Before this course: Taxes for Side Hustlers in Canada (course 5.8). You should already know Form T2125, the "reasonable expense to earn income" rule, the six-year record rule, the $30,000 GST/HST small supplier rule, CPP and the April 30 and June 15 dates. This course goes deeper on records, deductions and instalments.
Records that stand up to a review
Think of your records as a trail of breadcrumbs. If someone asks "how did you get this number?", you can walk back along the crumbs from the final number to the receipt, one step at a time. No crumbs, no proof.
- In Canada, under the Income Tax Act, business records must be kept for a minimum of six years from the end of the latest tax year they relate to (CRA). Other countries set different periods (see In your country below).
- The CRA's list of source documents includes sales invoices, purchase invoices, cash register receipts, formal written contracts, credit card receipts, delivery slips, deposit slips, work orders, cheques and bank statements. The CRA says that if you are unsure whether an item matters, keep it.
- Records must show an audit trail: a path from the source document (paper or electronic) to the summary numbers you report.
- Records can be paper, electronic or both. A scanned copy is acceptable if it is readable by the CRA. Electronic records must stay in an electronically readable format even if you also keep a paper copy.
- Records must be kept in English or French (or translated), and generally in Canada. Records kept outside Canada can be accepted if a readable copy is available in Canada.
- Hiring a bookkeeper or accountant does not shift your responsibility. You remain accountable for your records.
- If the CRA audits you, it can ask for business records (ledgers, invoices, receipts, contracts, bank statements), and sometimes personal records such as bank and credit card statements. You have 30 days to agree or disagree with a proposed reassessment, and you can appeal a reassessment you disagree with.
- The agency is the CRA. Sole proprietors report on Form T2125 (guide T4002) and keep records for 6 years from the end of the last tax year they relate to.
- Source: CRA, guide T4002: www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publicatio ; CRA, where to keep records: www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/keeping
- The agency is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Self-employed people report business income and costs on Schedule C (Form 1040).
- Self-employment tax is 15.3% of net earnings: 12.4% Social Security (on the first $184,500 in 2026) plus 2.9% Medicare. It is figured on Schedule SE and is owed if net self-employment earnings are $400 or more. Half of it is deductible when figuring income tax.
- Records: the IRS says to keep records for 3 years from the date you filed your original return (or 2 years from payment, whichever is later) in the normal case; longer in some cases.
- Source: IRS, Self-employment tax: www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment- ; IRS, Self-employed individuals tax center: www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employed-in
- Source: IRS, How long should I keep records: www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/how-long-should-
- The agency is the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Forms: BIR Form 1701Q for the quarterly return and Form 1701 or 1701A for the annual return. The guide says to file electronically.
- Records: keep books of accounts for five years, counted from the day after the filing deadline of the return for the year of the last entry (NIRC Section 235, as amended by RA 11976 of 2024).
- Source: BIR Form 1701-MS guide (August 2024): bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/BIR/pdf/1701-MS%20Guide%20August%202024%20ENCS_Fina ; BIR RMO 23-2018: bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/local/pdf/RMO%20NO.23-2018.pdf
- Source: RA 11976 text: lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2024/ra_11976_2024.html
- The agency is the State Taxation Administration (STA). Self-employed people and individual businesses pay Individual Income Tax on "business income" (经营所得) at progressive rates of 5% to 35% on income after costs, expenses and losses.
- The form is the Individual Income Tax Return for Business Income (经营所得纳税申报表, Form A for the usual cases). Account books, vouchers, invoices and other tax-related materials must be kept for 10 years, unless a law or regulation says otherwise.
- Source: Individual Income Tax Law (STA): www.chinatax.gov.cn/n810219/n810744/n3752930/n3752974/c3970366/content ; Qingdao tax bureau, form guidance: qingdao.chinatax.gov.cn/ssfg2019/cjwt/grsds/202404/t20240428_87144.htm
- Source: records, Implementing Rules Article 29, provincial tax bureau page: liaoning.chinatax.gov.cn/art/2020/5/29/art_99_44636.html
- The agency is the National Tax Agency (NTA). Under the blue return system, keeping proper books and filing a blue return gives a special deduction of up to 650,000 yen (e-Tax or electronic books), 550,000 yen (paper books) or 100,000 yen (simple books).
- The application is due 15 March of the year you start using the blue return. Blue-return sole proprietors keep books and documents in principle for 7 years (some documents 5 years).
- Source: NTA, Blue return system: www.nta.go.jp/english/taxes/individual/12010.htm
- The agency is the National Tax Service (NTS). Returns are filed through Hometax (hometax.go.kr). The NTS publishes English guides for foreigners, and its taxpayer help line is 1588-0560.
- Keep books and documents for 5 years from the statutory return due date (7 years for cross-border transactions).
- Source: NTS English guide page: www.nts.go.kr/english/na/ntt/selectNttInfo.do?mi=10788&bbsId=30698 ; NTS English site: www.nts.go.kr/english/main.do
| Step | Document |
|---|---|
| 1. Client agrees | Email or written contract |
| 2. You deliver | Work order or delivery record |
| 3. You bill | Invoice #12 |
| 4. Client pays | Deposit shown on bank statement |
| 5. You report | Line in your income sheet, then the total on Form T2125 |
- Make one folder (paper or digital) per tax year, with sub-folders: Sales, Expenses, Bank statements, Contracts, Vehicle.
