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Expenses
Creating Expenses

How to Create Expenses Manually

Overview

Learn how to manually create and track business expenses in Akili Apps. Whether you're entering receipts from a coffee shop or recording a major equipment purchase, this guide covers everything you need to know.

What You'll Learn

  • Different ways to create expenses
  • Required and optional fields
  • Expense categories and CRA compliance
  • Attaching receipts to expenses
  • Using keyboard shortcuts for faster entry

Creating Your First Expense

Method 1: Quick Add from Dashboard

The fastest way to add an expense:

  1. Click "+ New Expense" button in the top quick actions bar
  2. A modal form appears with all expense fields
  3. Fill in the details (see field guide below)
  4. Click "Save Expense"

Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl/Cmd + E from anywhere in the app

Method 2: From Expenses Page

For more detailed entry:

  1. Navigate to "Expenses" in the left sidebar
  2. Click "Add Expense" button (top right)
  3. Full expense form opens
  4. Complete all fields
  5. Click "Save & Add Another" or "Save & Close"

Method 3: From Mobile App

On mobile devices:

  1. Tap the "+" button (bottom center)
  2. Select "Add Expense"
  3. Form appears with mobile-optimized layout
  4. Fill in details
  5. Tap "Save"

Expense Fields Guide

Required Fields

1. Date

  • The date you made the purchase
  • Format: YYYY-MM-DD or use date picker
  • Default: Today's date
  • Can be future-dated for upcoming expenses

2. Merchant

  • Name of the business where you spent money
  • Examples: "Staples", "Tim Hortons", "Rogers Communications"
  • Auto-complete: Suggests previously used merchants
  • Tip: Be consistent with naming for better reporting

3. Amount

  • Total amount spent
  • Format: Enter numbers only (e.g., 45.99)
  • Currency: CAD (Canadian Dollars)
  • Automatically formats with $ sign and two decimals

4. Category

  • Type of expense for tax purposes
  • Required for CRA compliance
  • Select from dropdown (see categories section below)
  • Affects tax deductions and reporting

Optional Fields

5. Payment Method

  • How you paid for the expense
  • Options:
    • Credit Card (default)
    • Debit Card
    • Cash
    • E-Transfer
    • PayPal
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Other
  • Set up your payment methods in Settings

6. Description/Notes

  • Additional details about the expense
  • Examples:
    • "Client meeting lunch with John Smith"
    • "New laptop for design work"
    • "Office supplies for Q4 project"
  • Tip: Include client/project names for better tracking
  • Character limit: 500 characters

7. Tags

  • Organize expenses by project, client, or purpose
  • Examples: "Client: ABC Corp", "Project: Website Redesign", "Q4 2025"
  • Multiple tags can be added
  • Create custom tags on the fly
  • Filter expenses by tags later

8. Receipt Attachment

  • Upload or scan receipt image
  • Click "Attach Receipt" button
  • Options:
    • Take photo (mobile)
    • Upload from computer
    • Select from receipt gallery
  • Formats: JPG, PNG, PDF
  • Size limit: 10MB per file

9. Billable

  • Toggle if expense should be billed to a client
  • Appear on client reports
  • Can be added to invoices
  • Track billable vs. non-billable expenses

10. Tax Amount

  • GST/HST or other tax paid
  • Automatically calculated based on province (if enabled)
  • Can be manually adjusted
  • Important for tax credits and deductions

11. Project/Client

  • Link expense to a specific project or client
  • Useful for project-based businesses
  • Enables project profitability tracking
  • Filter expenses by project

Expense Categories (CRA-Compliant)

Akili Apps provides CRA-compliant categories for Canadian businesses:

Common Categories

Advertising & Marketing

  • Online ads (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn)
  • Print advertising
  • Business cards and promotional materials
  • Website costs

Meals & Entertainment (50% deductible)

  • Client meals
  • Business lunches
  • Entertainment expenses for clients
  • Note: Only 50% is deductible for tax purposes

Office Expenses

  • Office supplies (pens, paper, folders)
  • Small office equipment
  • Postage and courier
  • Software subscriptions

Travel

  • Flights, hotels, car rentals
  • Mileage (see Mileage Tracking guide)
  • Parking and tolls
  • Ground transportation (taxi, Uber)

Professional Fees

  • Accountant and bookkeeper fees
  • Legal fees
  • Consulting fees
  • Professional association dues

