Content Creator Expense Tracker

Who this is for

What making content costs you. Each purchase goes on a line with the amount in the column for its category, so equipment, software, props, travel and contractors total themselves at the foot of the page. Receipts are ticked off as you file them.

Creators, streamers, podcasters and bloggers who buy things for their channel and want one place to see the spending, whether for their own accounts or for someone who does their books.

What this helps you track

• Every purchase with its date, supplier and what it was
• Spending split into equipment, software, props, travel, contractors and other
• The total for each category over the period
• Which purchases still need a receipt filed
• The largest single purchase and the total for the period

How to use it

1. Write your name and the period at the top — a month keeps the sheet short, a quarter or a year works too.
2. For each purchase, write the date and the supplier and item, then put the amount in the one column that fits its category.
3. Tick the receipt column once the receipt or invoice is saved where you keep them.
4. Row totals, category totals and the summary are worked out in the browser and the Excel workbook; on paper add each column down.
5. At the end of the period, copy the category totals into your own accounts or pass the sheet to whoever keeps them.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why columns for each category instead of a category list?

Because the columns add themselves up. Putting the amount under its heading gives a total per category at the bottom without any sorting, which is what you need at the end of a month.

Which costs can I claim against tax?

That depends on where you live and how you are set up. This sheet does not say what is allowable; check the rules where you are or ask whoever prepares your accounts.

What if something is partly personal?

Write the full amount and a note, or enter only the share you use for content, whichever your own records need. Be consistent from one period to the next.

Where do I note which video or post it was for?

Put it in the item column after the description, such as 'lapel mic — interview series', or use the notes area at the foot of the sheet.