Prepare your Schedule C records

The NEST organizes your business activity throughout the year so tax preparation doesn't have to begin with reconstructing twelve months of orders, payments, expenses, and mileage.

Your tax reports use the bookkeeping information you've recorded to help organize the figures commonly needed when preparing **Schedule C** for a self-employed business.

### Income starts with accurate payment records

Keep the payments associated with your orders current.

If an invoice is unpaid, partially paid, cancelled, or ultimately paid at an amount different from what was originally expected, make sure The NEST reflects what actually happened.

Your tax records should be based on your real business activity rather than the fee that happened to be entered when the order was first created.

### Categorize expenses consistently

Business expenses recorded in The NEST are organized into categories that can be used in your financial and tax reporting.

Choose the category that best represents the purpose of the expense and correct mistakes when you find them.

Consistent bookkeeping throughout the year makes your Schedule C preparation much easier to review.

### Keep mileage current

Business mileage is another important part of your records.

Review mileage associated with mobile orders, record standalone business trips, and explicitly confirm zero mileage when no business driving occurred.

This prevents missing mileage from being mistaken for an intentional zero.

### Review before tax time

Before using your year-end reports, review your records for obvious gaps.

Look for:

* Orders with incomplete payment information * Missing or uncategorized expenses * Mileage that hasn't been reviewed * Duplicate records * Transactions that don't reflect what actually occurred

Correct the underlying record rather than manually changing a report total whenever possible.

### Use the report to prepare, not to guess

The NEST organizes your business records into a form that can make tax preparation easier.

Use the report when preparing your return yourself or provide it to your tax professional as supporting business information.

The NEST does not file your tax return or determine whether a particular expense or transaction receives a specific tax treatment.

The value of the report comes from something simpler:

**you've maintained the records all year instead of trying to remember the year after it's over.**