Tax Vault

Your Tax Vault is the calm, tidy home for every expense you've marked deductible — collected as you go, so tax season feels a lot less like a scavenger hunt.

How-To Guides

How to see everything you've marked deductible this year

Everything you've flagged lands here, sorted and totaled for you.

1. Open the Tax Vault page.
2. Read the three cards at the top: your Total Deductible, your number of Transactions, and the Tax Year.
3. Check the Monthly trend chart to see when your deductions landed.
4. Open any row under By Category to see the individual expenses behind it.

⚠️ Heads up: Reports are for personal recordkeeping. Misto helps you organize, but it isn't a tax advisor — always confirm what's actually deductible with a licensed tax professional before filing.

How to add an expense to your Tax Vault

Flagging deductible expenses as you go means no frantic hunting come tax season.

1. Open the Transactions page and find the expense.
2. Flip on its Tax toggle.
3. That's it — it instantly appears in your Tax Vault and counts toward your year's total.

How to export your deductibles as a spreadsheet or printable document

When you or your accountant need a copy, you can take one out in two formats.

1. Open the Tax Vault page.
2. For a spreadsheet, click Export CSV to download a file with the date, description, category, and amount of every deductible.
3. For a printable copy, click Export PDF to open a tidy, branded tab and your print dialog.
4. Either button shows "Preparing…" for a moment while it works.

✨ Good to know: The Export CSV file opens in any spreadsheet app, and the Export PDF tab is ready to print or save as a document.

How to walk through whether an expense is deductible

Not sure if something counts? The Interactive Tax Coach talks you through it in plain language.

1. Open the Tax Vault page and go to the Interactive Tax Coach.
2. Pick one of your recent expenses, or choose Or enter a custom expense and type a description, amount, and category.
3. Answer whether the expense was ordinary and necessary for your work.
4. Choose how much of it was for business — 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, or your own number.
5. Tell Misto whether you have a receipt or proof.
6. Read Misto's Verdict, and edit the Audit Justification Note if you'd like.
7. Click Save to Tax Vault.

How to calibrate your Tax Coach to your profession

A quick note about what you do helps Misto tailor every bit of its guidance.

1. Open the Interactive Tax Coach.
2. On the Calibrate Your Tax Coach screen, pick a preset like Designer, Developer, Writer, Real Estate, or W-2 + Side.
3. Or type your own line of work in the box (up to 500 characters).
4. Click Save & Calibrate.
5. You'll see a Calibrated for chip — click Recalibrate anytime to change it.

How to let Misto suggest deductions for you

Let Misto do a first pass and point out expenses that might qualify.

1. Open the Tax Vault page.
2. Click Ask Misto.
3. Optionally click Add context, tell Misto a sentence about your work, and click Save context so its suggestions fit you better.
4. Look through the suggestion cards, each with a merchant, a confidence badge, and a reason.
5. Click Mark on any you agree with, or Mark all to accept the rest.

How to compare your deductions year over year

Curious how this year stacks up? Your filing history keeps score.

1. Open the Tax Vault page.
2. Find the Filing History section.
3. Compare last year's and this year's totals, with the change badge showing which way things moved.
4. Scroll the By category comparison to see where each year's write-offs came from.

Frequently Asked Questions

"Why is my Tax Vault empty?"

If you haven't marked anything deductible yet, you'll see "Nothing in the vault yet." Head to your Transactions, flip the Tax toggle on any qualifying expense, and it'll appear here right away.

"Why can't I export?"

The Export CSV and Export PDF buttons stay switched off when there's nothing to export yet, and while an export is already running. If Export PDF seems to do nothing, your browser likely blocked the new tab — allow pop-ups for Mistos and try again.

"Are Misto's deduction suggestions tax advice?"

No. Misto's verdicts and suggestions are helpful pointers to organize your records — they aren't tax, legal, or financial advice. Always confirm what's genuinely deductible with a licensed tax professional before you file.

"How does Misto decide what to suggest?"

Misto recognizes well-known business names and keywords — think Adobe, Figma, GitHub, AWS, Uber, FedEx, flights, and hotels — and blends in the words you shared about your work. They're smart pointers based on what it can spot, not a guarantee, so give each one a look before you mark it.

"Why does Misto keep asking what I do?"

The little setup pop-up returns until you actually save your answer — closing it with the X or tapping outside doesn't count. Fill in what you do once, click Save & personalise, and it'll settle down.