# Preparing Your Data for Tax Season
The Year-Round Habit That Makes January Easy
Tax prep in PortaPro is a year-round discipline, not a January scramble. The less you do all year, the more work piles up in January.
The three habits that make year-end instant:
Log every expense as it happens or at minimum weeklyUse the correct category fuel as "Vehicle Fuel," disposal as "Disposal & Dump Fees," etc.Mark expenses as Recorded drafts don't count toward the exportMonthly Habits
Log all expenses within the same week they occurUse specific categories instead of "Other"Mark expenses as Recorded when confirmed (not Draft)Mark invoices paid when payment is receivedOctober Checklist
All expenses through October logged and marked Recorded Custom expense categories have Schedule C lines assigned (**Settings → Finance → Expense Categories**) Organization Profile has current EIN, business name, and address (**Settings → Organization Profile**) Run a test Schedule C export to see a preliminary view November Checklist
Review preliminary export output Any category showing "(unmapped)" in the export? Assign a Schedule C line now Compare revenue total to year-to-date bank deposits should roughly match December Final Stretch
Enter any remaining Q4 expenses Confirm all December invoices are marked paid if payment was received Record any final recurring expenses (vehicle payments, insurance, etc.) Check for uncategorized or "Other" expenses that could be more specific January Export
Run final Schedule C export (Jan 1 – Dec 31) Download both PDF and CSV Save copies to your tax files Common Mistakes That Mess Up the Export
Leaving expenses in Draft status
Drafts are excluded from the export. Go to Financials → Expenses, filter by "Drafts," and mark them Recorded or delete them.
Using "Other" category for everything
If all your expenses land in "Other" (Line 27a), your Schedule C looks sloppy and your accountant may push back. Spend a few minutes keeping categories accurate all year.
Not entering expenses at all
If you paid for fuel in cash and never logged it, it's not in the export. Missing deductions mean higher taxable income and more tax owed. Every missed expense costs you money.
Invoices marked "pending" instead of "paid"
Revenue only counts when invoices are marked paid. If you collected money but the invoice is still pending, it won't show in the export. Review your invoices before running the year-end export.
