Logging business expenses and reclaiming VAT

This article explains how to add and manage business expenses in DashVue, so your costs, VAT position and profit figures stay accurate. It covers the fields you fill in when adding an expense, what each one is for, and what DashVue does and does not do with the numbers.

Where to add expenses

Go to Expenses in the DashVue dashboard and use the add expense action to open the expense form. You can add a one-off cost (postage supplies, a new laptop, storage fees) or set an expense up as recurring so it repeats automatically.

The fields on an expense

Each expense record has the following fields:

• Category. Group the expense (for example packaging, software, mileage, storage) so your profit reports break costs down in a way that makes sense to you.
• Tax-deductible flag. Mark whether an expense counts as an allowable business cost. This flag feeds into DashVue’s profit and tax figures so deductible costs are separated from personal or non-deductible spending.
• VAT reclaim. Record whether VAT was charged on the expense and whether you are reclaiming it. This keeps your VAT position visible alongside your other numbers.
• Business-use percentage. For costs that are only partly for business use (a phone bill, a home office, a vehicle), set the business-use % so only the business share of the cost is treated as deductible.
• Recurring frequency. If a cost repeats (a monthly subscription, weekly storage), set the frequency so DashVue logs it automatically each period instead of you re-entering it.

Adding an expense: step by step

1. Open Expenses and start a new expense.
2. Enter the amount and a short description.
3. Choose a category so it groups correctly in your reports.
4. Set the tax-deductible flag if the cost is an allowable business expense.
5. Record the VAT reclaim details if VAT applies to the cost.
6. If the cost is only partly business-related, set the business-use percentage.
7. If the cost repeats, set a recurring frequency instead of leaving it as one-off.
8. Save the expense. It now appears in your expense list and feeds your profit and tax figures.

What this does, and does not, do for you

Expense records you add in DashVue feed directly into your profit calculations and your in-app tax figures, so your margins and tax-year totals reflect real costs, not just eBay fees and item cost.

Because the tax-deductible flag, VAT reclaim status and business-use percentage all affect your reported figures, it is worth reviewing new expense categories occasionally to make sure they are still being classified the way you expect, especially if HMRC rules or your own business use of a cost change over time.