Start your business
Start your business
Run your business
Run your business
Grow your business
Grow your business
Accountants and Bookkeepers
Accountants and Bookkeepers
- Accountants and Bookkeepers
  Learn how accountants and bookkeepers can be productive in these articles & guides
- Learning and Development
  A range of informative content to enhance your QuickBooks experience.
Updates
Updates
- Product Updates
  Watch this space for monthly product updates.
- Intuit News
  Latest news, articles & guides

Need help choosing a plan?

1800 917 771 Schedule a call

Schedule call

A person sitting at a table with a laptop.

Running a business

What are miscellaneous expenses?

By Jess Hart

Published on June 10, 2024

Miscellaneous expense is a term used to define and refer to costs that typically do not fit within specific tax categories or account ledgers. Regular, extensive and ongoing expenses, such as payroll, office rent and inventory supplies, all have their own account to track them, and each expense records its associated costs every month.

Miscellaneous expenses are also costs to your business that do not fall into a specific category. So, what does that mean for your small business, and how do miscellaneous expenses operate in accounting?

Miscellaneous expenses definition in accounting

Miscellaneous expenses are small transactions that do not fit within the ledgers’ specified accounts. Miscellaneous expenses, meaning costs that don’t fall into a specific tax category, must be recorded and accounted for in your business’s general ledger account. If your items under miscellaneous expenses increase in size and usage, then the miscellaneous expense should be given its own account.

Businesses keep various types of journals and ledgers for accounting purposes and financial record-keeping. Specific types of income and expenses warrant their dedicated ledgers, such as a sales ledger and utility ledger for incoming and outgoing expenditures.

The miscellaneous expenses category offers an easy and concise method to record small expenditures that are too insignificant to warrant their own account, which are all lumped into one general account. This category is given its own aggregated line on an income statement account for clear and concise tax return-filing purposes. A tax deduction can be made on miscellaneous expenses for business use based on your country’s regulations.

NEW!

FREE Business Health Check

Find out how your business is performing. Complete this short questionnaire to receive a free personalised Business Health Check report!

Let’s go!

Miscellaneous expense examples that can be written off

Deductible miscellaneous expenses vary by country and are contingent on your local regulations. Below are examples of expenses that can be written off, although these vary based on your country:

Clothing or job uniforms
Advertising
Subscription services for work
Accounting and legal fees
Interest and bank charges
Tools and supplies
Job search costs
Home office supplies

Clothing or job uniforms

Small, periodic or one-off costs for clothing required for your work, such as a uniform or protective clothing, can be considered for deductions. However, these miscellaneous clothing expenses can only be written off in certain instances and as dictated by your country’s regulations. A tax deduction, for example, could be made for work clothes required for safety reasons, such as PPE wear. However, a new wardrobe of nice dress clothes for an office job could not.

Advertising

For businesses with a small advertising budget, the cost associated with advertising can be categorised as miscellaneous and is eligible for deductions.

In most cases, advertising expenses are only deductible if they are associated with your local market. If you hire a firm based outside of your country, you may not be able to claim these advertising expenses back.

Subscription services for work

Tax deductions can be made on work-related expenses. Periodic publications and subscription services such as business journals or industry-related courses fall under this miscellaneous category.

Tools and supplies

Tools and supplies refer to items that are necessary for the operation of your services, such as small tool expenses, and can be categorised as miscellaneous expenses. Typically, tools with a lifespan of one year or less are worth less than $200 and would fall under this category. Necessary tools that cost more than a few hundred dollars and that last longer than one year are generally considered capital expenses and must be considered for depreciation instead.

Job search costs

You may not be able to claim back the time you spent looking for the perfect employee, but you can still categorise costs associated with finding and hiring a new employee under miscellaneous expenses. Job search costs can be considered for tax write-offs depending on your local regulations.

Grow Your Business with QuickBooks

30-day free trial

Buy now and save

Home office supplies

Self-employed individuals and certain salaried employees can claim back the cost of home office supplies on their income returns. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the guidelines for claiming home office expenses have changed in most countries as more people are now working from home. Check your country regulations for more information on what can be claimed as a home office expense.

Accounting and legal fees

Keep track of fees you pay for consultants as well as fees for services from outside professionals who advise you on business matters. These accounting and legal fees may be considered miscellaneous expenses and may be tax-deductible.

Your deductions include accounting, legal fees, and tax preparation fees, such as costs of preparing and filing your GST returns and your income tax returns.
If you pay accounting or legal fees for professionals to prepare an objection or appeal of an income tax assessment or employment insurance premiums, you can consider them as miscellaneous business expenses.
Before taking your deduction, make sure you reduce the full amount of these fees by any reimbursements you receive.

