Expense Categories Setup
Create a simple category list that fits your business.
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[VERIFY] is an editorial flag, not a blank to fill. Wherever the prompt shows [VERIFY], check that item against a reliable source before you use it.
Design an expense category list. Business type and activities: [BUSINESS_TYPE]. Accounting tool or spreadsheet: [TOOL]. Past expense examples: [EXAMPLES]. Reporting needs (tax return, owners, lenders): [REPORTING_NEEDS]. Return 15 to 25 categories grouped (cost of sales, premises, people, vehicles and travel, marketing, software and subscriptions, professional fees, insurance, bank and card fees, equipment, other). For each: Category | What belongs | What does not | Example from my list | Receipt needed. Add a mapping of my past examples to categories, a short list of ambiguous cases with a rule (for example meals with clients versus personal meals), and a rule for items that are assets rather than expenses (above a threshold you ask me to set: [CAPITALIZATION_THRESHOLD]). Note that tax deductibility is not decided by category names and differs by place; mark questions for my accountant in [JURISDICTION] [VERIFY]. Keep the list short enough to use. Limit the list to a number I can actually use at month end, and for every category give one borderline example and the rule that settles it, such as 'software used by both staff and owner goes to software, not owner costs'.
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