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The Sprig Journal

Bookkeeping guides that respect your time.

Plain-English guides to keeping books, tracking expenses, logging mileage and getting tax-time records ready, for freelancers, sole traders and small businesses. Written by the team that makes Sprig, the private, offline bookkeeping app.

A hand holding a phone with Sprig's Today screen, beside an airplane mode switch, a fingerprint padlock, a broken chain labeled no bank link and a .sprigbak backup file dropping into a folder

Start here · Bookkeeping basics

Offline Bookkeeping App: Private Books, No Bank Link

What an offline bookkeeping app really does, 7 checks a private one should pass, the honest trade-offs, and a backup routine that keeps your books safe.

12 min read
Illustration of a winding road on ruled ledger paper with Jan, Jul and Dec flags and a green car passing the July flag, beside a phone showing Sprig's Mileage log with 2,295 claimable from 51 business km

Tax time

How to Track Mileage for Taxes: 2026 Rates & Log Rules

How to track mileage for taxes in 2026: IRS rates of 72.5¢ then 76¢ from 1 July, HMRC's new 55p a mile, what your log must record, and worked examples.

11 min read
Deductions checklist notebook with ticks beside home office, vehicle, phone bill, equipment and supplies, next to a phone showing Sprig's tax summary

Tax time

Self-Employed Tax Deductions Checklist for 2026 (US, UK & More)

A self-employed tax deductions checklist for 2026: home office, travel, phone, software and more, with IRS and HMRC rules and the record that proves each one.

12 min read
Split illustration: a phone tied by thin threads to a bank and a cloud, beside a phone showing Sprig's Export and Import CSV screen next to a locked green notebook with a sprig

Bookkeeping basics

Expense Tracker Without Bank Linking, or a Bank Feed? An Honest Guide

Thinking about an expense tracker without bank linking? Compare bank feeds and offline trackers on privacy, effort, accuracy and cost, plus a CSV middle route.

12 min read
Two hands passing a green folder labeled For my Accountant, holding a CSV sheet, a mileage log card and receipt photos, beside a phone showing Sprig's Export screen

Tax time

How to Prepare Your Books for Your Accountant: Year-End Checklist

How to prepare books for your accountant: a 10-step year-end checklist to fill gaps, reconcile accounts, close the mileage log and export a clean CSV.

11 min read
Illustration of one payment recorded twice, out of a Cash wallet and into a Fuel jar on a balanced scale, beside Sprig's Ledger screen showing pair lines such as Groceries ← Main Bank.

Bookkeeping basics

Double-Entry Bookkeeping Explained for Non-Accountants

Double-entry bookkeeping explained in plain English: the one rule, everyday examples, debits and credits translated, and balanced books on your phone.

11 min read
Archive boxes labeled 2024, 2025 and 2026 on a shelf above a line marked Retention period, beside an hourglass and a phone showing Sprig's app lock turned on

Tax time

How Long to Keep Business Records: US, UK, Pakistan and More

How long to keep business records and receipts: IRS 3–7 year rules, HMRC's 5 years after 31 January, Pakistan's 6 years, and when digital copies count.

11 min read
A fading paper receipt is photographed on a phone and clipped as a photo card to a ledger row marked Attached in green

Tax time

How to Organize Receipts for Taxes: Photos Count, Shoeboxes Don't

How to organize receipts for taxes: when the IRS and HMRC accept photos, what a good receipt shows, what to do about a lost one, and a system that sticks.

12 min read
Two notebooks labeled Side business and Personal, linked by a green arrow labeled Owner's pay, beside a bill cut into 35% and 65% shares and a phone showing Sprig's two books

Bookkeeping basics

How to Separate Business and Personal Finances, Even on One Account

Separate business and personal finances in five steps: split the account, keep two sets of books, handle mixed-use bills and pay yourself the right way.

12 min read
Invoice cards marked due in 14 days, overdue 12 days and paid, with Mark paid sending the money into a wallet, beside Sprig's Invoices screen and a due, +7, +14, +30 follow-up ladder.

Getting paid

How to Track Unpaid Invoices as a Freelancer

How to track unpaid invoices as a freelancer: what every invoice needs, terms that get you paid, a follow-up schedule, and when the income counts for tax.

12 min read

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