You can’t deduct legal and other fees related to buying a capital property, but you can add these fees to your property cost.

Interest and bank charges

Are you paying back a loan for expanding your small business? If so, most of your interest charges may be deductible as miscellaneous business expenses, including charges for any property your company has purchased. You may receive deductions for any fees or penalties you pay associated with a loan as well as interest on most loans you make against insurance policies.

Consider your country’s options regarding tax treatment of interest payments and amortise them over 5 years. In some cases, you can add your interest payments to the cost of the property involved instead of treating them as miscellaneous business expenses.

Keep in mind that, as a small business owner, you may have some restrictions, such as those on the amount of interest that’s deductible for purchases of vehicles and vacant land. If you have a home office, deduct your interest on your home mortgage as an expense related to the business use made from your home.

You may also be able to deduct all management and administration fees you pay for the operation of your small business, including bank charges. If your business accepts credit card payments and pays the corresponding processing charges, tracking these miscellaneous expenses in QuickBooks makes it easier to include them when filing your tax returns.

Claiming tax-deductible miscellaneous expenses

Tax deductions can be made on miscellaneous expenses, as is the case with any other operating expense of a business. Come tax time, you can write off your miscellaneous expenses in the same way you claim your other business operating costs on your tax returns.

QuickBooks and expense tracking

If you are a small business owner or a self-employed person, miscellaneous expenses have to be itemised in your taxes. To ensure you have tracked all of your expenses and business costs throughout the tax year, consider using accounting software with expense tracking features. By using QuickBooks Online, your business can automatically record and categorise its various expenses and customise its tax categories like miscellaneous expenses to ensure accurate and organised financial records. You can even claim deductions on tax preparation fees and software like QuickBooks when filing your taxes!

Come tax season, it will be easier to claim deductions and file your returns thanks to the expense tracking and automatic categorisation features of QuickBooks doing the work for you. Why not try it for free today?

Running a business

3 working capital management strategies for your business

June 29, 2023

Running a business

Are you confusing markups and margins?

June 28, 2023

Running a business

3 working capital management strategies for your business

June 29, 2023

Looking for something else?

Get QuickBooks

Smart features made for your business. We've got you covered.

See how it works

Help Me Choose

Use our product selector to find the best accounting plan for you.

Choose your product

QuickBooks Support

Get help with QuickBooks. Find articles, video tutorials, and more.

Start learning

A computer screen showing a picture of a computer.

TAKE A NO-COMMITMENT TEST DRIVE

Your free 30-day trial awaits

Our customers save an average of 9 hours per week with QuickBooks invoicing*

No credit card needed

Cancel anytime

Unlimited support

By entering your email, you are agree to our Terms and acknowledge our Privacy Statement.

