Sole trader bookkeeping spreadsheet (UK)

What is inside the bookkeeping spreadsheet

• Income tab: one row per sale or payment received, with a category dropdown for turnover (box 15) and other business income (box 16).
• Expenses tab: one row per cost, with a dropdown of 13 HMRC categories mapped to SA103F boxes 17 to 29, so nothing lands in a vague miscellaneous pile.
• Summary tab: live totals by SA103 box, total income, total expenses and profit for the year. At tax return time you copy the numbers across box by box.
• Mileage tab: log business journeys and the workbook applies the HMRC 45p/25p rates and feeds the claim into the summary as part of box 20. A cell note explains the rule.
• Tax year dating: built for 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027, with example rows you delete and replace.

How to keep sole trader books in a spreadsheet

• Enter transactions weekly, not in a January panic. Ten minutes a week is enough for most sole traders.
• Record money when it is received or paid (the cash basis). Most sole traders can use this and it matches your bank statement.
• Always pick a category from the dropdown. The summary can only total what is categorised consistently.
• Keep receipts, digitally is fine. HMRC expects records to be kept for at least 5 years after the 31 January filing deadline.
• If you use your own car for business trips, log miles on the Mileage tab instead of claiming fuel. You cannot do both for the same vehicle.

Assumes tax year 2026/27 and HMRC approved mileage rates of 45p then 25p. Rates last checked: 15 July 2026.

A self assessment spreadsheet that maps to the actual form

Most free bookkeeping templates use generic categories that do not line up with the UK self assessment form, so you end up re-sorting a year of expenses in January. This one uses the SA103F boxes as its categories from day one. When Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to you (from April 2026 above £50,000 of turnover, April 2027 above £30,000), the same records feed quarterly updates. The MTD spreadsheet template organises the identical structure into MTD quarters.

What records does a sole trader need to keep?

HMRC expects a record of all sales and income, all business expenses, and evidence such as receipts, invoices and bank statements. Records must be kept for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline for that tax year. A spreadsheet with a date, description, category and amount per transaction meets the record-keeping requirement for most sole traders.

Can I do my bookkeeping in a spreadsheet instead of accounting software?

Yes. There is no rule that says a sole trader must use software for record keeping. A well organised spreadsheet is fine, and if Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to you, you can keep using spreadsheets with bridging software to submit the quarterly updates.

What expenses can I claim as a sole trader?

The main SA103 categories are cost of goods, subcontractors, staff costs, vehicle and travel, rent, rates, power and insurance, repairs, phone and office costs, advertising, loan interest, bank charges and professional fees. Costs must be wholly and exclusively for the business. This spreadsheet has all of them as dropdown options mapped to the right box.

How does the 45p mileage allowance work?

If you use your own car for business journeys you can claim 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles in the tax year and 25p per mile after that, instead of actual running costs. The Mileage tab in this workbook applies the split automatically and feeds the total into your expense summary.

What dates does the UK tax year cover?

The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April. This spreadsheet is set up for 2026/27, meaning 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027, with the return and any balancing payment due by 31 January 2028 if you file online.

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