Farmers market and cottage food bookkeeping: Saturday Square deposits against the ingredients and permits behind them
A market vendor's income lands as Square deposits after each market day and the odd Venmo cash-out; the costs are ingredients from a restaurant-supply store, packaging, the booth fee, a cottage-food permit and gas. The bank statement holds both, so the month's profit starts there.
Worked example: one October
The tool ships a synthetic statement for a solo baker selling at a weekend market (fixtures/marketvendor-checking.csv): four Square deposits, a Venmo cash-out and twelve costs. Every cost and the four Square deposits get a suggested account with no rules taught; the Venmo cash-out stays in review, because it could be a customer, a friend or your own money moving.
| October 2026 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Four Square deposits (sales) | $1,848.65 |
| Venmo cash-out (left in review; you file it) | $150.00 |
| Money in | $1,998.65 |
| Restaurant Depot, Webstaurantstore, GFS, Sam's Club and Uline (supplies) | −$750.40 |
| Market vendor fee and cottage-food permit (taxes and licenses) | −$120.00 |
| Food-handler card (education and dues) | −$15.00 |
| Food liability insurance (insurance) | −$38.00 |
| Gas (vehicle and fuel) | −$52.40 |
| Squarespace and Canva (software) | −$37.99 |
| Profit | $984.86 |
The profit counts the Venmo cash-out as income; if it was your own money coming back from a Venmo balance, file it as a transfer and profit falls by $150.00. Square pays net of its fees.
What the tool does for a market vendor
- Imports the bank CSV and suggests Sales for Square deposits.
- Files the recurring costs: ingredients, packaging, booth fees, permits, insurance, gas and software.
- Reports a P&L and a Schedule C worksheet, with a mileage log for drives to the market and quarterly estimated-tax dates in the tax calendar.
Rules are written from company names; no real vendor's statement has been tried.
Questions
Where do Square deposits at a market go?
The importer files a Square deposit under sales. Square keeps its card fee before paying out, so the deposit is net of the fee; only what lands in your bank account shows.
How are ingredients, fees and permits filed?
Restaurant Depot, Webstaurantstore, GFS, Sam's Club ingredient buys and Uline packaging are filed under supplies and materials. A farmers-market vendor fee and a state cottage-food permit go under taxes and licenses, a food-handler card under education and dues, and food liability insurance under insurance. A Venmo cash-out stays in the review queue; you file it.
Is it free?
Yes. It is open source (MIT), runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Not tax advice: a self-employed vendor owes self-employment tax on profit, the Schedule C worksheet in this tool shows the figure, and your accountant decides what applies to you. Whether ingredients belong in cost of goods sold or supplies is a choice to settle with your accountant.
Open AI Bookkeeper and import your bank statement.