- - QuickBooks reserves the right to change pricing, features, support and service at any time. Prices are in AUD and include GST. See our Terms of Service for further information.
  - Pricing: All prices are in AUD and include GST.
  - ProAdvisor Program: Please find the terms of our ProAdvisor program here.
  - 50% off for 3 months: For new subscribers, enjoy a 50% off price subscription on QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials or QuickBooks Online Plus for the first 3 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will applied from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 3 months. From month 4, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 50% off for 12 months: For new subscribers, enjoy a 50% discount off the current monthly retail price for QuickBooks Self-Employed, QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials or QuickBooks Online Plus for the first 12 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will applied from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 12 months. From month 13, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 50% off for 3 months (existing subscribers): For existing QuickBooks subscribers who upgrade to QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus or Advanced, enjoy a 50% discount off the current monthly retail price for 3 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will be applied from the date you upgrade in-product and will continue for 3 months. From month 4, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time services and prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - Free Trial: First thirty (30) days of subscription to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll (including QuickBooks Advanced Payroll), starting from the date of enrolment, is free. During the free trial, you may pay any number of employees using QuickBooks Payroll free of charge. To continue using QuickBooks after your 30-day trial, you'll be asked to present a valid credit card for authorisation and you'll be charged monthly at the then-current fee for the service(s) you've selected.
  - QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero: Payroll services are offered by a third party, Employment Hero. QuickBooks Payroll is only accessible via QuickBooks Online subscriptions. You will be charged $6.00 (incl. GST) per month for each ‘active employee’ paid using QuickBooks Payroll. An ‘active employee’ is one who has been paid at least once in the billing month. For Advanced Payroll, there is an additional monthly subscription fee of $10 (incl GST). Pricing, terms and conditions, including service options, are subject to change.
  * Employment Hero was voted the leading payroll solution for SMBs <50 employees (Australian Payroll Association 2021 Payroll Benchmarking Study)
  - Customer support: Call or chat to an expert for QuickBooks Online Accountant, QuickBooks Simple Start, Essential, Plus, and Advanced or use in-product QB Assistant and chat for QuickBooks Self-Employed. You'll also find useful resources in the QuickBooks Community.
  - Compatible Devices: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll require a computer with Internet Explorer 10, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari 6 and an Internet connection (a high-speed connection is recommended). The QuickBooks Online mobile app works with iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll are accessible on mobile browsers on iOS, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices. Devices sold separately; data plan required. QuickBooks Payroll cannot be used on the mobile apps. Not all features are available on the mobile apps and mobile browser. QuickBooks Online mobile access is included with your QuickBooks Online subscription at no additional cost. Data access is subject to cellular/internet provider network availability and occasional downtime due to system and server maintenance and events beyond your control. Product registration required.
  - Get paid faster: Get paid 2.5x faster invoicing with PayPal
  * PayPal and QuickBooks customers get paid on average in less than 5 days, which is over 7 days faster than the average for invoices that get paid with other payment methods. Data is for paid invoices that were created in QuickBooks in Australia between 23.05.22 and 23.11.22
  - Tax deductions: Tax deductions not guaranteed due to being subject to user data entry errors. Mileage calculation provided by the Australia Taxation Office - 85 cents per kilometre for the 2023-2024 income year. To a maximum of 5,000 business kilometres per car (Deductions are only applicable to cars)
  - Customer Service Awards: Excellence in Customer Service Award at the CX Australia Awards 2022
  - Multiple file discount: Multiple file discount applies to QuickBooks Australia customers only and valid when signing up for more than one QuickBooks Online subscription in one order. Further terms and conditions available here. Not applicable to QuickBooks Self Employed.
  - Reviews: GetApp, Capterra, Google Play Store, Apple App Store reviews as at date 08/01/24.
  - Cost per day claim (annual): Based on a QuickBooks Simple Start plan at its regular retail price of $313 per year and a 365 day year.
  - Annual Billing: You may pay for your QuickBooks Online subscription on an annual, upfront basis to enjoy a discount on the current fees. If you use QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero, your payroll costs will still be charged monthly to your nominated payment method in accordance with your usage as set out here. If you cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription within the pre-paid 12 month period, you will not be eligible for a refund, but will retain full access to your QuickBooks Online subscription for the remainder of the 12-month period. Unless cancelled by you prior, your annual subscription will auto-renew on the 12 month anniversary of your sign-up date using the billing details you have given us. Discounts, prices, terms and conditions are subject to change.
  - Over 7 million customers: Based on number of global QB customers (ecosystem) (7.1m) worldwide as of October 2022.
  - Free Onboarding: Applicable to Buy Now subscriptions on QuickBooks Simple Start, Essentials and Plus plans. Not available for QuickBooks Self-Employed.
  - Save Hours: Save up to an average of 29 hours per month with QuickBooks.
  - * Based on a survey conducted by Intuit Australia Pty Ltd in September 2022. Time saving is in comparison to previous accounting method, based on 184 responses from customers that saw time savings.
  - Get access to QuickBooks Tax: ***Access QuickBooks Tax, powered by LodgeiT, by becoming a member of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program (it’s free to join). Find out more about the ProAdvisor Program here, including the terms of the QuickBooks Tax offer in the Program here.
  - QuickBooks Time Disclaimers & Offers for Australia: For Important pricing offers and disclaimers with further information, please see here.
  - *Full terms and conditions for access to QuickBooks Tax, powered by LodgeiT as part of the the Proadvisor Program can be found here. QuickBooks reserves the right to change pricing, features, support and service at any time.
  - **Intuit conducted a study involving 56 interviews with accountants and bookkeepers who used Books Review for BAS preparation between March to December 2021 and found that when using Books Review, participants reduced the time spent preparing their clients BAS Reports by around 40%.
  - Our Terms of Service apply to all QuickBooks Online subscriptions. Please review them carefully.

Intuit helps put more money in consumers’ and small businesses’ pockets, saving them time by eliminating work, and ensuring they have confidence in every financial decision they make.

What are miscellaneous expenses?

Miscellaneous expenses definition in accounting

FREE Business Health Check

Miscellaneous expense examples that can be written off

Clothing or job uniforms

Advertising

Subscription services for work

Tools and supplies

Job search costs

Grow Your Business with QuickBooks

Home office supplies

Accounting and legal fees

Interest and bank charges

Claiming tax-deductible miscellaneous expenses

QuickBooks and expense tracking

Related Articles

Looking for something else?

Get QuickBooks

Help Me Choose

QuickBooks Support

Your free 30-day trial awaits