What You’ll Learn

By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:

• Record business expenses quickly
• Attach a receipt or proof of payment
• Organize expenses with categories
• Track spending patterns
• Export expense reports
• Analyze expenses for better budgeting

---

Why Track Expenses?

Benefits of expense tracking:

• 📊 Financial clarity — Know exactly where money goes
• 💰 Profit accuracy — True profit = Revenue - Expenses
• 📋 Tax preparation — Organized records for filing
• 🎯 Budget planning — Identify spending patterns
• ✂️ Cost reduction — Find areas to cut

---

Expense Dashboard Overview

The Expenses section shows:

Visual Components

Component	What It Shows
Pie Chart	Spending breakdown by category
Category Legend	Color-coded list with amounts
Total Expenses	Sum for selected period
Expense List	Chronological transaction log

---

Recording an Expense

Step 1: Access Expenses

1. Tap “Expense” from main menu
2. View current month’s expenses

Step 2: Add New Expense

1. Tap ”+” button (bottom right)
2. Fill in expense details:

Required Fields:

Field	Description	Example
Amount	How much spent	250000
Category	Type of expense	”Office Supplies”

Optional Fields:

Field	Description	Example
Notes	Details about expense	”Printer paper, A4 size”
Date	When expense occurred	Today or past date
Attachment	One receipt or proof file	JPG, PNG, or PDF

Step 3: Save

Choose save option:

• “Save” — Record and close
• “Save & Add More” — Record and add another (for batch entry)

💡 Quick Save: Press Ctrl + Enter (web) to save quickly.

---

Attach a Receipt or Proof

The mobile app can store one attachment with each expense.

1. Open a new or existing expense
2. In Attachment, choose an image or PDF
3. Wait for the upload to finish
4. Save the expense

Supported files:

• JPG, JPEG, PNG, or PDF
• Maximum file size: 10 MB
• One attachment per expense

The expense cannot be saved while the attachment is uploading or after an upload failure. Retry the upload or remove the failed file first.

Tap an attachment thumbnail from the expense list to open it. Images open in a zoomable viewer and PDFs open in an in-app viewer. From the viewer you can download, share, or delete the attachment. Deleting the attachment does not delete the expense itself.

---

Expense Categories

Creating Categories

Organize expenses into meaningful groups:

1. In Add Expense, tap Category dropdown
2. Tap ”+ New Category”
3. Enter category name
4. Tap Save

Recommended Category Structure

Common Business Expenses:

📁 Operating Expenses
  ├── Rent & Utilities
  ├── Office Supplies
  ├── Maintenance & Repairs
  └── Insurance

📁 Employee Costs
  ├── Salaries & Wages
  ├── Benefits
  └── Training

📁 Sales & Marketing
  ├── Advertising
  ├── Promotions
  └── Travel & Entertainment

📁 Administrative
  ├── Professional Services
  ├── Software & Subscriptions
  └── Legal & Accounting

📁 Cost of Goods Sold
  ├── Raw Materials
  ├── Packaging
  └── Shipping

Category Best Practices

✅ Be specific but not excessive

• Good: “Marketing - Digital”
• Too vague: “Miscellaneous”
• Too specific: “Facebook Ad Campaign March 2024”

✅ Use consistently

• Same expense type = same category
• Train all staff on categories
• Review monthly for consistency

✅ Limit number of categories

• Aim for 5-10 main categories
• Too many = analysis paralysis
• Too few = lack of insight

---

Managing Expense Records

Viewing Expense History

Default view:

• Current month expenses
• Grouped by date
• Newest first

Navigation:

• Scroll to see older entries
• Tap month selector to change period
• Use search to find specific expenses

Editing an Expense

When you need to correct:

1. Find expense in list
2. Tap edit icon (pencil)
3. Modify fields
4. Tap “Update”

Note: Editing affects financial reports. Document reason if significant change.

Deleting an Expense

For incorrect entries:

1. Find expense in list
2. Tap delete icon (trash)
3. Confirm deletion

⚠️ Warning: Deletion is permanent and affects profit calculations.

