Welcome — this is the moment Simple-C goes from “set up” to actually useful. Don’t worry about getting everything perfect on your first try; you can always come back and edit. Here’s how to get your first expense on the books.

First, you’ll need a client

Every expense in Simple-C belongs to a client, so if you haven’t created one yet, start there:

  1. Open Clients from the sidebar
  2. Click Add New Client
  3. Pick the client type:
    • Individual — for personal tax work
    • Business — for Schedule C and other business filings
  4. Fill in name, contact info, address, and office
  5. Save

If your client is already in Simple-C, you’re good — skip ahead.

Now pick how you want to enter the expense

There are two ways to add expenses, and you can mix and match them however you like.

If you have a bank statement (the fast path)

This is the workflow most people use. Open Entry Workflow, upload the bank statement (PDF or CSV), and Simple-C reads the transactions for you. From there you’ll classify, reconcile, and review month by month.

The full process has 11 steps — but don’t let that scare you. Each step is short, and the stepper at the top lets you jump around. See the Entry Workflow article for a tour of all the steps.

If you only have a receipt or a cash purchase (the simple path)

For a paper receipt, a cash payment, or a one-off correction, use Manual Entry. Pick the business and bank, fill in date, provider, amount, and category, and save. That’s it. See the Manual Entry article for the full field list and a few power-user tips like field locking.

A few tips for your first few expenses

  • Be specific in descriptions. “Office supplies from Staples” tells future-you (and the IRS) more than “Supplies.”
  • Pick a category as you go. It’s much easier to classify expenses while the context is fresh than to come back to a pile of uncategorized rows later.
  • Use the suggestions. When you upload a statement, Simple-C suggests a category based on the description and your past choices. You can accept it with one click — or change it.
  • Don’t aim for perfect. You can edit any expense later. The goal of your first session is just to get started.

Stuck?

If something isn’t behaving the way you expected, take a look at the Knowledge Base index — there are dedicated articles for each step of the workflow. And if you’re still stuck, our support team is happy to help.

Welcome aboard.