11+gig-work

Track Business Expenses

Identify work-related deductible expenses for self-employed income — and explain how tracking and recording them reduces taxable income and the tax owed.

In this lesson

Track Business Expenses is part of Money Skills for Gig Work. This preview shows how gig-work connects to everyday family decisions such as earning, saving, spending choices, goals, approvals, or parent-guided money conversations inside Progress Penguin.

Think about this money choice

Aisha delivers food on a motorbike for multiple clients. She uses her own fuel, phone data, and protective gear.

How it works

Self-employed workers and gig workers can typically deduct work-related expenses from their income before calculating taxable income. Deductible expenses are costs that are wholly and exclusively incurred in earning the income — fuel, data, professional equipment, protective gear, and similar items. Tracking these throughout the year reduces the tax bill legitimately.

Apply it to a real decision

Real-life money moment: Aisha delivers food by motorbike. In one month: fuel 18000 in local currency, phone data 5000 in local currency, helmet and protective gear (amortised) 3000 in local currency. Total deductible expenses: 26000 in local currency. If her monthly income is 80000 in local currency, her taxable income is 54000 in local currency — not 80000 in local currency. The tax is calculated on the lower figure, reducing what she owes.

Activity preview

Try one real money action

Open Tasks and submit proof for one task, or open Requests and make a deposit request. Parent approval can happen later.

Quiz preview

Tracking business expenses in gig work means:

Keeping personal and business spending in the same account for simplicity

Only recording expenses that exceed 50000 in local currency since small costs are negligible

Asking your gig platform to track all expenses automatically on your behalf

Recording every cost related to delivering your service for tax purposes

You spend 20000 in local currency on tools and 8000 in local currency on data for gig work. Total business expenses:

28000 in local currency — all direct business costs should be recorded and claimed

20000 in local currency — only physical equipment counts as a deductible expense

8000 in local currency — only digital costs are deductible for gig workers

0 in local currency — expenses cannot be deducted unless you are formally registered