Question 1

Why is TrueTrack a better alternative to Excel or Google Sheets for solo business bookkeeping?

Accepted Answer

Spreadsheets feel simple until a formula breaks, a row gets overwritten, or tax time arrives and nothing adds up. TrueTrack keeps the speed of a spreadsheet but does the math for you: income, expenses, mileage deductions, profit, and estimated quarterly taxes are calculated automatically. Receipts are stored alongside your records, quarterly due dates are tracked for you, and there are no formulas to maintain.

Question 2

Is TrueTrack a simple QuickBooks alternative for freelancers and single-member LLCs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. QuickBooks is built for companies with employees, payroll, inventory, and full double-entry accounting. Most solo business owners only need to know what came in, what went out, what they can deduct, and what they owe in quarterly taxes. TrueTrack focuses on exactly that, so there is far less to learn and nothing extra to pay for.

Question 3

Why doesn't TrueTrack use automated bank feeds?

Accepted Answer

Bank feeds sound convenient, but they often disconnect, duplicate transactions, miscategorize charges, or mix personal and business spending. Many owners spend more time fixing those errors than they would have spent entering the numbers themselves. With TrueTrack, logging a transaction takes seconds, most owners finish in a few minutes a week, and every number is one you intentionally entered — so you can trust it and stay aware of your cash flow.

Question 4

How does TrueTrack estimate federal, state, and county quarterly taxes for self-employed professionals?

Accepted Answer

In your Profile you set your federal tax bracket (22% by default), plus your state and county/local income tax rates. If you're not sure of your rates, a quick Google search such as "[your state] income tax rate" or "[your county] local income tax rate" will show them. As you log income and expenses, TrueTrack updates your estimated quarterly amounts automatically and shows which quarterly deadline is coming up next. Estimates are a planning tool — confirm final amounts with your tax professional.

Question 5

How does mileage tracking work, and why is it so important for taxes?

Accepted Answer

Business mileage is one of the largest deductions available to many solo owners, and the IRS expects a record of each trip. In the Mileage tab you log the date, purpose, and miles for each trip, and a built-in Google Maps button opens directly so you can check a route's distance — no battery-draining background GPS app that logs every personal errand. Set the IRS standard mileage rate in your Profile (you can add a second rate if the IRS changes it mid-year), and TrueTrack automatically applies the deduction to your expenses by month. You can also record your vehicle's start and end odometer readings for the year.

Question 6

What is the difference between Year-to-Date Profit/Loss and Net Profit in the Snapshot?

Accepted Answer

Profit/Loss year-to-date is your total income minus your total expenses (including mileage deductions). The Business Health Snapshot goes one step further: Net Profit subtracts the quarterly taxes you've actually paid. That shows the money that is truly yours to spend, save, or reinvest — the number most owners really want to know.

Question 7

How does TrueTrack prepare CPA-ready records for tax season?

Accepted Answer

With one click, Export to Accountant creates a CSV file for the selected year with your income, expenses by category, mileage, odometer readings, and quarterly tax payments. Receipts are stored in the Receipt Vault, organized by year and month, and can be downloaded together. Hand both to your CPA or tax preparer and skip the shoebox of paperwork.

Question 8

If I edit a past transaction, does everything update automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Change an expense, add a trip, adjust income, or update your tax rates, and your dashboard, quarterly tax estimates, Snapshot, and accountant CSV export all reflect the change immediately. There is nothing to recalculate by hand.

Question 9

What happens to my records when a new tax year starts on January 1st?

Accepted Answer

Each tax year is kept separately. On January 1st your dashboard moves to the new year, and your expense categories carry forward automatically. Use the year selector to view or edit any prior year — changes there only affect that year and its export, never your current year. Prior-year mileage rates and receipts are preserved as well.

Question 10

How secure is my business financial data with TrueTrack?

Accepted Answer

Your data is stored in secure cloud infrastructure with encrypted connections, and access rules at the database level ensure each account can only ever see its own records. Payments are handled by Stripe, so TrueTrack never stores your card details. Unlike a spreadsheet or desktop file, there's no file to lose, email around, or leave on an old laptop.

Simple bookkeeping questions, answered