- Choose a naming rule for digital files, for example 2026-03-05_software_25.00.pdf.
- Scan or photograph paper receipts the same week, and check that the text is readable.
- Back up the folder in a second place, and keep it labelled and secure.
- For one real sale, write the five steps of the audit trail from the example table.
- Once a month, match your income sheet to your bank statement and note any difference.
- Set a reminder to keep each year's folder for six years after the end of that tax year.
- Check: you can pick any number on your T2125 and find the source document in under two minutes.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Records are your proof. Here is what the CRA expects."
[Text on screen: keep records 6 years] "Keep business records for at least six years from the end of the latest year they relate to."
[Text on screen: invoices, receipts, contracts, bank statements] "Keep sales and purchase invoices, receipts, contracts and bank statements. Not sure it matters? Keep it."
[Text on screen: audit trail = source document to final number] "Your records should let someone follow a trail from the receipt to the number on your return."
[Host] "And a bookkeeper helps, but you are still the one responsible."
Pick one sale and one expense from last month. For each, write the full trail from source document to the line on your tracking sheet. Note any missing piece and how you will fix it.
ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude
Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.
For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.
I'm learning "Self-Employed Tax Concepts: records, deductions and instalments" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Records that stand up to a review". What the lesson teaches: - In Canada, under the Income Tax Act, business records must be kept for a minimum of six years from the end of the latest tax year they relate to (CRA). Other countries set different periods (see In your country below). - The CRA's list of source documents includes sales invoices, purchase invoices, cash register receipts, formal written contracts, credit card receipts, delivery slips, deposit slips, work orders, cheques and bank statements. The CRA says that if you are unsure whether an item matters, keep it. - Records must show an audit trail: a path from the source document (paper or electronic) to the summary numbers you report. - Records can be paper, electronic or both. A scanned copy is acceptable if it is readable by the CRA. Electronic records must stay in an electronically readable format even if you also keep a paper copy. - Records must be kept in English or French (or translated), and generally in Canada. Records kept outside Canada can be accepted if a readable copy is available in Canada. - Hiring a bookkeeper or accountant does not shift your responsibility. You remain accountable for your records. - If the CRA audits you, it can ask for business records (ledgers, invoices, receipts, contracts, bank statements), and sometimes personal records such as bank and credit card statements. You have 30 days to agree or disagree with a proposed reassessment, and you can appeal a reassessment you disagree with. The exercise I'm working on: Pick one sale and one expense from last month. For each, write the full trail from source document to the line on your tracking sheet. Note any missing piece and how you will fix it. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it. 4. This is for learning only. Remind me to check with a licensed professional before I make a real decision about my own money, health or legal situation.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Records that stand up to a review" from the course "Self-Employed Tax Concepts: records, deductions and instalments". Here's what the lesson says: Think of your records as a trail of breadcrumbs. If someone asks "how did you get this number?", you can walk back along the crumbs from the final number to the receipt, one step at a time. No crumbs, no proof. The activity: Pick one sale and one expense from last month. For each, write the full trail from source document to the line on your tracking sheet. Note any missing piece and how you will fix it. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time. Keep it general and educational. This is not advice for a real situation.
Sources
- CRA, Business records: www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/sole-pr
- CRA, Keeping records: www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/keeping
- CRA, Electronic Record Keeping (IC05-1R1): www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publicatio
- CRA, What you should know about audits (RC4188): www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publicatio
Current expenses in depth
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Capital items and depreciation (Canada's capital cost allowance)
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Vehicles and mixed-use costs
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Tax instalments: who, when and how
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Instalment interest, penalties and cash planning
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Your yearly tax routine and working with a CPA
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Final project
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Quiz
How can you find out how long business records must be kept?
Check your country's tax agency rules (in Canada, at least six years from the end of the latest tax year they relate to).
Does hiring a bookkeeper or accountant move the responsibility for records away from you?
No, you remain accountable.
What is an audit trail?
A path from the source document to the summary numbers on your return.
Why check your own country's rule before deducting a business meal?
The share of a meal that can be deducted differs by country (Canada allows 50% of the lesser of the amount spent and a reasonable amount).
On a business loan, which part is deductible: interest or principal?
Interest.
What is capital cost allowance?
A yearly claim for the cost of long-lasting business property, by class and rate.
Where do you find the claim rate for a class of business asset?
In your country's tax agency guidance (Canada's classes include class 8 at 20% and class 50 at 55%).
What is the usual vehicle business-use formula?
Business kilometres divided by total kilometres, multiplied by total vehicle expenses.
Why might a self-employed person pay tax in instalments?
Many countries require advance payments when expected tax owing is above a limit (in Canada, more than $3,000, or $1,800 in Quebec, in 2026 and also in 2025 or 2024).
Where do you find your country's instalment due dates?
On your tax agency's website or reminder (in Canada: March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15).
Name the three ways to calculate instalments.
No-calculation, prior-year and current-year.
What can happen if an instalment is late or too small?
Interest or a penalty may be charged (in Canada, compounded daily at the prescribed rate from each missed due date).
Final exam
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Certificate
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