> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://breederbuddy.com/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Expenses > Track kennel expenses and business costs for your breeding program — vet bills, food, supplies, DNA testing, show fees, and mileage. Add vendors, add or delete categories, set default deductible, log stud service costs, enter past expenses on a litter, set up recurring expenses, attach receipts, link costs to a dog or litter, mark tax-deductible items, and import or export to a spreadsheet. # Expenses > **Video walkthrough:** [Watch on Loom](#) *(link coming soon)* *** Expenses is where you track money going out of your program — vet bills, food, supplies, show fees, testing costs, and anything else you spend. You can link expenses to specific dogs or litters to understand exactly where your money goes. *** ## What You Can Do Here * Log expenses with a vendor, paid date, and one or more line items (each with its own category, amount, and tax) * Record payment method (card, cash, check, etc.) on each expense * Set up recurring expenses (like monthly food or insurance) so they're created for you on schedule * Log mileage on trips you take for your program — vet visits, pickups, deliveries — with running totals * Link an expense to a specific dog or litter * Mark line items as tax-deductible for easier year-end accounting * Attach receipts or supporting files to any expense * Import expenses in bulk or export your full expense history * Search and filter by vendor, memo, category, or date range, and see where your money goes by vendor or category *** ## How It Works ### Adding an Expense 1. In the left menu, open **Finances** and click [**Expenses**](https://app.breederbuddy.com/expenses). 2. Click **Add expense**. 3. Fill in the expense details: * **Paid date** and **Vendor** (both required) * **Payment method** (card, ACH, cash, check, etc.) * **Apply to** — optionally link it to a specific dog or litter * **Memo** — a short note about the expense 4. Under **Line items**, fill in at least one line: **Title**, **Category**, **Amount**, **Tax**, **Mileage (mi)**, **Description**, and the **Deductible** checkbox. Click **Add line** to split one receipt into several items (for example, an exam and a vaccine on the same vet bill). 5. Click **Add attachment** to attach a receipt photo or file if you have one. 6. Save. The **Summary** shows the subtotal, tax, mileage, and total as you go. ### Adding a Vendor Every expense needs a vendor — the business or person you paid (your vet, the food supplier, AKC, etc.). Vendors are saved to a list so you can reuse them across expenses and see spending totals per vendor. 1. When adding or editing an expense, find the **Vendor** dropdown. 2. If the vendor isn't in the list yet, click the gear icon next to the Vendor field. The **Manage Vendors** window opens. 3. Enter the **Vendor name** (required). Email and phone are optional. 4. Click **Add Vendor**. The new vendor is saved to your list and automatically selected on the expense you were working on. You can also delete vendors from the same **Manage Vendors** window. Deleting a vendor removes it from any expenses that were using it, so double-check before you delete. ### Tracking Mileage If you drive for your program — vet appointments, picking up a stud, delivering a puppy — you can log the miles right on the expense. 1. When adding or editing an expense, fill in the **Mileage (mi)** field on the line item. 2. The summary cards at the top of the Expenses page show your mileage totals for **This month**, **Last 30 days**, **Year to date**, and **All time**. 3. Use these totals when you're filing taxes or just want a quick sense of how much you've driven for your program. ### Setting Up a Recurring Expense For bills that repeat — a monthly food order, insurance, a software subscription — let BreederBuddy create them for you: 1. On the Expenses page, click **Add recurring**. 2. Fill in the **Title**, **Vendor**, **Payment method**, and line items, just like a regular expense. 3. Choose how often it repeats with **Every** and **Interval**, set the **Next run** date, and optionally an **End date**. 4. Save. Your schedule appears under **Recurring schedules**, where you can edit it or click **Run now** to create this period's expense right away. ### Managing Categories 1. While adding or editing an expense, click the gear icon next to a line item's **Category** field. The **Manage Categories** window opens. 2. To add a category, type a **Category name**, an optional **Description**, and tick **Default deductible** if new line items in this category should start out deductible. 3. Click **Add Category**. It's now in the **Category** dropdown. 