Wave and QuickBooks both total your expenses by category, but the CRA wants those totals on specific numbered lines of Form T2125. This page maps the common categories to their lines so you can go from a P&L report to a filled form in one pass. Part of the complete T2125 line-by-line reference.
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Which report to pull
Wave: run your Profit & Loss for the full tax year (January 1 to December 31). The expense section lists each account with its yearly total — those totals are what you map below. Wave's account names are yours to define (Wave generates defaults by business type), so match by meaning, not by exact name.
QuickBooks Self-Employed: Intuit already tags its categories with T2125 line numbers — the Taxes tab groups your year by CRA category. The table below shows Intuit's own published mapping so you can sanity-check it line by line before copying anything onto the form.
QuickBooks Self-Employed categories → T2125 lines
| QuickBooks category | T2125 line | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising | 8521 | Includes online ads and promo material |
| Bad debts | 8590 | Only amounts previously included in income |
| Business taxes and fees | 8760 | Licences, memberships, business taxes |
| Freight and delivery | 9275 | Delivery, freight and express |
| Insurance | 8690 | Commercial premiums — home insurance share belongs in Part 7 instead |
| Interest | 8710 | Interest and bank charges; loan principal is never deductible |
| Legal and professional services | 8860 | Accounting and legal, including tax prep |
| Maintenance and repairs | 8960 | Repairs to property/equipment you use in the business |
| Management and admin fees | 8871 | QuickBooks routes payment-processing fees here |
| Meals and entertainment | 8523 | 50% limit — enter the allowable half |
| Motor vehicle expenses | 9281 | Business-use share only (keep a km log) |
| Office expenses | 8810 | Consumables — not laptops or furniture (see traps) |
| Phone and utilities | 9220 | Business share of phone/internet — how to split it |
| Property taxes | 9180 | Business property — the home share goes through Part 7 |
| Rent | 8910 | Office/studio rent — home rent goes through Part 7 |
| Salaries, wages and benefits | 9060 | Employees only, not what you pay yourself |
| Supplies | 8811 | CRA labels this line "office stationery and supplies" |
| Travel | 9200 | Fares and hotels; meals while travelling still face the 50% rule |
| Capital cost allowance | 9936 | Computed in Area A, not a running expense |
| Other business expenses | 9270 | The catch-all for anything reasonable that fits nowhere above |
| Business use of home | 9945 | Via Part 7 — never in Part 4 |
QuickBooks also has non-expense categories — owner's withdrawal, owner's deposit, credit card payment, transfers. None of them touch the T2125: paying yourself is not an expense, and a credit-card payment is moving money, not spending it (the interest portion is the deductible bit, on 8710).
Wave accounts → T2125 lines
Wave doesn't tag accounts with CRA line numbers, so the mapping is yours to make. These are the account names freelancers typically end up with and where each belongs:
| Typical Wave account | T2125 line | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising / Marketing | 8521 | — |
| Meals & Entertainment | 8523 | 50% limit — enter the allowable half |
| Insurance | 8690 | Commercial policies only here |
| Bank Service Charges / Interest | 8710 | Monthly fees, NSF, loan interest |
| Dues & Subscriptions (professional) | 8760 | Licences and memberships |
| Software / Subscription Fees / SaaS | 8810 | Adobe, hosting, Google Workspace and the like |
| Office Supplies | 8811 | Stationery-type consumables |
| Accounting & Legal Fees | 8860 | Includes tax-prep fees |
| Rent (office/studio) | 8910 | Home rent goes through Part 7 instead |
| Repairs & Maintenance | 8960 | Equipment repairs, not upgrades |
| Travel | 9200 | Fares, hotels, rentals |
| Phone / Internet / Utilities | 9220 | Business share only — how to split it |
| Gas / Parking / Vehicle | 9281 | Business-use share, backed by a km log |
| Education / Training / Everything else | 9270 | Reasonable, business-related, fits nowhere above |
Not sure where a specific purchase goes? Paste your transactions into the free expense categorizer — it assigns T2125 lines with the same canon this page uses, on-device, no signup.
The four traps
1. Capital purchases hiding in expense accounts
A laptop, camera, desk, or vehicle in your "Office" or "Equipment" account is not a Part 4 expense — capital property is claimed over the years through CCA. Pull those purchases out and run them through Area A and line 9936.
2. GST/HST registrants: report net of the GST/HST
If you're registered and claim input tax credits, your T2125 expense amounts must be net of the GST/HST you recovered as ITCs. Check whether your software report already excludes recoverable sales tax before copying totals — double-claiming the tax is one of the most common software-user errors. Not registered? Use the full amounts, tax included. Unsure whether you should be registered: the $30,000 threshold checker.
3. Meals at 100%
Your software totals the full amount you spent; line 8523 takes only the allowable 50%. Halve it before entering.
4. Home-office costs mixed into Part 4
Home rent, home insurance, and home utilities don't belong on lines 8910/8690/9220 — the workspace share is computed in Part 7 and lands on line 9945, which can't create a loss.
Skip the manual mapping. The generator takes your category totals and produces a line-numbered T2125 summary — 8299 through 9946, home-office loss limit applied.
T2125 Generator → Tax Calculator →FAQ
Does Wave accounting map to the T2125 automatically?
No. Wave's chart of accounts uses your own account names with no CRA line tags, so you map each expense account's yearly total to a T2125 line yourself — that's what the table above is for. QuickBooks Self-Employed does tag its categories with T2125 lines.
What line do software subscriptions go on?
Line 8810 (office expenses) is where operating software like Adobe, hosting, or Google Workspace fits — it's a consumable operating cost. Software you buy outright as a lasting asset is capital property and goes through CCA instead.
Where do Stripe or PayPal fees go?
QuickBooks' own mapping routes payment-processing fees to line 8871 (management and administration fees). Interest and monthly bank-account charges belong on 8710. Pick the line that matches the fee's nature and stay consistent year to year.
My P&L shows one "Utilities" total for home and phone. What now?
Split it. The business share of your phone/internet goes on line 9220; home utilities belong in Part 7's business-use-of-home calculation, not Part 4. One account holding both means untangling it before filing — and separate accounts next year.
Line pairings follow CRA Guide T4002 and the CRA T2125 expenses-section index; the QuickBooks column reflects Intuit's published T2125 category mapping (both verified 2026-07-11). For planning and organization — not tax, legal, or accounting advice. Confirm with the CRA or a qualified professional before filing.