FREE TEMPLATE
Free Business Expense Tracker Template
Download a ready-made Excel spreadsheet to track business income and expenses. Auto-calculating formulas, SARS-friendly categories, and a 12-month annual summary — completely free.
📊 Free Business Expense Tracker Template
Download a ready-made Excel spreadsheet to track income, expenses, and net profit monthly.
| Date | Type | Description | Category | Amount (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-01 | 💰 Income | Client payment — ABC Pty Ltd | Sales / Revenue | R15,000.00 |
| 2026-04-02 | 💸 Expense | Office rent — April | Rent | R4,500.00 |
| 2026-04-05 | 💰 Income | Consulting fee — XYZ Corp | Service Income | R8,500.00 |
| 2026-04-07 | 💸 Expense | Petrol & tolls | Transport / Fuel | R1,200.00 |
| 2026-04-10 | 💸 Expense | Google Ads — April campaign | Marketing | R2,000.00 |
| Net Profit | R15,800.00 | |||
Free download — no sign-up, no email required.
Why Track Your Business Expenses?
Accurate expense tracking is a legal requirement for every business in South Africa. SARS requires you to keep financial records for at least 5 years. Beyond compliance, tracking expenses helps you understand cash flow, claim legitimate tax deductions, and prepare for provisional tax payments.
What’s in the Template?
Our free Excel template includes 3 sheets:
- Monthly Tracker — log every transaction with date, type (income/expense), description, category, and amount. Built-in formulas auto-calculate total income, total expenses, and net profit
- Annual Summary — a 12-month overview with income, expenses, and net profit per month plus annual totals
- Categories Reference — all 15 expense categories with SARS deductibility notes so you know what you can claim
Tax-Deductible Business Expenses in South Africa
You can deduct legitimate business expenses from your taxable income. Common SARS-approved deductions include:
| Category | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | Office, warehouse, co-working | Home office requires dedicated room & SARS formula |
| Transport / Fuel | Petrol, tolls, parking, vehicle maintenance | Keep a logbook for SARS travel deductions |
| Salaries & Wages | Employee pay, employer UIF, SDL | Fully deductible including employer contributions |
| Marketing | Google Ads, signage, business cards | Fully deductible |
| Professional Fees | Accounting, legal, consulting | Fully deductible if business-related |
| Equipment | Laptop, printer, tools, software | Assets over R7,000 may need to be depreciated |
| Insurance | Business insurance, professional indemnity | Fully deductible |
How to Use the Template
- Download the Excel (.xlsx) or CSV file above
- Open in Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice
- Delete the sample data and start entering your own transactions
- Record every income and expense as it happens — don’t wait until month-end
- Check your Annual Summary sheet monthly to track profitability
- Share with your accountant at tax time — the categories match SARS deduction types
Record-Keeping Tips
- Separate business and personal finances — open a dedicated business bank account
- Keep receipts — photograph them and store digitally
- Reconcile monthly — match your tracker to your bank statement
- Back up your file — save to Google Drive or Dropbox
- Keep records for 5 years — SARS can audit you at any time within this period
Need help with tax compliance? We offer SARS registration, provisional tax returns, and annual submissions for small businesses. Get in touch →
Need Help With SARS & Tax Compliance?
Tax registration, VAT returns, provisional tax, annual submissions — we handle your SARS compliance so you can focus on your business.