4. To remove a category, click **Delete** next to it and confirm. Any expenses using it are left with no category. You can't rename a category or change its **Default deductible** setting after it's created. To change one, add a new category with the name and setting you want, switch your expenses to it, then delete the old one. You can always tick or untick **Deductible** on any single line item. ### Linking to a Dog or Litter Expenses linked to a dog appear on that dog's **Finances** tab. Expenses linked to a litter appear on the litter's **Finances** tab. This helps you see the true cost of individual animals or breedings over time. ### Importing Expenses If you have existing expense records in a spreadsheet, click the download (cloud) icon at the top of the Expenses page. From there you can **Import Expenses** from a spreadsheet file or **Export Expenses** for your accountant. The import window lists the columns your file needs. *** ## Key Terms | Term | What It Means | | - | - | | Category | The type of expense (vet care, food, supplies, testing, etc.) | | Deductible | An expense that may be claimable for tax purposes — check with your accountant | | Payment Method | How the expense was paid (card, cash, check, transfer, etc.) | | Mileage | Miles driven for the expense — totals roll up by time period | | Line Item | One part of an expense (e.g., the exam fee on a vet bill). An expense can have several | | Vendor | The business or person you paid | | Recurring Schedule | A repeating expense that BreederBuddy creates for you on a set schedule | *** ## Tips & Common Questions > **How do I enter past income and expenses for a litter?** > > Add each expense as usual, set the **Paid date** to when you actually paid, and pick the litter in **Apply to**. For puppy sales and deposits, use an invoice in [**Invoices**](https://app.breederbuddy.com/invoices) so the money is tied to the buyer. For other money that came in (like a stud fee), add it on [**Other Income**](https://app.breederbuddy.com/other-income) with the real **Received date** and the litter in **Apply to**. Linked expenses and the litter's puppy invoices show on the litter's **Finances** tab. Other Income doesn't show there, so look it up on the **Other Income** page. > **Where do I log stud service costs and stud fees I'm paid?** > > Costs (the stud fee you paid, shipping, progesterone tests) go here in **Expenses**, linked to the litter or your female with **Apply to**. Stud fees you receive for your own male go on **Other Income** under the **Stud Fee** category, linked to your male. If you bill the stud client through BreederBuddy, send them an invoice from **Invoices** instead. > **Why does the spending chart lump some vendors into Other?** > > **Where your money goes** shows your top 15 vendors or categories by spending. Everything after that is added together as **Other** so the chart stays readable. Use the search and filters above your list to see the smaller vendors on their own. > **Where do I record commission or affiliate income?** > > Not here. Expenses is only for money going out. Log commissions, affiliate payouts, and other money coming in on [**Other Income**](https://app.breederbuddy.com/other-income). > **Can I attach a receipt photo to an expense?** > > Yes — click **Add attachment** when creating or editing an expense to attach a photo, PDF, or document. > **Can I see total expenses for a specific litter?** > > Yes. Open the litter's detail page and go to the **Finances** tab. It shows the expenses linked to that litter alongside the invoices for its puppies. Other Income linked to the litter isn't included there. > **How do I know which expenses are deductible?** > > Tick the **Deductible** box on each line item that qualifies. Check with your accountant on what counts as deductible for your program. > **Do I have to add a separate expense just to track miles?** > > No — add the miles directly to whatever expense the trip was for (the vet bill, the show entry, etc.). Every line item needs an amount greater than \$0, so mileage works best attached to a real cost from that trip. > **Why won't my expense save?** > > Every expense needs a **Paid date**, a **Vendor**, and at least one line item with a **Title** and an **Amount** greater than \$0. If your vendor isn't listed yet, add it from the gear icon next to the **Vendor** field first. *** ## Still Have Questions? We're here to help. If something isn't working the way you expect, or you'd like to have a discussion around a certain topic, please reach out to us anytime through the chat in the bottom right corner of your screen. Thank you. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.