What expense category is it?

Type what you bought and find out which expense category it belongs to. Free, and there’s nothing to sign up for.

Repairs and maintenance of property and equipment

Small tools and consumables sit here. Something substantial - a van, a machine, a big bit of kit - is more likely a capital item than a repair, and is treated differently depending on whether you use the cash basis.

matched on “new drill” filling in the form yourself? box 22

Box numbers refer to the SA103F — the self-employment pages of the Self Assessment return. You only need them if you’re filling the form in by hand. Otherwise the category name is the bit you want.

A guide, not tax advice. Plenty of these are “usually” — a laptop used half at home, a tool big enough to count as a capital item, entertaining that’s really staff welfare. Those calls are yours or your accountant’s.

All 15 categories

The same fifteen Splitstick files your receipts under.

Cost of goods bought for resale or goods used stock, materials, timber, wood, plywood, mdf box 17
Construction industry - payments to subcontractor subcontractor, subbie, sub contractor, cis, cis deduction, labour only box 18
Wages, salaries and other staff costs wages, salary, salaries, payroll, paye, employee box 19
Car, van and travel expenses fuel, diesel, petrol, electric charging, ev charging, mileage box 20
Rent, rates, power and insurance costs rent, workshop rent, unit rent, yard rent, office rent, business rates box 21
Repairs and maintenance of property and equipment repairs, repair, maintenance, servicing equipment, tool repair, fixing the workshop box 22
Phone, fax, stationery and other office costs phone, mobile, mobile bill, phone bill, broadband, internet box 23
Advertising costs advertising, adverts, ads, google ads, facebook ads, instagram ads box 24
Business entertaining costs entertaining, client lunch, client dinner, taking a client out, hospitality, corporate hospitality box 24
Interest on bank and other loans loan interest, bank loan interest, business loan, finance interest, hire purchase interest, hp interest box 25
Bank, credit card and other financial charges bank charges, account fee, monthly bank fee, card machine fees, card fees, stripe fees box 26
Irrecoverable debts written off bad debt, bad debts, write off, written off, unpaid invoice written off, customer never paid box 27
Accountancy, legal and other professional fees accountant, accountancy, bookkeeper, bookkeeping, solicitor, legal fees box 28
Depreciation and loss/profit on sale of assets depreciation, amortisation, write down, asset write down, loss on sale of van, profit on sale of equipment box 29
Other business expenses protective clothing, ppe, safety boots, steel toe caps, hi vis, hi-vis box 30

Or stop looking things up altogether.

Splitstick reads your receipts and files them under these categories on its own — photograph one, or send it on WhatsApp. £6.99 a month, first 14 days free.

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