Invoice and expense tracking for Canadian service businesses

One practical record of money billed and money spent

A new service business usually needs to answer two basic questions before it needs a full accounting system: what did customers owe or pay, and what did the business spend to do the work? Handoff keeps those day-to-day records close to the same customers and jobs you already use for quoting and invoicing.

You can create quotes, convert approved work into invoices, record full or partial payments, and see outstanding balances. Expenses are recorded separately so supplier costs and private receipts never appear on the customer’s document.

Track income through the invoice workflow

Record expenses without putting them on an invoice

Each expense can include the purchase date, supplier, a practical business category, description, total paid including tax, GST/HST paid, business-use percentage, notes, and an optional receipt. Categories help keep similar costs together, but selecting a category does not make a purchase automatically deductible.

The business-use field is useful for a mixed expense such as a mobile phone or vehicle cost. For example, entering 60% records the portion the owner believes relates to business. Handoff calculates the business amount for the report; it does not verify that percentage or decide the amount the CRA will accept.

Private receipt storage

Attach a JPG, PNG, WebP, or PDF receipt up to 6 MB to the expense record. Receipt files are stored as private, owner-scoped records and are not included on customer-facing invoices. Keep original supporting records for the period required by the CRA and follow your own backup process.

Designed around common service-business costs

Practical categories include advertising, insurance, interest and bank charges, professional fees, office expenses, supplies, motor-vehicle expenses, travel, telephone and utilities, wages, rent, maintenance, and other costs. These labels are organizational aids based on common Canadian reporting concepts; they are not a promise that every purchase qualifies as a current expense.

Review and export a year of records

The expense view can be filtered by year and shows total paid, GST/HST recorded, business-use amount, and receipt coverage. Handoff can export an annual expense CSV or a combined income-and-expense CSV for a broader bookkeeping handoff.

An export is a starting record, not a completed tax return. Your bank statements, payment-processor records, mileage log, capital-asset details, sales-tax returns, payroll records, and adjustments may also be required. A qualified bookkeeper or accountant can tell you when the business has outgrown a focused invoice-and-expense tool.

Built for Canadian records, without pretending taxes are automatic

Handoff uses Canadian dollars for business amounts and supports configurable Canadian tax lines. It records the GST/HST amount that you enter on an expense and the tax calculated on an invoice. It does not determine whether you must register, whether a sale is taxable, which provincial tax applies, or whether an expense supports an input tax credit.

Read the official-source guides on taxes for Canadian sole proprietors, GST/HST small-supplier rules, and business expenses and record keeping. Rules change, so verify current requirements with the CRA or a qualified Canadian professional.

Frequently asked questions

Start with the records you need today

Handoff gives mechanics, contractors, tradespeople, cleaners, landscapers, and mobile service businesses a straightforward place to bill customers and organize the expenses behind the work. Start the seven-day trial without a credit card and test it with representative business records.