Tracking Expenses

Record your business costs alongside your income. Qazua uses HMRC-aligned categories so your records are ready when tax time comes.

Why track expenses in Qazua?

Keeping expenses in the same place as your invoices gives you a clear picture of your profit and loss without switching between tools. Categories follow HMRC's SA103F self-employment form, so your records are already organised the way HMRC expects them.

Adding an Expense

Go to Expenses in the left sidebar and click New Expense. Fill in the details:

Description — a brief note of what the expense was (e.g. "Train ticket to client meeting")
Amount — the total cost in GBP
Category — choose the HMRC category that best fits the expense (see below)
Date — the date the expense was incurred, not when you paid it
Vendor — optional, but useful for record-keeping (e.g. "National Rail", "Amazon")
VAT Amount — only fill this in if you are VAT registered and want to track input VAT separately
Notes — any extra context, such as the business purpose of the expense

Click Save Expense and it will appear immediately in your expenses list.

Expense Categories

Qazua's categories map directly to the boxes on HMRC's SA103F self-employment supplementary pages. Use the one that most closely describes the expense. If you are unsure, use Other and add a note — you can always recategorise later.

Travel

SA103F: Travel and subsistence

Examples: Train, bus, taxi, fuel, parking, tolls, flights, hotel stays for business trips, meals during travel away from home

💡 Commuting from home to a regular place of work is not allowable. Travel to client sites or temporary workplaces is.

Office & Admin

SA103F: Office costs

Examples: Stationery, postage, printer ink, software subscriptions, phone and broadband (business proportion), home office costs

💡 If you work from home, you can claim a proportion of your broadband and phone bill based on business use.

Premises

SA103F: Premises costs

Examples: Rent for a studio or desk, co-working space memberships, business rates, utility bills for business premises

💡 Home office running costs go here if you use the actual cost method rather than the simplified flat rate.

Repairs & Renewals

SA103F: Repairs and renewals of property and equipment

Examples: Repairing a laptop, replacing a broken monitor, fixing equipment used for work

💡 Buying new equipment outright is usually a capital expense and may need to go through capital allowances instead. Ask your accountant.

Advertising & Marketing

SA103F: Advertising and business costs

Examples: Website hosting, domain names, paid ads, design work, business cards, portfolio subscriptions

Professional Fees

SA103F: Legal and financial costs

Examples: Accountant fees, solicitor fees, professional indemnity insurance, business insurance

Finance Charges

SA103F: Financial charges

Examples: Bank charges, credit card fees, payment processor fees (e.g. Stripe fees on client payments)

Entertainment

SA103F: Not allowable — for reference only

Examples: Client lunches, drinks with clients, hospitality

💡 HMRC does not allow entertainment costs as a business expense for sole traders. Record them here to keep your books complete, but they will not reduce your tax bill.

Other

SA103F: Other allowable business expenses

Examples: Training courses, books and journals relevant to your work, professional subscriptions, trade magazines

💡 Use this for anything that does not fit neatly into the categories above. Add a note so you remember what it was at tax time.

Editing and Deleting Expenses

To update an expense, click the Edit icon on the expenses list or open the expense and click Edit Expense. All fields can be changed at any time.

To delete an expense, open it and click Delete. You will be asked to confirm before anything is removed. Deleted expenses cannot be recovered.

Filtering Your Expenses

The expenses list has two filters at the top:

Date range — narrow down to a specific period (this month, last 30 days, a custom range, etc.)
Category — show only one type of expense at a time

Both filters update the chart and the list together, so you can quickly see what you spent on, say, travel in the last quarter.

Expenses on the Dashboard

The Dashboard shows two side-by-side charts for the selected date range: one for income (paid invoices) and one for expenses. This gives you an at-a-glance view of cash in vs. cash out over time, without needing a separate spreadsheet.

Use the date filter at the top of the dashboard to view any period — this month, a quarter, the last six months, or a custom range.

Good habits for expense tracking

Log expenses as they happen rather than in bulk at year end — it's faster and less likely to miss things
Keep receipts (photos on your phone are fine for HMRC) and add a brief note in the Notes field linking the expense to a project or client
Check the Entertainment category note — client lunches are not tax-deductible for sole traders, even if they are a genuine business cost
Expenses paid through a personal account are still valid business expenses — just record them as normal

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for ITSA)

HMRC is rolling out Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment, which will require most self-employed people to keep digital records of income and expenses and submit quarterly updates. Recording your expenses in Qazua with the correct categories now means you will already be in good shape when MTD for ITSA applies to you.

Disclaimer

This guide is for general information only. Tax rules change, and individual circumstances vary. Always consult a qualified accountant or check HMRC's website for advice specific to your situation.