time)
Arrive: Sydney, Dec 27 6am (Sydney time)

Don't convert the LA time to Sydney time. Leave it as-is — we handle the math.

When you select a city, we auto-fill the timezone. Double-check it's correct (daylight saving can be tricky).

What the app flags

We'll warn you about these common issues

Journey too long: A flight taking 3 days? Probably wrong dates or you had a stopover.

Missing gaps: You arrived in Thailand but your next journey starts in Vietnam. What happened between?

Wrong city/country combo: Bangkok isn't in Vietnam.

Overlapping journeys: Can't be in two places at once.

Using the Tax Residency page

After logging your journeys, check the Tax Residency page. You'll see:

Year to date: Days in each country from Jan 1 to today
Rolling 365 days: Days in each country over the past year (useful for some country rules)
Country-specific rules: We'll show how close you are to triggering tax residency in each country based on common thresholds

Countries use different rules. Some count calendar years, others use rolling periods. Some have 90-day tests, others 183 days. The rules are complex and vary by country — this tool helps you track the numbers, but you should verify specific rules with a tax advisor.

The Schengen calculator

The Schengen Area has a separate rule: 90 days in any 180-day period. It's a rolling calculation, not a calendar year.

The Schengen page automatically filters your journeys to Schengen countries and shows you where you stand. Check it before booking your next EU trip.

Start tracking

Head to the Journeys page and add your first trip.

Pro tip: Start with recent trips and work backwards. They're easier to remember.