What You’ll Learn

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

• Record business expenses quickly
• Organize expenses with categories
• Track spending patterns
• Export expense reports
• Analyze expenses for better budgeting

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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

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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

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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

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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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: Currently no attachment feature. Take photo and store separately, reference in notes.

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.