You can always use spreadsheet software to track expenses by hand: for instance, Microsoft Excel offers expense tracking templates. Whether you’re a part-time freelancer or a small-business owner with one or two employees, expense tracker apps are the easiest, fastest way to track business expenses. But personal finance apps like Mint and YNAB work only when applied to your personal life, not your business life. If you’re interested in becoming a better personal budgeter, check out our reviews of the year’s best budgeting apps. (For instance, personal finance apps don’t automatically track mileage-a must if you’re a freelancer with mileage-based tax write-offs or an employer whose employees travel for work.) They aren’t comprehensive enough to track a business’s needs, and they lack a lot of features most business expense trackers include. While self-employed business owners technically can use personal budgeting apps to track expenses, we don’t recommend it. (Some accounting software, like QuickBooks, includes built-in expense tracking and receipt scanning). Finally, expense tracking apps need to sync with your accounting software to save time and eliminate redundant data entry. Top business expense trackers should also include receipt scanning software so you can upload expenses on the go. They also (usually automatically) categorize your expenses so you can identify areas to cut costs and simplify tax write-offs at the end of the tax year. Want to expand your business by trimming expenses? Check out our article on bookkeeping basics to learn more about income and expense management.īusiness expense trackers obviously track your business’s expenses-but the best expense trackers don’t stop there. Feel free to try different providers on for size before you commit-you’ll want an app that syncs with your accounting software, works for both you and your employees, and organizes expenses in a format you can follow. Most business expense trackers have free plans, free trials, or both. And if physical receipts are taking over your office, Shoeboxed can start digitizing your data and categorizing your expenses right away. For traveling and driver-focused alternatives, we like Zoho Expense and Everlance. If you want accounting software with built-in expense tracking, try FreshBooks, QuickBooks Self-Employed, or Wave Accounting. Zoho Expense syncs with Zoho Books, Xero, and QuickBooks Online, but accounting software costs an additional $12 to $30 a month on top of your Zoho Expense payment.īusiness expense trackers are a solid investment for freelancers, solopreneurs, and other small-business owners who want to analyze costs and submit correct write-offs at tax time.įor flexibility and affordability, the best expense tracker app is Expensify. The Premium plan also requires you to have at least ten users-which ups the cost to $30 per per month, paid annually. For 10 users and pre-travel approval, you’ll need the Premium plan, which costs $2.50 per user per month if you pay annually (paying monthly costs $3 per user per month). Zoho Expense’s free plan includes up to 1 user (plus an accountant) who can collaborate on expense tracking and travel management. Like Zoho’s accounting software, Zoho Books, Zoho Expense automates just about everything that can be automated, including employee expense approval and reimbursement. (It’s billed as an “end-to-end travel and expense” solution, not simply an expense tracker.) Along with the typical expense tracker features, Zoho Expense lets you book rooms, set travel budgets, and pre-approve travel expenses well before employees leave. Freelancers with a higher client volume will need at least the $25-a-month Plus plan, which increases your client limit to 50 a month. Unfortunately, the cheapest plan limits you to invoicing just five clients a month. You can also save by paying for FreshBooks annually instead of monthly. Use FreshBooks’s app to track your time, expenses, and mileage during a project, then transfer over the final billable expense to your client’s invoice (which you can also create and send with the FreshBooks app).įreshBooks doesn’t offer a free plan, but the company frequently offers frequent long-term sales. Instead, FreshBooks syncs with your bank account and credit cards, automatically importing and categorizing expenses, plus generating reports that help you make sense of your profit and loss.Īnd if you frequently bill your clients for expenses, FreshBooks’s excellent invoicing simplifies the process. FreshBooks’s accounting software includes built-in expense tracking, so you don’t need to invest in two apps to manage your business’s costs.
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