Business Expense Categories
Turn on the categories your business actually spends money on, add any of your own, and download them as ready-made spreadsheet columns.
Downloads
Your category picks reset the moment you leave this page: get the Small Business Expense Tracker for a workbook that logs every purchase against those categories and totals them by month.
What the two downloads are for
The category columns file is a single header row: one column per category you selected, ready to paste at the top of a spreadsheet or open as its own file. The category reference file is the opposite shape: one row per category, with its description and examples next to it, useful as a printed or saved key for whoever else looks at your books.
Nothing here is tax advice
These are common groupings used for everyday small-business bookkeeping, not a legal or tax classification for any one country. Whether a specific purchase belongs in a given category, and whether it’s commonly deductible, depends on your situation: check with your accountant before you rely on it.
Why categories instead of one long list
A single undivided list of expenses tells you how much you spent, not where it went. Splitting spending into categories is what lets you see that marketing crept up or that insurance is due for renewal, and it’s the same split most accounting software and most accountants expect an expense log to already be in.
Running costs against a single project instead of the whole business? A project budget tracker uses the same idea, splitting spending into lines, just scoped to one project at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Are these categories tax-deductible?
The categories here are for organizing your bookkeeping, not a tax classification. Whether a specific expense is deductible depends on your situation and local tax law. Check with your accountant before claiming something as a deduction.
Can I download just the category names without all the descriptions?
Yes. The “Download category columns (CSV)” option gives you a single header row with just the names, ready to paste into a spreadsheet. The “Download category reference (CSV)” includes descriptions and examples.
Should I use these exact categories or create my own?
Use what makes sense for your business. These are a common starting point. If your business has spending that does not fit neatly into any of these, add your own category or modify an existing one.
What goes in “Advertising and marketing” versus “Training and education”?
Advertising and marketing covers advertising, social media promotion, and client acquisition. Training and education covers courses, conferences, or materials you buy to improve your own skills. The line can blur; use what feels right for your bookkeeping.
How detailed should expense categories be?
Start simple. You can always split “Software and subscriptions” into “Subscription software” and “One-time tools” later if you find you need that detail. Too many categories makes your log harder to keep up with.
Related tools
Made for this page
Get the Small Business Expense Tracker
The same category list, in a workbook that logs every purchase against it and totals what you spent by category and by month, not just headers to fill in yourself.
Free download
Take a template with you
These tools run in your browser and keep nothing. If you want something that stays on your computer, there is a free invoice template for Excel: download it once, keep it forever.
Next step
Take it further, in a spreadsheet
This tool hands you a set of category names, nothing more: you still total everything up yourself. The Small Business Expense Tracker logs every expense under categories like these and works out the total and the tax split for you, and the Small Business Finance Kit does the same alongside invoicing and profit and loss.
FreeFree Invoice Template
One invoice, built and ready to send. For your very first bill.
Get the free template →€7.95Small Business Expense Tracker
One workbook that logs expenses and totals the tax. For tracking spending on its own.
Get the Small Business Expense Tracker →€14.95Small Business Finance Kit
Every invoice, expense, and profit number in one workbook. For running the whole business.
Get the Small Business Finance Kit →€34.95Small Business Finance Bundle
All 6 workbooks together, at a lower combined price than buying each on its own. For the whole business, in one purchase.
Get the Small Business Finance Bundle →Etsy prices above are shown before VAT. Etsy adds VAT at checkout, based on where you're buying from.