A self-employment ledger, or “tax ledger”, is a fancy expression to describe where you keep track of all your business income and expenses – just your standard bookkeeping! You can document in an online spreadsheet, accounting software, or handwritten “ledger” book.
Receipts indicating all transactions related to income received are a necessary part of recordkeeping for a self-employed individual. Beyond the obvious income related to sales, also keep in mind the need to account for income earned from interest collected on receivables and cancelled debt.
No matter your status, if you are self-employed it is advisable to have an accountant to ensure you are meeting all of your obligations, helping you avoid any trouble down the line. Self-employment is an attractive route for many people, allowing them freedom and flexibility in their work schedule.
As a sole proprietor, you don't pay yourself a salary and you can't deduct your salary as a business expense. Technically, your “pay” is the profit (sales minus expenses) the business makes at the end of the year. You can hire other employees and pay them a salary. You just can't pay yourself that way.
Can I use a bank or credit card statement instead of a receipt on my taxes? No. A bank statement doesn't show all the itemized details that the IRS requires. The IRS accepts receipts, canceled checks, and copies of bills to verify expenses.
Groceries (if you work from home)
While you can deduct the snacks and meals you buy for your team to enjoy at the office, the IRS will be interested in any groceries you claim as deductible business expenses if you're working from a home office.
Since an Internet connection is technically a necessity if you work at home, you can deduct some or even all of the expense when it comes time for taxes. You'll enter the deductible expense as part of your home office expenses. Your Internet expenses are only deductible if you use them specifically for work purposes.
Keep your gross receipts because they show the income for your business, which you must include when you file your taxes. Gross receipts to save for taxes can include: Cash register tapes.
Draws are not personal income, however, which means they're not taxed as such. Draws are a distribution of cash that will be allocated to the business owner. The business owner is taxed on the profit earned in their business, not the amount of cash taken as a draw.
Owner's Draw. Most small business owners pay themselves through something called an owner's draw. The IRS views owners of LLCs, sole props, and partnerships as self-employed, and as a result, they aren't paid through regular wages. That's where the owner's draw comes in.
If your business is established and profitable, pay yourself a regular salary equal to a percentage of your average monthly profit. Don't set your monthly salary to an amount that may stress your company's finances at any point.
HMRC only investigates a small handful of sole traders each year, and most of these are selected due to suspicions that they may be concealing income or have entered incorrect figures during their self assessment.
Do I need a business bank account if I'm self-employed? No, it's not a legal requirement. As a sole trader, HMRC treat your business and personal incomes as one and the same for the purposes of working out the income tax you'll pay. That's why legally it's fine if all your income goes into your personal account.
While you can use business funds to pay personal bills without any risk to the business structure or status, this practice of commingling funds is frowned upon by the Internal Revenue Service and investors, as they both prefer to see a separation of business and personal accounts.
Getting Paid
For a draw, you can just write yourself a check or electronically transfer funds from your business account to your personal one. A salary is more complicated because you have to withhold payroll and income taxes.
Subtract your business's expenses and operating costs from your total revenue. This calculates your business's earnings before tax. Deduct taxes from this amount to find you business's net income. Your net income will be your business income.
In general, a sole proprietor can take money out of their business bank account at any time and use that money to pay themselves. If the business is profitable, the money in your account is considered your ownership equity and is the difference between your business assets and liabilities.
To record owner's draws, you need to go to your Owner's Equity Account on your balance sheet. Record your owner's draw by debiting your Owner's Draw Account and crediting your Cash Account.