Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: nathankaye on January 18, 2017, 10:36:51 am

Title: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: nathankaye on January 18, 2017, 10:36:51 am
Im not good with paper work, infact hate doing it. So for as long as i can remember i always put off the paperwork until i have to. Which means i always do them  in jan and online, so atleast for tax man im consistant  ::)roll
I keep all my receipts in a box and spend a couple of days sorting them all out. I dont know if stores are now using cheaper inks in their tills, but half the receipts are no longer readable. I got some of my records out of previous years and again receipts are that faded it looks like im saving small sheets of cheap paper. I need a new and easy method of recording and keeping such receipts, ie fuel receipts etc.
How do you guys record//keep yours??
Cheers in advance for helpful comments
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: Soupy on January 18, 2017, 10:43:31 am
Cleaner planner allows you to record all your expenses. It wont stop receipts fading but nothing will really. I suppose you could photocopy them when they are new but there is not really any point, you'd just be creating work for yourself.
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: nathankaye on January 18, 2017, 11:14:45 am
Cleaner planner allows you to record all your expenses. It wont stop receipts fading but nothing will really. I suppose you could photocopy them when they are new but there is not really any point, you'd just be creating work for yourself.

Perhaps i need to look into these apps/software a little more. Im still old school, keeping a notepad for all my rounds each year showing whos paid and owed etc. So not seen cleaner planner,  does it record the transaction, ie whats purchased and the amount? Would that be effective as proof of purposes for tax reasons or could you just add to that in fake sales (viewing from tax mans point of view)?
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: Soupy on January 18, 2017, 11:37:31 am
It records and catagorises the lot, you would number each expense with a ref starting at 1 then number your receipts in a file. You would still need to keep all the original receipts for 6 years as per the rules.
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: andyM on January 18, 2017, 12:36:15 pm
Obviously it's best if you can back everything up with a receipt.
Photocopying is an option (although I've never done that).
If you pay for stuff by debit or credit card or paypal you will at least have proof of payment from your statements.
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: nathankaye on January 18, 2017, 01:23:04 pm
Cheers guys, think for now once a month i'll photo copy my receipts until i get my head round doing it digitally.
Can stick kids in library whilst im doing it, so a slight win win.
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: DaveG on January 18, 2017, 01:37:20 pm
I use George and you can also record receipts/invoices and expense type.

At the end of every week, I input the expenses and number them and write the number on the receipt. Then I put all of the months receipts together in an envelope.

My accountant loves my organisation!
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: Shrek on January 18, 2017, 01:44:34 pm
Take a photo on your phone, transfer to laptop via emailing it to yourself  or cable , then onto a USB stick
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: nathankaye on January 18, 2017, 03:24:27 pm
I know physical paperwork is a pain and i hate it, but before 2012 i had it all logged on my laptop. All my customers, income per month, expenses and my self assessments etc etc. Only downside i didnt keep a back up. My hard drive picked up a trojan and killed all data.
I need to get into a habbit of making a backup drive
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: LT carpet cleaning on January 18, 2017, 03:31:02 pm
Get a decent accountant and you won't have to.
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: Dave Willis on January 18, 2017, 03:33:54 pm
Big bulldog clip for my receipts and all entered in cleaner planner. Simples
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: Soupy on January 18, 2017, 03:44:10 pm
I know physical paperwork is a pain and i hate it, but before 2012 i had it all logged on my laptop. All my customers, income per month, expenses and my self assessments etc etc. Only downside i didnt keep a back up. My hard drive picked up a trojan and killed all data.
I need to get into a habbit of making a backup drive

Don't click dodgy porn links.
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: nathankaye on January 18, 2017, 04:31:25 pm
I know physical paperwork is a pain and i hate it, but before 2012 i had it all logged on my laptop. All my customers, income per month, expenses and my self assessments etc etc. Only downside i didnt keep a back up. My hard drive picked up a trojan and killed all data.
I need to get into a habbit of making a backup drive

Don't click dodgy porn links.

