hledger YouTube Business Template

A complete, beginner-friendly starter template for YouTube creators to track their business finances using hledger - free, open-source, plain-text accounting.

Perfect for:

• YouTubers and content creators
• Sole proprietors
• Beginners who've never done bookkeeping
• Anyone who wants control over their financial data

Why Plain-Text Accounting?

Traditional Software	Plain-Text (hledger)
Monthly subscription fees	Free forever
Your data locked in their format	Your data in simple text files
Company could shut down	Files work forever
Limited customization	Fully customizable
Can't see "under the hood"	Complete transparency

Plain text means:

• Your finances are in simple text files you can open in any editor
• Back them up anywhere (Dropbox, iCloud, USB drive)
• Version control with git (see your changes over time)
• Never worry about a company going out of business

What's Included

hledger-youtube-business/
├── accounting/
│   ├── main.journal         # Your main file (includes others)
│   ├── accounts.journal     # All account categories
│   └── 2025.journal         # This year's transactions
├── receipts/                # Store your receipt PDFs here
├── taxes/                   # Tax documents and summaries
└── tools/
    ├── import-bank.sh       # Auto-import from bank CSV
    ├── install.sh           # Setup wizard
    └── rules/               # Bank CSV parsing rules
        ├── td.rules         # TD Canada Trust
        ├── rbc.rules        # RBC Royal Bank
        ├── scotiabank.rules
        ├── bmo.rules
        └── cibc.rules

⚠️ Privacy Note

You can absolutely use git for version control of your finances! This is one of the best features of plain-text accounting. However, be careful about where you push:

Setup	Safe?	Notes
Local git only	✅	Never leaves your computer
Private GitHub repo	✅	Only you can see it
Public GitHub repo	⚠️	Everyone can see your finances!

If using a public repo, edit .gitignore and uncomment these lines:

accounting/*.journal
receipts/*
taxes/*

Recommended setup: Use git locally for version history, and back up your files to a private cloud folder (iCloud, Dropbox, etc.) instead of a public repo.

Quick Start (5 minutes)

Step 1: Install hledger

macOS:

brew install hledger

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install hledger

Windows: See hledger.org/install

Step 2: Clone this template

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/KayleeBeyene/hledger-youtube-business.git
cd hledger-youtube-business

Step 3: Set your opening balance

Edit accounting/2025.journal and update the opening balance:

2025-01-01 Opening Balance | Starting to track finances
    assets:bank:chequing       YOUR_BALANCE CAD
    equity:opening

Step 4: You're done!

Check your balance:

hledger -f accounting/main.journal balance

Recording Transactions

The Basic Format

Every transaction looks like this:

DATE DESCRIPTION
    account:where:money:goes    AMOUNT
    account:where:money:comes:from

Example: You bought a microphone

2025-02-15 Amazon | Rode microphone
    expenses:equipment:audio    149.99 CAD
    assets:bank:chequing

Translation: $149.99 went FROM your bank account TO equipment expenses.

Example: You got paid by YouTube

2025-02-20 YouTube AdSense | January 2025 payout
    assets:bank:chequing       523.47 CAD
    income:youtube:adsense

Translation: $523.47 came FROM AdSense INTO your bank account.

Example: Monthly subscription (paid by credit card)

2025-02-01 Epidemic Sound | Music subscription
    expenses:software:music     16.99 CAD
    liabilities:creditcard

Useful Commands

# See all account balances
hledger -f accounting/main.journal balance

# See just expenses
hledger -f accounting/main.journal balance expenses

# See income vs expenses (profit/loss)
hledger -f accounting/main.journal incomestatement

# See all transactions
hledger -f accounting/main.journal register

# See just YouTube income
hledger -f accounting/main.journal register income:youtube

# Monthly expense breakdown
hledger -f accounting/main.journal balance expenses --monthly

# How much did I spend on software?
hledger -f accounting/main.journal balance expenses:software

Pro tip: Create aliases in your .bashrc or .zshrc:

alias hl='hledger -f ~/hledger-youtube-business/accounting/main.journal'

Then just type: hl balance

Importing Bank Transactions

Instead of typing every transaction, import them from your bank!

Setup (one time)

cd tools
./install.sh

Import transactions

1. Log into your bank's website
2. Download transactions as CSV
3. Run the import:

./tools/import-bank.sh

The script will:

• Find your CSV in Downloads
• Show you a preview
• Ask for confirmation before importing

Canadian Tax Tips for YouTubers (NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE - SPEAK TO YOUR ACCOUNTANT FIRST)

⚠️ NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE. SPEAK TO YOUR ACCOUNTANT FIRST. These are general tips only. Tax laws change, and your situation may be different. Always consult a professional.

This template includes detailed tax notes in accounting/main.journal, but here are the highlights:

What You Can Deduct

Expense	Deductible?	Notes
Camera, mic, lights	Yes	Depreciate if over $500
Editing software	Yes	Full deduction
Music subscriptions	Yes	Epidemic Sound, Artlist, etc.
Home office	Yes	% of rent based on square footage
Internet	Yes	Business use % only
Business meals	50%	Must be with collaborators, sponsors
Courses & education	Yes	Skillshare, YouTube courses
Travel to shoot	Yes	Track mileage!

What You CAN'T Deduct

• Regular meals (just you eating while editing)
• Clothes (unless literally costumes for videos)
• Personal portion of phone/internet
• Commute to a day job

GST/HST

• Not required until you hit $30,000 revenue in 12 months
• YouTube AdSense is zero-rated (no GST to charge)
• Canadian sponsorships: charge GST/HST
• US sponsorships: zero-rated export

File Organization

Receipts

Save receipts in receipts/ with this naming convention:

YYYY-MM-DD-vendor-description.pdf

Examples:

• 2025-01-15-amazon-rode-mic.pdf
• 2025-02-01-epidemic-sound.pdf
• 2025-02-20-bestbuy-ring-light.pdf

Reference them in your transactions:

2025-01-15 Amazon | Rode microphone
    expenses:equipment:audio    149.99 CAD
    assets:bank:chequing
    ; Receipt: 2025-01-15-amazon-rode-mic.pdf

Yearly Organization

Each year gets its own transaction file:

• accounting/2025.journal
• accounting/2026.journal (create when needed)

Add new years to main.journal:

include 2025.journal
include 2026.journal

Troubleshooting

"hledger: command not found"

Install hledger first (see Quick Start above).

Transaction won't balance

Every transaction must balance (money comes from somewhere). Check:

• Did you forget an account line?
• Is there a typo in the amount?
• Are your indents correct? (use spaces, not tabs, or vice versa consistently)

"could not parse date"

Dates must be YYYY-MM-DD format:

• ✅ 2025-02-15
• ❌ 02/15/2025
• ❌ Feb 15, 2025

Import script can't find my CSV

• Check the filename matches patterns in tools/config
• Make sure the CSV is in your Downloads folder
• Try: ./import-bank.sh --file /path/to/your/file.csv

Learning More

• hledger documentation
• Plain Text Accounting
• hledger CSV import guide

Contributing

Found an issue? Have a suggestion?

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Or submit a pull request!

Especially welcome:

• Rules files for other Canadian banks
• Improvements to the account structure
• Better documentation

License

MIT License - use it, modify it, share it!

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Made for the YouTube creator community 🎬