---

Filtering and Analysis

Date Filtering

Preset periods:

• Today
• This week
• This month
• Last month
• This quarter
• Custom range

To filter:

1. Tap date selector at top
2. Choose preset or custom
3. View filtered results

Category Filtering

View specific expense types:

1. Tap category dropdown
2. Select category
3. See only that category’s expenses

Use cases:

• “How much on marketing this month?”
• “Compare utilities across months”
• “Track one-time vs recurring costs”

Understanding the Pie Chart

How to read:

• Largest slice = Biggest expense category
• Color coding = Consistent across views
• Hover/tap = See exact amount

Analysis tips:

• Review monthly for trends
• Watch for unexpected growth
• Compare to revenue percentage

---

Expense Reports and Export

Exporting to Excel

For accounting and analysis:

1. Apply desired filters
2. Tap “Download” (top right)
3. Choose format: Excel/CSV
4. File includes:
   • Date
   • Category
   • Notes
   • Amount
   • Running total

Scheduled Reports

Automated reporting (premium plans):

• Weekly expense summaries
• Monthly category breakdowns
• Email delivery
• PDF formatting

Contact support to configure.

---

Expense Tracking Best Practices

Daily Habits

✅ Record immediately

• Don’t let receipts pile up
• 2 minutes now vs 30 minutes later
• Better accuracy

✅ Keep receipts

• Photo for digital backup
• Note reference number
• Required for taxes

✅ Be descriptive

• “Lunch with client - ABC Corp”
• Not just “Meal”
• Future you will thank you

Weekly Review

✅ Check spending

• Review dashboard
• Compare to budget
• Spot anomalies

✅ Categorize consistently

• Fix miscategorized items
• Train new staff
• Update category list

Monthly Analysis

✅ Download reports

• Export for records
• Share with accountant
• Year-over-year comparison

✅ Budget review

• Actual vs planned
• Adjust next month’s budget
• Identify cost-saving opportunities

---

Integration with Financial Reports

How Expenses Affect Your Business

In Financial Reports:

• Deducted from revenue
• Calculates true profit
• Tracks by period

In Accounting:

• Organized by category
• Date-based reporting
• Tax-deductible tracking

In Cash Flow:

• Money leaving business
• Impact on bank balance
• Forecasting input

---

Common Expense Scenarios

Recurring Monthly Expenses

Rent, utilities, subscriptions:

1. Record on same date each month
2. Use consistent category
3. Add reference (invoice #)
4. Set calendar reminder

One-time Purchases

Equipment, furniture:

1. Record full amount
2. Category: “Capital Expenses”
3. Note: Description and purpose
4. Keep receipt long-term

Reimbursable Expenses

Staff-paid, business-reimbursed:

1. Staff records expense
2. Notes: “Reimbursable - [Staff name]”
3. Reimbursement recorded separately
4. Or use “Employee Reimbursement” category

Mixed Personal/Business

When lines blur:

1. Record only business portion
2. Notes: “Business use - 50%”
3. Keep documentation
4. Consult accountant

---

Troubleshooting

”Category not available”

• Create new category on the fly
• Check spelling of existing
• Categories are business-specific

”Cannot edit expense”

• Check permissions (owner/admin)
• May be locked after period close
• Contact support if error persists

”Wrong total showing”

• Check date range filter
• Verify no categories hidden
• Refresh data (pull down)

“Export file empty”

• Check filters applied
• Try larger date range
• Verify file downloaded completely

---

FAQ

Q: What’s the difference between Expense and Stock In? A: Stock In records inventory purchases (becomes assets). Expense records operational costs (immediate deduction).

Q: Can I split one payment across categories? A: Currently, create separate expense entries. One payment = multiple expense records.

Q: How do I handle refunds or returns? A: Record as negative expense, or create “Refund” category with negative amount.

Q: Can I attach receipts to expenses? A: Yes. Attach one JPG, PNG, or PDF up to 10 MB. You can preview, download, share, replace, or delete it later.

Q: Are expenses shared across multiple businesses? A: No, expenses are per-business. Switch businesses to see respective expenses.

Q: Can I set expense budgets or limits? A: Budgeting features coming in future updates. Currently track and analyze manually.