How to use it, and the questions worth asking first.

Straight answers

The questions worth asking first

Is this only for creatives?

It was built with creatives first. That's where it comes from and who it's shaped around. But the work underneath is the same for anyone self-employed: money in, money out, receipts kept, invoices sent and requested. If you're a consultant, a tradesperson, a gig worker, or running a small business of any kind, it works just as well for you.

Do you hold my money?

No. Never. Invoices are paid into your own Square or Stripe account; the money goes straight from your client to you. We only see that a payment happened so we can mark the invoice paid.

Can I request an invoice from someone, not just send one?

Yes. Creatives Ledger works both ways. You can send invoices to clients, and you can request an invoice or a receipt from anyone you've paid: a contractor, a second shooter, or even someone you bought gear from. You fill in the details, send them a branded link, and they confirm and submit. The finished document lands in your records as a PDF.

Why would I request an invoice instead of just asking for one?

Because it's hard to get proper documentation back from people, and chasing it down at tax time is worse. With a request, you've already filled in the amount, date, and description. The other person just confirms it's right and submits. You get a clean, consistent document every time, on your timeline instead of theirs.

What's the difference between requesting an invoice and a receipt?

An invoice is the fuller business document. It includes the other person's GST/HST number and business details, which is what you want from contractors and creatives. A receipt is simpler proof of purchase: amount, date, and description, which is all you need from an informal seller, like buying a used lens off Marketplace. You choose the type when you create the request, and the form adjusts.

Can I customize the email that goes out?

Yes. Before you send a request, you can write your own message to go along with it. The email goes out under your name to both you and the person you're requesting from, so you each keep a copy and can follow up directly if anything needs clarifying.

Does the person I'm requesting from need an account?

No. The request opens on a public, branded page. They don't need to sign up or log in. They just review the details, update anything that's changed on their end, confirm the payment date, and submit.

What if their details have changed since last time?

They can edit their own information right on the request page: a new GST number, an updated address, whatever. When they submit, those changes save back to your contacts automatically, so you're always working from current info.

What about cash purchases or things I can't get a document for?

You can log those yourself as a manual entry: amount, date, category, and a note or photo. No request needed. This covers cash buys and informal purchases where there's no one to request a document from.

How does the paid date help me?

The paid date travels with the document and appears on the final PDF. Because you set it when you create the request, you can match it directly against your bank statement or e-transfer history. No guessing about when money moved.

What happens after someone submits?

The document is generated as a PDF and lands directly in your records, formatted as their invoice or receipt to you. You can see the status of every request on your dashboard, pending, submitted, or closed, so you always know what's outstanding.

Do you do my taxes?

No. We track and categorize what you earn and spend so tax time is calm; we don't calculate what you owe. Any real tax math belongs with a professional.

Does it work the same in Canada and the US?

It adapts. Currency, date format, expense categories, and the way mileage is shown all follow your country. In the US we show a standard-rate mileage estimate, clearly marked as not tax advice; in Canada we show your business-use share rather than a flat per-kilometre figure.

Can I keep both Canadian and US books in one account?

Yes, if you work on both sides of the border. There's an option to turn on a second jurisdiction, and once it's on, every entry, invoice, and receipt is tagged to its country and the two are kept fully separate, never blended into one total. Your education notes follow whichever jurisdiction you're reading, and at tax time each country comes out as its own self-contained report, so you can hand the right one to the right preparer. If you only work in one country, leave it off and nothing changes.

What happens to my email?

You forward a receipt to your own private Ledger address; we read that one message once to pull the details, then discard it. We're never inside your inbox. Connecting your inbox directly, read-only, is coming, and when it lands the same promise holds: we can't send, delete, or change anything.

Is my data private?

It's built to a high bar from the start: your records are yours alone, never pooled with anyone else's, and sensitive connections are stored encrypted. Card and bank details are held by your payment processor, Stripe or Square, who are built to guard them, including for any recurring payments; we keep only a secure reference, never the full numbers, and we never store passwords.

Do I need to download anything?

No app store, no download. The Creatives Ledger runs in your browser, and you can save it to your home screen so it opens full screen like any other app; the walkthrough above shows exactly how.