Cashback & rewards on your books
Why the cashback and points you earn aren't taxable revenue, and how we record them.
Credit-card cashback, points, and statement credits aren't sales — so they aren't taxable revenue. We record them separately (as a rewards or non-operating item) so they don't inflate your income.
Rewards are not customer revenue. They usually reduce what you owe or show as a separate non-operating item, depending on how they appear on the statement.
Common reward types
You may see:
- credit card cashback;
- statement credits;
- points redeemed for a credit;
- travel or purchase credits;
- bank bonuses or incentives;
- vendor credits.
These do not all work the same way, so the source document matters.
Why rewards are not sales
Revenue should come from customers buying your product or service. Cashback and points come from a bank, card provider, or vendor program.
If rewards were treated as sales, your revenue would look higher than it really was.
How statement credits are handled
A statement credit may reduce your credit card balance. In that case, it can look like money came in even though no customer paid you.
Uplinq reviews the card statement and transaction detail to decide whether it is:
- a reward;
- a refund;
- a rebate;
- a charge reversal;
- a correction to an earlier expense.
When to add a note
Add a comment if the credit is not obvious.
Helpful notes:
- "This was card cashback."
- "This was a refund for the printer returned last month."
- "This was a vendor rebate."
- "This credit relates to the canceled software subscription."
A refund usually reverses or reduces an earlier expense. A reward is not tied to a specific purchase in the same way. If you know which it is, add that context.