Categorizing your expenses helps you understand your spending, organize financial reports, and prepare records to share with your accountant or tax professional. This guide lists every expense category in Artwork Archive, explains what each one covers, and shows you how to choose one when you add an expense.
Note:
Expense Tracking is available on the Artist Professional, Artist Master, and all Organization account types
How to Choose a Category When You Add an Expense
Navigate to Income > + New Item > Expense
On the Add Expense form, select the Category drop-down. It is set to No Category until you choose one
Type in the search box at the top of the list to jump to a category, or scroll to find it
Fill in the rest of the form and select Save
Did you know?
If the expense belongs to one artwork, use Is this expense related to a piece? at the bottom of the Add Expense form to link it to that Piece
Full List of Artwork Archive Expense Categories
Full List of Artwork Archive Expense Categories
Artist and Organization accounts use the same 34 expense categories. They appear in the Category drop-down in alphabetical order, with No Category at the top.
No Category: the default until you choose a category. Picking a specific category makes your Reports easier to read
Application Fees: fees to submit work to calls for entry, exhibitions, and other opportunities
Appraisals: fees for professional appraisal services
Art Advisory / Consulting: fees paid to art advisors, consultants, or collection professionals for acquisition, collection, or other art-related guidance
Buyer's Premium / Acquisition Fees: auction-house buyer's premiums and other transaction fees paid when acquiring an artwork
Commissions And Other Fees: commissions paid to galleries and agents
Conservation And Maintenance: costs for restoring, repairing, or maintaining a Piece
Documentation And Photography: costs for photographing or documenting Pieces
Donation: records charitable contributions
Equipment And Depreciation: tools, equipment, and other long-term purchases for your studio or organization, such as cameras, computers, kilns, printing presses, or display and lighting equipment. If your accountant calculates depreciation on these purchases, you can record those amounts here too
Fabrication: materials and services to fabricate art
Framing: framing or otherwise preparing artwork for presentation, exhibition, or sale
Honorariums: payments for professional contributions, presentations, or speaking engagements
Installation: costs of installing, mounting, or placing the artwork
Insurance: premiums for business, artwork, or collection insurance policies
Legal And Professional Service: accounting, legal, and other professional service fees
Marketing: advertising, promotional, and marketing costs
Materials: art supplies and raw materials for creating art
Meals And Entertainment: business-related meals and entertainment expenses
Membership Dues: dues paid to professional organizations
Office Expenses: general office costs
Online Services: subscriptions to online software, digital tools, and other online services
Other Business Expenses: miscellaneous operating expenses
Payment Processing Fees: fees paid to process customer payments
Postage: mailing and delivery costs
Printing: printing and reproduction costs
Professional Development: education, classes, conferences, and training
Rent And Lease: rent for studio, office, storage, or equipment
Shipping: packing, crating, freight, courier services, and artwork transportation
Storage: art storage fees
Supplies: consumable materials used in day-to-day operations
Taxes, Duties, And Licenses: sales or use taxes, customs or import duties, and applicable licenses or permits
Travel Expenses: costs for business-related travel
Utilities: electricity, gas, water, internet, and similar costs for your studio or office
Expense Categories for Artists
Every category is available to you. These are particularly relevant for artists, and using them consistently makes it easy to see what each body of work costs to make, frame, and show.
Materials: paint, canvas, clay, and other supplies that go into your artwork
Fabrication: outside services or materials used to fabricate a piece
Framing: framing artwork for exhibition or sale
Application Fees: fees to submit work to calls for entry, exhibitions, and other opportunities
Commissions And Other Fees: commissions paid to galleries and agents
Shipping: crating and transporting your artwork
Documentation And Photography: photographing your artwork for your records, portfolio, or applications
Did you know?
You can link an expense to a specific Piece to see the true cost of making and selling it. Learn how in Artwork-Specific Expense Tracking
Expense Categories for Art Collection Management
Note:
Expense Tracking for collection management is only available on Organization accounts. Collector accounts do not include Expense Tracking
Every category is available to you. These are particularly relevant if you manage a collection, and they help you separate what you paid for each Piece from what it costs to care for it.
Buyer's Premium / Acquisition Fees: fees paid directly to acquire a Piece, such as auction buyer's premiums
Art Advisory / Consulting: fees paid to art advisors and collection professionals
Appraisals: professional appraisal services
Conservation And Maintenance: restoring, repairing, or maintaining a Piece
Insurance: artwork and collection insurance premiums
Installation: installing, mounting, or placing a Piece
Storage: art storage fees
Shipping: packing, crating, freight, and transporting Pieces
You can choose which expense categories to include in the Artwork Acquisition Cost Report, which combines each Piece's acquisition price with its linked expenses. To include an expense in the Report, you must link it to the relevant Piece. Categorizing an expense alone does not associate it with a Piece.
Note:
The Artwork Acquisition Cost Report is only available on Organization accounts
How to Export Your Expenses to a Report or Spreadsheet
Once your expenses are categorized, you can pull them into a Report or a spreadsheet for your accountant or accounting software, such as QuickBooks.
Navigate to Income in your left-side menu
Select Filter > Type > Expense (All) so only your expense items are listed. Skip this step if you want your revenue items included too
Select New Report
Choose to generate an Income and Expense Report in Artwork Archive, or export your data to an Excel or CSV file
Your Report or spreadsheet includes only the items that match your active filters. For more on Report options, see How to Create an Income Report or Expense Report.
Did you know?
Add a Date or Expense Category filter before you export to report on a single tax year or a single type of expense
Disclaimer
This list of expense categories is a general guide for Artwork Archive users. These categories are common in the art industry and often align with tax reporting, but they may not fit every situation or tax jurisdiction. Please consult a qualified accountant or tax professional about categorizing expenses for your specific situation.