Plumbing runs two kinds of job with completely different cost shapes. Emergency call-outs are priced on the spot, with parts bought mid-job at a merchant counter and a paper receipt handed over in a van. Booked installs are quoted weeks ahead, with materials ordered in advance and invoices arriving by email. ExpenseBot captures both and shows you what each job actually cleared, in a Google Sheet you own.
Merchant counter receipts: Photograph the paper receipt from your phone at the counter and ExpenseBot reads the vendor, date, and amount and files it. Nothing to open at a desk later.
Gmail auto-capture for the emailed ones: Connect Gmail once and ExpenseBot auto-scans merchant, supplier, and equipment-hire receipt emails on a nightly run. It labels what it reads so nothing is double-counted, never sends email, and never deletes anything.
Call-out mileage without a GPS app: ExpenseBot reads the job addresses in your Google Calendar and estimates drive distance at your country's mileage rate (IRS in the US, CRA in Canada, HMRC in the UK). No background GPS app. Because it is calendar-based, the distances are estimates — confirm them with your tax professional.
Did the call-out actually pay? Tag the parts, the mileage, and the payment to the same job (by customer, address, or job number) and ExpenseBot rolls the costs up against what the job billed. The common case it catches: a call-out that looked profitable until a second trip for the right fitting is tagged to it. Because income is tracked alongside expenses, you also get a running profit-and-loss for the business.
Parts on the van vs parts for a job: Capture bulk purchases when you make them, then either tag items out to jobs as you use them or hold the purchase as a general materials cost. ExpenseBot organises the spend — it is not a stock-control or inventory system and will not tell you what is left on the van.
Tools and larger purchases: Smaller purchases are usually expensed in the year of purchase while larger ones such as a press tool, drain camera, or van may need to be written down over time — the threshold and method depend on your country's rules and how the business is structured. ExpenseBot makes sure the purchase is captured, categorised, and findable with the receipt attached; it does not decide the treatment. Estimates — confirm with your tax professional.
Clean books for your accountant: Everything lands in a categorised Google Sheet in your own Google Drive — you own it and keep it if you ever leave. Export to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or Sage with one click, or just share the sheet. Accountants use ExpenseBot free.
See also: Plumbing Business Expenses | Expense Tracker for Contractors | Expense Tracker for Roofing Businesses | Mileage Tracker