Bookkeeping Basics
Build a consistent expense-coding workflow for supplies, software, fees, contractors, meals, travel, inventory, and owner-paid items.
Best for: owners and assistants who code transactions and want cleaner expense reports.
Important: This article is general bookkeeping education. It is not tax, legal, payroll, or accounting advice. Rules and correct treatment can depend on entity type, industry, location, software setup, and professional judgment.
Expense categorization should describe the business purpose of the cost, supported by receipts, invoices, or notes.
What this means
Expenses are costs incurred to operate, sell, deliver services, or manage the business. Categories help show where money went.
Consistent categories make monthly comparisons, tax-prep support, and budget review much easier.
Core concepts
Software, rent, utilities, insurance, supplies, professional fees, and admin costs.
Advertising, merchant fees, platform fees, commissions, and customer-related costs.
Payroll, contractors, benefits, reimbursements, and training need clear separation.
Inventory, equipment, loans, taxes, transfers, and owner items may need special handling.
Step-by-step workflow
- Gather the source records. Save statements, receipts, reports, screenshots, contracts, confirmations, or notes that support business expense categories.
- Identify the business event. Decide what actually happened before choosing a category or changing a report.
- Match the money movement. Compare the bookkeeping record to bank, credit card, loan, payroll, or platform activity.
- Choose the right treatment. Separate income, expense, asset, liability, equity, transfer, and owner activity instead of using one catch-all category.
- Review for duplicates and timing. Look for repeated entries, missing transactions, old balances, refunds, chargebacks, and period cut-off issues.
- Save final notes. Keep a clear explanation so the owner, bookkeeper, or accountant can understand the decision later.
Review checklist
- The period, account, and source report being reviewed are clearly identified.
- Transactions are not duplicated or counted in the wrong period.
- Unclear items are placed on a question list instead of guessed.
- Supporting documents are saved in the monthly records folder.
- The final report or template includes notes for unusual activity.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Guessing from the bank description only. Bank descriptions are helpful but often incomplete.
- Using miscellaneous too often. Too many miscellaneous entries make reports less useful.
- Skipping documentation. A correct number is harder to defend when the source is missing.
- Ignoring balance sheet effects. Some activity affects assets, liabilities, or equity rather than the P&L.
Example review map
| Area | What to review |
|---|---|
| Documents | Confirm the files supporting business expense categories are saved and named clearly. |
| Category | Confirm the category describes the business purpose and account type. |
| Balance | Confirm any related bank, card, loan, tax, payroll, or owner balance makes sense. |
| Questions | List missing details and assign follow-up before closing the month. |
| Handoff | Save a short note for the owner, bookkeeper, accountant, or tax preparer. |
FAQ
Is miscellaneous okay?
Use it rarely. Frequent miscellaneous entries reduce report usefulness.
What if one receipt has business and personal items?
Split the transaction and document the business portion.
Can I use this with a KanderBooks template?
Yes. Use the article as a workflow guide, then use the matching KanderBooks template to organize amounts, notes, dates, confirmations, and review questions.
When should I ask a professional?
Ask a qualified bookkeeper, accountant, payroll provider, or tax professional when the item affects taxes, payroll, loans, prior-period reports, legal compliance, or financial statements used outside the business.
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