SparkReceipt Help

Export an IRS Schedule C worksheet and filled form

Map your categories to Schedule C lines, check the readiness preview, and export a worksheet PDF, an Excel file and the filled Schedule C for a tax year.

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Written by SparkReceipt TeamUpdated Sep 9, 2026

SparkReceipt can turn a year of expenses, income and business trips into an IRS Schedule C package: an accountant-facing worksheet (PDF and Excel) with every line total and the documents behind it, plus the official Schedule C (Form 1040) filled in from the same numbers. You review the package with your tax preparer and file; SparkReceipt does not send anything to the IRS.

The feature is being switched on account by account. If you don't see Schedule C in the web app's left-hand menu or in Settings, contact support and we'll turn it on for your account. Only admins and accountants on an account see the Schedule C settings and the export, because the mapping decides what ends up on a tax return.

How it works

Schedule C has one line per kind of income or expense (line 8 Advertising, line 22 Supplies, line 24b Deductible meals, and so on). SparkReceipt adds up your documents per line based on a category mapping: each of your categories feeds one Schedule C line, or is marked as not reported. The export then takes one tax year and produces:

  • schedule_c_worksheet_<year>.pdf — the worksheet: Part I income, Part II expenses, Part IV vehicle answers, Part V other expenses, a "Before you file" list of open issues, the amounts that were left out and why, and a supporting-detail list of every document and trip behind each line.
  • schedule_c_worksheet_<year>.xlsx — the same figures as an Excel workbook.
  • schedule_c_form_<year>.pdf — the official Schedule C, filled in. See When the official form is included below.

All amounts are in US dollars. Documents in other currencies are converted at the exchange rate on the document date; a document that cannot be converted is left out and listed in the worksheet.

Step 1: Map your categories to Schedule C lines

  1. Open Settings in the SparkReceipt web app and go to the Schedule C tab (or click Schedule C in the left-hand menu)
  2. Under Category mapping, pick a Schedule C line for each category. The first time you open the page SparkReceipt suggests lines for you (marked Suggested) from your category codes and names, so most rows only need a look
  3. Choose Not reported on Schedule C for categories that don't belong on the return (personal spending, for example), so they stop being flagged as unmapped
  4. Click Save mapping

If you started your account from the IRS Schedule C chart of accounts template, every category already carries its line code and maps automatically. See Pre-defined chart of accounts templates.

Amounts in categories that are not mapped are not included in any line. They are listed in the worksheet under "Amounts not included above" so nothing disappears silently. If you'd rather sweep unmapped expenses onto line 27b (Other expenses), there is an export setting for that — see below.

Step 2: Check the readiness preview

The same Schedule C settings tab shows a preview for the tax year you pick:

  • Tax year — choose the calendar year to prepare
  • A status of Ready or Needs attention
  • Documents counted, Gross income (line 7), Total expenses (line 28) and Net profit or loss (line 31)
  • Before you file — the open issues, in plain sentences: categories that are still unmapped, documents with uncategorised line items, categories mapped to a line of the wrong kind (income on an expense line or the reverse), trips that aren't classified as business or personal, documents that couldn't be converted to US dollars, and so on
  • When the account has business trips, a comparison of the Standard mileage rate and Actual expenses methods for line 9 and the effect on line 31

Fix what the list points at (map the category, categorise the document, classify the trip) and the preview updates.

Step 3: Export the package

Schedule C is its own report type in the web app, so it isn't in the Export as... dialog or the Accounting Software tab.

  1. Click Reports in the left-hand menu, then Create report
  2. Under Select what kind of report you want to create, choose IRS Schedule C
  3. Choose the Tax year — the export always covers that full calendar year, so there is no date range to set
  4. Check the readiness preview, fill in the settings (below) and click Generate report

Only the filters that make sense for a tax return stay on the page: tags, payment methods, review status and contributor. There is no category filter, because the worksheet needs every expense and income category to fill its lines.

The package is prepared in the background, you get an email when it's ready, and it's listed in Reports as a ZIP download. The settings are saved per account and pre-filled the next time.

Export settings

Business details — what prints in the header of the form and the worksheet: Name of proprietor, Business name, Principal business or profession, Business code (6 digits) from the Schedule C instructions, Employer ID number (EIN), the business address, Accounting method (Cash, Accrual or Other) and I materially participated in the business. All of these are optional; the export runs without them and the boxes stay empty. For what each field means on the IRS form and what to type, see What to enter in each Schedule C settings field.

The EIN is masked on the worksheet by default (only the last digits show). Tick Print the full EIN on the worksheet if your preparer needs it there. The official form always carries the full EIN, since it is the copy you file. Your Social Security number is never stored or printed; you add it by hand.

Vehicle — Vehicle expense method (line 9):

  • Decide from my trips (the default): standard mileage whenever the year has business trips, otherwise actual expenses
  • Standard mileage rate: line 9 is your business miles from Trips multiplied by the IRS standard mileage rate for each trip's date. Receipts in categories mapped to line 9 (fuel, repairs, and so on) are left out and their total is shown in the worksheet, because the standard rate already covers them. Parking and tolls are always included
  • Actual expenses from receipts: line 9 is the receipts in categories mapped to line 9; trips are still listed in Part IV

The remaining vehicle settings (Vehicle placed in service on, personal-use questions) fill in Part IV of the form.

Options:

  • Report unmapped expense categories on line 27b (Other expenses) — instead of leaving unmapped expenses out, put them on line 27b. The worksheet still flags each one so you can review it
  • Produce the official form even when the worksheet has open issues — see the next section

When the official form is included

The filled schedule_c_form_<year>.pdf is added to the package only when SparkReceipt is confident the numbers are complete:

  • The export covers one full calendar year (always the case when you pick a tax year)
  • SparkReceipt has that year's form. The 2025 form is available today; earlier and later years get the worksheet and the Excel file only
  • The worksheet has no blocking issue: no unmapped categories with amounts, no category mapped to a line of the wrong kind, no document that couldn't be converted to US dollars, and, under the standard mileage method, no trip on a date without an IRS rate

If the form is skipped, the worksheet says why in its Notes section. Tick Produce the official form even when the worksheet has open issues to get the form anyway and hand the open items to your preparer.

Part V (other expenses) lists each category mapped to line 27b on its own row. When there are more rows than the form has room for, the last row carries the rest as one "more expenses on the attached statement" figure and a statement page listing every row is appended to the PDF.

What the figures include

  • Expenses and income are counted on the document date, per line item, using each line item's category
  • Refunds subtract from the line they belong to. Voided and refunded documents are skipped
  • Documents with line items that have no category are left out and counted in "Before you file"
  • Line 24b (Deductible meals) is reported gross; the worksheet notes that business meals are generally 50% deductible so your preparer applies the limit
  • Lines the form computes (3, 5, 7, 28, 29, 31) are calculated from the others; you can't map a category to them
  • Cost of goods sold (line 4), depreciation (line 13) and business use of home (line 30) take whatever is mapped to them; SparkReceipt does not prepare Part III, Form 4562 or Form 8829

The worksheet's footer says it plainly: every figure comes from your documents, trips and mapping. Review it with your tax preparer before filing; it is not tax advice.