Location: Ipswich, UK

Tag: Sole trader

Bookkeeping, Self Assessment and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

Making Tax Digital quarterly updates with Pandle

Today I sent in my first successful quarterly update using Pandle. I had to sign up for Making Tax Digital with HMRC first. To set Pandle up for MTD for Income Tax, first you need to go to Company Settings / Integrations and enter your National Insurance Number. Whilst in that screen, click on the…
Read more

Making Tax Digital quarterly updates with VT Transaction+

I’ve just sent in my first successful quarterly update with VT Transaction+ . I had to sign up for Making Tax Digital with HMRC first. The first time you use VT Transaction+ for MTD, there is some basic setup to do. All MTD settings can be accessed by clicking the “MTD” option on the top…
Read more

Image by Laurin Steffens on Unsplash

How to choose bookkeeping software – case study 1

Earlier this month I met with a lady who has kindly agreed to be a bookkeeping case study for me. We discussed the nature of her business, how she currently keeps her receipts and records, and any other software she uses in running her business. We started by looking at what she’s doing currently: keeping…
Read more

How does the transition from Self Assessment to Making Tax Digital work?

Tax is changing! But not for everyone. Here’s a quick reminder of what’s changing this year and for whom. 2026-27 (tax year starting 6th April 2026) Making Tax Digital (MTD) only starts on 6th April 2026 if the total self-employed and rental income (before expenses) shown on your 2024-25 tax return was over £50,000. If…
Read more

What’s the best software to use for MTD?

There’s no easy way to answer that. The landscape is constantly changing and new products are coming to market all the time. But here are a few things to consider: 1. Are you looking for free or paid-for software? Although HMRC aren’t providing any free software, they have been encouraging software developers to provide MTD…
Read more

What’s all the fuss about Making Tax Digital?

It all depends on where you’re starting from, and whether you use more than one software package to handle your business record-keeping. If your business is straightforward, Making Tax Digital should be too. The main changes will be to make sure the way you keep your bookkeeping records in a way that complies with Making…
Read more

How to use spreadsheets for Making Tax Digital

Despite the advantages of using software, what if you’re happy using spreadsheets for your bookkeeping and don’t want to change? In this blog, I explore a free bridging software solution that enables you to keep using spreadsheets and still comply with Making Tax Digital. Making Tax Digital and spreadsheets If your combined income from self-employment…
Read more

Can I still use spreadsheets to keep my bookkeeping records?

The short answer is – yes, you can – but here are some factors to consider: Which tax system are you in? If you’re in Self Assessment, spreadsheets are absolutely fine. You can keep your records in a spreadsheet and manually transfer the totals onto your tax return once a year. If HMRC have moved…
Read more

Keep on climbing!

Tales of the Tramuntana Mallorca – March 2025 Sometimes, when you’re in the middle of something long or challenging, it can be easy to lose sight of how far you’ve come. I was fortunate enough to visit Mallorca earlier this year. The Serra de Tramuntana (Tramuntana mountains) and the GR221 long distance hiking trail that…
Read more

Is Self Assessment dead?

A brief history of Self Assessment Self Assessment was first introduced in 1995-96. At that point, the tax system changed from working on a “preceding year basis of assessment” to a current year basis, which reduced the delay between a sole trader earning the profits and finding out how much tax was due. Under the…
Read more