Free Download · 2026
A ready-to-use Excel workbook for owners, freelancers, contractors and gig workers.
Stop chasing a shoebox of receipts in April. This tracker logs your expenses with deductible categories, tracks mixed personal and business use, and shows your deductible total as you go.
Opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. No signup needed.
Everything you need to turn scattered receipts into useful records.
Log every business expense with dropdowns for Category, Payment Method and Receipt?, a Deductible % column and an auto-calculating Deductible Amount for mixed personal/business use. Includes 12 filled example rows so you can see how it works, plus hundreds of pre-formatted empty rows.
24 expense categories with plain-English notes on what each one covers and a record-keeping tip.
10 numbered instructions plus the general educational disclaimer, so you can start logging confidently and keep your records consistent.
Ads, website costs, business cards, flyers, social media promotion, signage, sponsorships.
Monthly bank fees, payment processing fees (Stripe, Square, PayPal), wire fees.
Fuel, maintenance, insurance, lease payments, registration for business vehicles — or the standard mileage rate.
Payments to freelancers and contractors (non-employees).
Memberships, professional associations, chambers of commerce.
Health premiums you pay for employees, retirement matches, other perks.
General liability, professional (E&O), workers comp, business property.
Interest on business loans, credit cards, and financing.
Lawyers, accountants, bookkeepers, consultants.
Business meals with clients, travel meals.
Small office items not used up in one year: phones, small furniture, decor.
Stamps, courier services (UPS, FedEx, USPS), shipping supplies.
Office, storefront, warehouse, or equipment leases.
Fixing or maintaining business property and equipment (not improvements).
Items used up during the year: paper, ink, cleaning products, shop materials.
Business licenses, permits, state filings, payroll taxes you remit.
Airfare, hotels, rental cars, taxis for business trips.
Electricity, gas, water, internet, phone for business locations.
The business-use portion of home utilities, rent, insurance, cleaning.
QuickBooks, Adobe, hosting, SaaS tools, domains.
Courses, books, seminars, certifications that maintain or improve skills for your business.
SEP IRA, solo 401(k), SIMPLE IRA contributions for you or employees.
Self-employed health, dental, and long-term care premiums.
Anything that does not fit another category.
Log expenses weekly, not yearly — fifteen minutes every Friday beats a shoebox of receipts in April.
Keep the receipt for anything over the IRS substantiation threshold — documentation is expected for expenses of $75 or more, and for all lodging.
Mark mixed personal and business use with the correct Deductible % (for example 50% for most business meals, or a percentage for shared home utilities).
Reconcile against your bank and credit card statements every month so nothing is missed and duplicates are caught.
Separate sales tax collected from revenue — sales tax you collect belongs to the state and is not income or an expense.
Track contractor payments all year (with W-9s on file) so filing 1099-NECs in January is simple. For payments on or after Jan 1, 2026 the 1099 reporting threshold is $2,000, but keep records of every payment.
Use the Car & Truck category with a mileage log. 2026 rates: 72.5 cents per mile Jan 1 – Jun 30 and 76 cents per mile Jul 1 – Dec 31.
Be consistent with categories — the same kind of purchase should always get the same category, or your reports lose meaning.
Save digital receipts (photo or PDF) in a dated folder; paper fades and thermal receipts are the first thing lost.
Review your Deductible Amount total quarterly to estimate deductions and set aside money for taxes.
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