Telecommunications

  • Phone bills
  • Internet service
  • Mobile data plans
  • VoIP services

Insurance

  • Business liability insurance
  • Professional liability (E&O)
  • Equipment insurance
  • Vehicle insurance (business portion)

Rent & Utilities

  • Office rent
  • Co-working space
  • Home office (see Home Office Deduction guide)
  • Electricity, water, heat

Equipment & Technology

  • Computers and laptops
  • Software and apps
  • Cameras and recording equipment
  • Office furniture

Bank Fees & Interest

  • Transaction fees
  • Credit card processing fees
  • Business loan interest
  • Bank service charges

Professional Development

  • Courses and training
  • Books and educational materials
  • Conference fees
  • Webinar subscriptions

Custom Categories

Create custom categories:

  1. Go to Settings > Expense Categories
  2. Click "Add Custom Category"
  3. Enter category name
  4. Select tax treatment (fully deductible, 50%, non-deductible)
  5. Assign a color (optional)
  6. Click "Save"

Advanced Expense Options

Recurring Expenses

For expenses that repeat regularly:

  1. Create the expense as normal
  2. Toggle "Make Recurring" switch
  3. Set frequency:
    • Daily
    • Weekly
    • Bi-weekly
    • Monthly
    • Quarterly
    • Annually
  4. Set start and end dates (or ongoing)
  5. Save

Examples:

  • Monthly software subscriptions
  • Quarterly tax payments
  • Annual insurance premiums
  • Weekly mileage entries

See Recurring Expenses guide for details.

Split Expenses

For expenses with multiple categories:

  1. Create expense with total amount
  2. Click "Split Categories"
  3. Add multiple category/amount pairs
  4. Ensure amounts add up to total
  5. Save

Example: $100 at Costco

  • $60 - Office Supplies
  • $40 - Office Snacks

Mileage Expenses

For vehicle-related expenses:

  1. Click "Add Mileage" instead of regular expense
  2. Enter:
    • Start location
    • End location
    • Distance (or auto-calculate)
    • Purpose of trip
  3. Rate automatically applied (CRA standard: $0.68/km for first 5,000 km)
  4. Expense created with calculated amount

See Mileage Tracking guide for details.

Tips & Best Practices

  • Enter expenses daily - Don't let them pile up
  • Be consistent with merchant names - "Staples" not "STAPLES INC." one time and "Staples Office Supplies" another
  • Always add descriptions - Your future self (and accountant) will thank you
  • Use tags for projects - Makes client billing and project tracking easier
  • Attach receipts - CRA requires receipts for audits
  • Choose correct categories - Affects tax deductions
  • Enable auto-categorization - Let AI learn your patterns (Professional plan)
  • Use keyboard shortcuts - Speed up data entry
  • Review weekly - Catch errors early

Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up expense entry:

  • Ctrl/Cmd + E - New expense
  • Tab - Move to next field
  • Shift + Tab - Move to previous field
  • Ctrl/Cmd + S - Save expense
  • Esc - Cancel/close form
  • Alt + C - Focus category dropdown
  • Alt + T - Add tag

Common Questions

Q: Can I create expenses for future dates? A: Yes! Enter any date, past or future. Useful for planning upcoming expenses.

Q: What if I don't have a receipt? A: You can still create the expense. However, CRA requires receipts for deductions, so try to obtain one.

Q: Can I edit an expense after creating it? A: Yes, click the expense in your list and select "Edit". See Editing Expenses guide.

Q: What's the difference between Description and Tags? A: Description is free-form text. Tags are structured labels you can filter by. Use both for maximum organization.

Q: How do I know which category to choose? A: Use the category descriptions or ask Maple AI for guidance. When in doubt, use "General Business Expense" and ask your accountant.

Q: Can I import expenses from a spreadsheet? A: Yes! Go to Expenses > Import > Upload CSV. See bulk operations guide for details.

Q: Are expenses automatically categorized? A: With Professional or Growth plans, AI categorization learns from your patterns and suggests categories automatically.

Q: What happens if I enter the wrong amount? A: Simply edit the expense to correct it. All changes are tracked with timestamps.

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Need More Help?

Contact support at support@akiliapps.com or use the live chat in the bottom right corner of the app.

IndexEditing Expenses