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Fill in a mileage claim with round trips and no commute
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're filing November's mileage claim. Company rate is $0.65 a mile, round trips (RT) count both ways, and your regular commute between home and office isn't reimbursable. Write one numbered line per eligible trip (there are 4), each as Date place: miles math, then one unnumbered last line: Total: X mi x $0.65 = $Y. Plain text, under 60 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not giving the rules. The AI doesn't know your rate or that commutes don't count. Try: Add: "$0.65 a mile; skip home-to-office commutes."
- Forgetting round trips. The AI uses one-way miles for RT trips. Try: Add: "Double the miles for trips marked RT."
- Not asking to see the work. Finance will bounce a claim it can't trace. Try: Add a line to copy: "1. Nov 3 Riverside: 12 x 2 = 24 mi"
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 10 words."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in an expense form. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Gives the rate
- Doubles round trips
- Skips the commute
- Asks to show the math
- Asks for plain text
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