Business expenses reduce your taxable income — but only if you track them. Most cleaning business operators underreport expenses simply because logging them is a hassle. ShineBook makes capturing expenses as fast as snapping a photo or saying a sentence. This guide covers every method.

Expense tracking screen

Manual Expense Entry

Tap the Expenses tab, then the + button to open a new expense entry. Fill in the vendor name, amount, date, and category. An optional notes field lets you add any context — such as which client property a supply purchase was for.

Every field except the amount has smart defaults: the date defaults to today, the vendor and category are remembered from recent entries, so repeat purchases from the same vendor take only a few seconds to log.

Tip: Log expenses the same day they happen. Trying to remember three weeks of supply receipts at month-end is how things get missed. It takes ten seconds in the moment and saves hours later.

AI Receipt Scanner

Tap Scan Receipt from the new expense screen and point your camera at any paper receipt. The on-device AI reads:

You review the extracted data before saving. If the AI misreads a field, tap it to correct. Receipt images are stored on your device so you have a digital record alongside the numbers. This works with supply store receipts, hardware store invoices, equipment repair printouts, and handwritten receipts.

Tip: Receipt scanning runs entirely on-device. Your financial receipts are never uploaded to any server. The AI model is built into the app and works with no internet connection.

Voice Expense Entry

Driving back from a supply run? Log expenses without stopping. Tap the microphone icon on the Expenses screen and speak naturally:

ShineBook parses the amount, vendor, and category from natural speech and pre-fills the entry form. You confirm before saving. Voice entry is available in English and works offline.

Auto-Categorization to Schedule C

Every expense is mapped to a standard IRS Schedule C category. ShineBook uses all 20+ Schedule C line items, including:

When you add an expense, ShineBook suggests the most likely category based on the vendor name and description. You can override it at any time. At tax time, your expenses are already sorted by Schedule C line — no reorganizing required.

Recurring Expenses

Some expenses happen on a predictable schedule: software subscriptions, equipment loan payments, insurance premiums, uniform cleaning services. Set these up as recurring expenses and ShineBook will auto-log them for you on the right date each month or year.

  1. Create the expense entry as normal
  2. Tap Make Recurring before saving
  3. Choose the frequency: weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual
  4. Set an end date if the expense has one (e.g., a lease that expires)

Recurring expenses appear in your expense list automatically on their scheduled date. You'll receive a notification confirming each auto-log so nothing goes unreviewed.

Anomaly Detection

ShineBook's on-device AI monitors your expense patterns and flags unusual entries. If you typically spend $40–60 per week on cleaning supplies and suddenly log a $400 supply expense, the app will surface a gentle alert asking you to confirm the amount is correct.

This catches common mistakes like accidentally logging $1,800 instead of $180, duplicate entries for the same receipt, or a recurring expense that's running significantly higher than usual. Anomaly alerts appear as a small flag icon on the expense — tap it to dismiss or correct.

Filtering and Searching Expenses

The Expenses list supports filtering by date range, category, and vendor. Use the search bar to find any expense by keyword. Combined filters let you quickly answer questions like "how much did I spend on supplies in Q3?" or "what did I pay at the equipment repair shop last year?"

Expense Reports

Generate an expense summary for any date range from the Reports section of the Tax Center. Reports can be exported as PDF or CSV for sharing with a bookkeeper or accountant.