Can you recommend the non dodgy links then  ;D ;D
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: JandS on January 18, 2017, 06:52:17 pm
You sound like me Nathan with tax and paperwork....last minute .com
Doing mine Sunday.
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: duncan h on January 18, 2017, 07:47:08 pm
Hate doing it.
I throw my receipts in my van compartment above dash.
Had a few gone missing or when ordered online, came with no receipt.
Pay with Pay Pal. You can go back and print it off. Plus the added insurance
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: richard groves on January 18, 2017, 08:46:46 pm
I'm just the same Nathan, hate doing it. Always last minute and then takes me the space of a week to finally submit it and pay it.  :P
I pay for all things in shop or petrol station by card and any online orders by pay pal as already suggested.
As for the receipts my only suggestion ( that I haven't yet implemented myself ) is a bit of wood with a 6" nail hammered through it.
Each day you have receipts to file, stick em on it face down to keep them in order. File end of each month ( in my case - expenses in George ) and put in an envelope with that month written on it.

Now , if I only took my own advice  ::)roll ::)roll :(
 ;D 
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: nathankaye on January 18, 2017, 09:20:45 pm
Glad im not the only last minute.com guy then, thats a relief  ;D

Its all the small receipts i hate, yes i stick them in a box above sunvisor on a shelve in van. Then at end of tax yr i move them a step closer to my files inside where i keep all my other receipts from bigger orders etc. But they come printed on normal a4 paper and so the ink stays for a very long time. A very long time. Where as the till receipts, is what my complaint is. I do pay for petrol on card i just need to organise my files to reflect that (good point for highlighting that guys). But these receipts are kept in a dark box in a coolish room but the ink fades so as a paper copy, they really suck
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: Plankton on January 19, 2017, 08:59:00 am
I'm sure some of these receipts are heat sensitive and there's no ink used with them. The new digital tachographs on hgv's use this and if you photo copy it the receipt will turn black. Unfortunate expectant mothers have also tried to photo copy their twelve week scan which is printed on heat sensitive paper with disastrous results.
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: David Deer on January 19, 2017, 09:57:17 am
I use a receipt holder (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Receipt-Book-pocket-receipt-storage/dp/B00RPQ0P8O/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_sims?ie=UTF8) in the van
At the end of the week I use a glue stick to adhere them on scrap A4 paper and write the date amount and item detail on the top of the paper and put them into an expanding folder (http://www.viking-direct.co.uk/catalog/catalogSku.do?id=6055839).
I also have a wallfile (http://www.ryman.co.uk/cathedral-wallfile-organiser) hung up in the van for promotional leaflets cosh sheets etc.
And yes I hate doing it too.
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: steve rix on January 19, 2017, 02:14:12 pm
What's taxes? Somethingto get you home from the pub?
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: SB Cleaning on January 19, 2017, 04:38:32 pm
All my receipts are thrown into a folder and given to the accountant at the end of the year to sort out :)
Title: Re: better way to keep till receipts for taxes
Post by: CleanClear on January 19, 2017, 11:29:42 pm
Im not good with paper work, infact hate doing it. So for as long as i can remember i always put off the paperwork until i have to. Which means i always do them  in jan and online, so atleast for tax man im consistant  ::)roll
I keep all my receipts in a box and spend a couple of days sorting them all out. I dont know if stores are now using cheaper inks in their tills, but half the receipts are no longer readable. I got some of my records out of previous years and again receipts are that faded it looks like im saving small sheets of cheap paper. I need a new and easy method of recording and keeping such receipts, ie fuel receipts etc.
How do you guys record//keep yours??
Cheers in advance for helpful comments

Hi Nathan, i find taking and dealing in cash such a faff to be honest.  I try to get everyone to go cardless, pay by internet or cheque. When they offer cash i try where possible to decline it and steer them to the other methods. This has great advantages for my accounts. I can use my bank card to pay for all my business expenditure, so if there is a lost or faded reciept i'm not to worried as i have a concrete record of it leaving my business bank account. And then the tax man, my accountant and everyone can see all i take in and spend out so there's absolutley nothing to worry about. I think that is the way to go now, cash and cash reciepts are so dated.