Sole Trader Tax GuideUpdated 2026-10-15HMRC 2026/27
Self Assessment receipts: a one-evening tidy
How to turn a camera roll of receipts into a file before the 31 January deadline.
✓ VerifiedFact-checked against HMRC Business Income Manual (BIM45000), EIM31240, and statutory sole-trader record rules.
Do it in one sitting if the pile is already there. Photograph each receipt once. Skip duplicates. Correct the ones the reader gets wrong before you send the pack. Log the journeys you still remember, and stop guessing the ones you don’t.
Then stop
Send the pack to the person who files. Do not start a second spreadsheet. The point of a £9 shoebox is that January is a download, not a weekend.
Statutory Record-Keeping Notice: Under Section 12B of the Taxes Management Act 1970, UK sole traders must keep and preserve all records needed to deliver a correct and complete return. Receipts Dock preserves your photos and CSV ledgers for 6 full years. This guide is for record-keeping purposes and is not formal tax advice.
🔍 SA103 Box FinderSearch materials and tools to find their exact HMRC tax box.🚗 55p Mileage CalculatorWork out 55p & 25p tax allowance on business journeys.
Keep your receipts audit-ready
Photograph the receipt on the web, email it, or message Telegram. We extract the year for your bookkeeper. 5 free scans lifetime.
Snap a receipt nowRelated Sole Trader Guides
How long to keep receipts as a sole traderHow long a UK sole trader should keep receipts, mileage logs, and the digital copies that replace a shoebox.
→What a sole trader can claim: tools, fuel, phone, subsistenceA plain list of common sole trader expenses — tools, fuel, phone, and meals — and what this app will not decide for you.
→Mileage at 55p, and the log HMRC expectsThe 2026/27 simplified mileage rate is 55p for the first 10,000 business miles and 25p after that. Here is the log to keep.
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