Free expenses tracker
Most expense spreadsheets are organised the way the person felt at the time. This one is organised the way your tax return asks the question.
Business expenses
[Your name / business]
Tax year: [6 April 20XX to 5 April 20XX]
Accounting basis
[Cash basis / Traditional]
Every purchase, as it happens
| Date | Supplier | What it was for | Category | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [DD/MM] | [ ] | [ ] | [Office] | £[0.00] |
| [DD/MM] | [ ] | [ ] | [Travel] | £[0.00] |
| [DD/MM] | [ ] | [ ] | [Stock] | £[0.00] |
| [DD/MM] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | £[0.00] |
Totals by category
| Category | What goes in it | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Office costs | Stationery, phone bills, software | £[0.00] |
| Travel | Fuel, parking, train and bus fares | £[0.00] |
| Clothing | Uniforms only | £[0.00] |
| Staff costs | Salaries, subcontractors | £[0.00] |
| Stock and raw materials | Things you buy to resell or make with | £[0.00] |
| Financial costs | Insurance, bank charges | £[0.00] |
| Premises | Heating, lighting, business rates, rent | £[0.00] |
| Advertising and marketing | Ads, website costs | £[0.00] |
| Training | Courses related to your existing business | £[0.00] |
Total expenses £[0.00]
Why the categories matter
The Self Assessment return doesn't ask "what did you spend?" It asks for figures under headings. If your records use your own headings, filing means re-sorting a year of purchases under time pressure, which is where mistakes and missed claims live.
The categories in this template are the ones GOV.UK lists as allowable for the self-employed: office costs, travel, uniforms, staff, stock and raw materials, financial costs, premises, advertising, and training related to your business. Use those words from the first purchase of the year and the return becomes transcription.
The rule underneath all of it
An expense is allowable if it's wholly and exclusively for the business. That phrase does most of the work, and it's stricter than people expect.
- A phone used for both: claim the business proportion, and be able to say how you arrived at it.
- Clothing: a uniform or genuine protective gear is allowable. Ordinary clothes you wear to meet clients are not, however smart they need to be.
- Training: courses that keep your existing skills current are allowable. A course to break into an entirely new trade generally isn't.
- Lunch: eating is something you'd do anyway. Subsistence on a genuine business trip is a narrower thing than "meals while working".
Equipment is different
Things you buy and keep (a laptop, a camera, a van) usually go through capital allowances rather than sitting in your expenses total. There's an exception worth knowing: under cash basis accounting, most equipment is simply claimed as an ordinary expense, with cars the notable thing that still goes through capital allowances.
If you're not sure which basis you're on, that's a question worth answering before you fill a year of this in.
Keep the evidence, not just the number
A row in a tracker is a claim; a receipt is proof of it. Keep receipts for at least five years after the 31 January filing deadline for that tax year. A photo is fine, because thermal receipts fade to blank within a couple of years, so the paper original is often the worse record.
Sedonis does this part continuously: log the expense with its category and a photo of the receipt when it happens, and the year-end totals are already added up. Free to start.
Next: what you can and can't claim, in detail, the mileage log for vehicle costs, and the tax calculator once you know your profit.
Expense categories checked against GOV.UK on 20 July 2026: GOV.UK and expenses if you're self-employed.
Next steps
Read the guide
What the words mean
fills this in for you, tracks who's paid, and keeps every client and number in one private app. Free to start.
A free template for general use, not tax advice. What's allowable depends on your trade and your circumstances, so check GOV.UK or an accountant before claiming anything you're unsure about.