Getting started with the Stride app

New to Stride? Welcome! We’d love to help you get started with using the app, so you can start putting money back in your pockets as soon as possible. 

A quick Stride app walkthrough: 

Here are a few features to look out for as you start exploring the app!

To view your tax dashboard, select the “Taxes” tab to the left of the "+" button on the home screen. Your tax dashboard will automatically display the current tax year. To view a past tax year, tap on the filter at the top of the screen. 

On your tax dashboard, you can tap on "View transactions" to look over all of the expenses you’ve input or recorded for a given tax year. To make any edits or delete any entries, please check out this article: How do I edit or delete a deduction?

Manage your account through the main menu

You can access all of your account features on the menu of the app. Just tap on the profile icon in the upper left-hand corner of the home screen to open your menu.

Through your main menu, you can:

• Confirm the email address you used to create your Stride account at the top of the menu column
• Update your Stride profile (this is where you can add or edit your first name, zip code, and insurance options)
• Add a mileage entry for a past date - tap on "Manually Add Mileage"
• Send yourself your tax report
• Refer a friend
• Review the App
• Read our FAQ articles and reach out to our support team
• Find the Settings page, which you'll want to navigate to when you would like to:
  • Add a bank account
  • Manage your job category or categories
  • Manage the notification settings for the Stride app
  • Confirm and manage your location and battery optimization settings
  • Review the Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy
  • Submit a request to delete your account
  • Log out

Track miles and add expenses

To begin tracking your miles, tap "Track my drive" and then "Track my drive now". Alternatively, you can tap on the "+" button at the center of the main screen and select "Track Miles." Once you have finished driving, tap "I’m done driving," then "Yes" to confirm, and finally "Done". Tip: If you’d like to read more about which miles to record, you can click here for rideshare mileage rules, and here for delivery and general self-employed mileage rules.

You can also add past mileage by tapping the "Track my drive" tab and selecting "Forgot to track a drive? Log miles manually."

To add a deductible expense, tap on the "Add another expense" tab  and then "Add an expense manually". Alternatively, you can tap on the yellow "+" button and then select "Add expense." The expense categories you see depend on your job category. 

You can also add expenses from your linked bank account by tapping on the "Add another expense" tab and selecting "Review your transactions to add work-related expenses."

Link your bank account

Adding your bank account to your account allows you to pick and choose which of your bank transactions are deductible business expenses! 

You can link your bank account by tapping on the tab that says "Link your account to see all your transactions and to deduct them easily!"

Another way to link your bank account is to navigate to the main menu and select "Settings" > Tap on "My Bank Accounts" > Click the "Add an account" button. You’ll be prompted to choose your bank or credit card company and log in. 

Check out the “Insurance” tab

To the right of the "+" button on the home screen, you’ll find the "Insurance" tab. This is where you can check out health, dental, vision, and other ancillary product options and offerings. 

Did you know that Stride started as a healthcare company? We started by helping self-employed people access affordable health insurance. Since managing tax information is another challenge that self-employed taxpayers face, we expanded to tax products like Stride. That's why you're seeing insurance information in your mileage tracker! You can read a bit more about our mission here.

Don’t forget about the “Deals” tab!

Next to the "Insurance" tab, you’ll also find the "Deals" tab. The "Deals" tab will show discounts from local businesses based on your zip code. You will have to turn on location services in the Stride App to see local deals. If location services are not turned on, the Deals tab will show the national deals offerings by default. The deals will show the local business through which the deal is available and the specific discount at that business.