Back office
Know what each job cost in materials
Snap the receipt at the counter and say which job it is for. CrewBuddy reads it, files it by job and keeps a running total you can compare with the estimate.
Fictional example.
Text it like this
Fictional example.
What it reads
For each receipt, CrewBuddy reads the date, the store, the items, the tax and the total, then files it under the job you name. The IRS lists the same basics for expense records: who was paid, the amount, the date, a description of what was bought and proof of payment, which may take a card statement as well. Card numbers never go on the sheet.
A folded or faded receipt is flagged with what it could read, never filled in with a guess. Stock purchases and split receipts follow the split you give.
Job costing and your bookkeeper
Because each line has a job, you can ask “how is the Baker deck doing on materials?” and get spent versus the estimate. Over a season, the sheet shows which kinds of jobs run over. The spreadsheet opens in Excel or Google Sheets and is easy for a bookkeeper to bring into QuickBooks.
Keep the paper or email receipts as well. The IRS generally asks you to keep records for three years, longer in some situations, and the photo sheet is a working copy, not a replacement.
Labor and subs can go on the same sheet by text, so one question shows the whole job cost.
Sources: IRS: what kind of records should I keep, IRS: how long should I keep records
What you send
Receipt photos, the job each one is for, and whether any items were for stock or split between jobs.
What CrewBuddy prepares
A spreadsheet with date, store, items, amount, tax and job, totals by job, and a list of receipts it could not read or match.
What to keep in mind
This is a working sheet for you and your bookkeeper, not your books. Card numbers are left out, and returns get their own lines.