Business and Personal Transaction Split Log

Who this is for

One account, two kinds of spending. Each payment from a shared account or card gets a line, with the business part entered and the personal part worked out, so only the business share reaches your books.

Sole traders who run the business through a personal account or card, or who sometimes buy business and personal items in one transaction.

What this helps you track

• Every payment from the shared account or card in the period
• The business part of each, with the personal part worked out
• The business percentage of each payment
• A category and an evidence reference for the business part
• Period totals and how many payments were split

How to use it

1. Write the account or card and the period the log covers at the top.
2. Go through the statement line by line, entering the date, a description and the full amount.
3. Enter the business part of each payment. If it is wholly personal, enter nothing; if wholly business, enter the full amount.
4. Choose a category and write a reference to the receipt or invoice for the business part.
5. The personal part, the percentage and the totals are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, subtract across each line.
6. Carry the business total by category into your expense records, and keep this log with the statement.

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

How do I decide the business part?

From the receipt where you can: a shop receipt with business and personal items shows each price. For a shared cost such as a phone bill, use your own reasoned proportion and note how you reached it.

Do I need to list wholly personal payments?

Listing every line makes the totals agree with the statement, which is the easiest check that nothing is missed. If you prefer, list only lines with a business part and note that you have done so.

What counts as a split item?

A payment with both a business part and a personal part. The sheet counts a line as split when the business part is more than nothing but less than the total.

Should I open a separate business account?

Many sole traders find it simpler, but whether you need one depends on your bank and the rules where you are. This log is for keeping the records straight either way.