Income and Expense Tracker for Freelancers and Side Hustles

Most people who earn online start by keeping track in their heads. It works until it does not: a client pays late, a tool renews unnoticed, tax time arrives and there is nothing to add up. A simple ledger fixes this. This tracker keeps one, privately, in your browser.

How to use this tracker

1. Choose Income or Expense.
2. Set the date. It defaults to today.
3. Pick a category and add an optional description.
4. Enter the amount and choose Add entry.
5. Watch the totals, the month-by-month table and the category breakdown update.

If you want to see how it works first, choose Load example data on the empty tracker.

Where your data lives

This matters, so plainly: the tracker stores entries in your browser's local storage, on the device you are using. It does not send them to us, to a server or to anyone else, and it has no accounts. There are two consequences.

It is private. Nobody but people with access to your browser can see your entries.

It is fragile. If you clear your browser data, switch browser or device, or use a private window, your entries may disappear or not appear. Treat the tracker as working memory and use Download CSV as your backup. Do not use a shared or public computer for this.

If your browser blocks storage, the tracker tells you instead of pretending to save.

What you get

Totals. Income, expenses and net profit across all entries.

By month. A table showing each month's income, expenses and net, so you can spot slow periods and strong ones.

By category. Where the money comes from and where it goes, largest first.

An entry list. Every entry, newest first, each with a delete button.

CSV export. Everything in a file you can open in a spreadsheet, keep as a backup or hand to an accountant.

Categories worth using

For income: client work, product sales, affiliate commissions, advertising revenue and other. For expenses: software and tools, advertising, fees and payments, equipment, contractors, travel and other. Fees deserve their own line. Platform and payment costs are easy to miss and add up, and seeing them separately shows how much your marketplaces actually take. Our freelance platform fee calculator helps you estimate that in advance.

Using the numbers

Net profit is what is left after costs, before tax. Comparing months shows patterns, such as seasonal dips, that help you plan and set aside cash; the freelancer emergency fund calculator turns that into a savings target. Comparing income with the hours you worked gives your real hourly earnings, which the effective hourly rate calculator works out. And each invoice you issue with the invoice generator should appear as income when it is paid.

Records and tax

Rules for record-keeping differ by country and by how you are set up. Many places expect self-employed people to keep records of income and expenses for a period of years, and some require particular formats. This tool is a convenient log, not a compliant accounting system. Our guide to tracking online income and taxes explains the general habits, and for what you must do in your situation, check your local rules or ask a qualified professional.

Common mistakes

Recording income only. Expenses are half the picture.

Waiting until the end of the month. Small entries are easy to forget. Log as you go.

Skipping the backup. Download a CSV regularly.

Mixing personal and business spending. Keep them separate, or your totals mean nothing.

Treating net profit as spendable. Set aside tax before you spend it.

Assumptions and limits

The tracker assumes a single currency and does not convert amounts. It holds up to three thousand entries, does not edit existing entries (delete and re-add instead), and does not track invoices, taxes owed or payment status. Amounts are stored in whole cents. It is not accounting software and not tax advice. Everything happens in your browser, and we never see your data. For choosing more capable tools once your income grows, see our guide to online business tools.