Expenses uploading and claiming

As a sole trader, claiming your business expenses reduces your taxable profit which means less tax. Lodg makes it easy to record, upload, and claim your expenses throughout the year.

What types of expenses can I claim?

You can claim any expense that is wholly or partly incurred in earning your business income. The expense must be genuine, and you must be able to prove it with a receipt or record.

Common claimable business expenses include:

• Office supplies — stationery, printer ink, postage
• Software subscriptions — accounting tools, project management, design apps
• Professional services — accounting fees, legal advice, consulting
• Mobile phone — the business-use portion of your plan
• Internet — the business-use portion of your home broadband
• Home office — a portion of rent/mortgage interest, power, rates, insurance (see our home office article)
• Vehicle costs — business travel by car (see our car expenses article)
• Training and education — courses, books, and subscriptions directly related to your work
• Marketing and advertising — website costs, social media ads, printed materials
• Bank fees — fees on a business bank account
• Business insurance — premiums for business-related cover

What you cannot claim: Personal expenses, private travel, meals (in most cases), fines, and any costs with no direct link to earning your income.

For a full list, check ird.govt.nz — Types of business expenses.

How do I upload a receipt manually?

You can upload receipts directly from your Lodg dashboard:

1. Go to the Expenses tab
2. Click Upload a receipt
3. Choose a file from your device or take a photo
4. Enter the relevant details — amount, date, and category
5. Click Submit

Once submitted, Lodg will review and categorise the expense and include it in your tax return where applicable.

Tip: Upload receipts as soon as you receive them — it takes 30 seconds and means you won't lose track of them at tax time.

Can I connect my bank account instead?

Yes. The easiest way to track expenses in Lodg is to connect your business bank account. Lodg will automatically import your transactions and help you categorise them. No manual uploading needed for most day-to-day expenses.

See our article: How to Connect My Bank Account to Lodg for setup instructions.

Why is my expense showing as "Pending"?

Your expense will show as Pending until it has been reviewed and matched against your income or return. Once processed, the status will update to Approved.

If an expense stays pending for longer than expected, contact our support team and we'll take a look.

How long do I need to keep receipts?

IRD requires you to keep records — including receipts — for 7 years from the end of the tax year they relate to. Lodg stores your uploaded receipts securely, so you don't need to keep paper copies once they're uploaded.

💡 Lodg identifies all your eligible deductions automatically — so you don't pay more tax than you need to.

Source: ird.govt.nz — Types of business expenses | business.govt.nz — Claiming expenses | ird.govt.nz — Record keeping