Lessons · Accounting · a deduction you cannot evidence is not a deduction
A deduction you cannot evidence is not a deduction
A claim has to be supported by a record that shows what was bought, when, for how much, and why it relates to the activity being taxed. A genuine expense with no evidence is treated the same as one that never happened.
Hone is a place to practise a career, one idea a day. This is one of its lessons, written out in full and free to read without an account.
In beta. This lesson was written for Hone and has not yet been checked by a qualified accountant. Practice material, not professional advice. What that means.
What it is for
It is the difference between being right and being able to show it, and only one of those survives a review. People lose real deductions they were entitled to because the record was a bank line with no explanation, which proves money moved and not what it was for.
How to think about it
Keep the document rather than the payment. Note the business reason at the time, not months later when reconstructing it from memory, because a reconstruction is what an unsupported claim looks like from outside.
Worked example
The document, showing what and whyThis is the evidence.
A bank line showing money leftProves a payment, not a purpose.
The reason noted at the timeNot reconstructed later.
A real expense with no recordTreated as one that did not happen.
Your turn
Name what a bank line fails to show about an expense.
A bank line shows money moved, not its
Solve one, graded on the server
The trap
Assuming honesty is the standard. The standard is evidence, and a completely honest claim with nothing behind it fails in exactly the same way as a dishonest one.