You don’t need to become an accountant to stay organised. You just need clean, consistent records: quotes, invoices, corrections, and client history. This guide is a plain-English checklist for UK self-employed and small service businesses.
Why you should care (even if you’re not affected immediately)
UK tax reporting rules are moving toward more digital record-keeping. The smartest move is to tidy your workflow early, because “catching up” later is always more stressful than building a simple habit now.
The simple 6-part checklist
- Use consistent document numbering: don’t rename invoices randomly; keep a sequence.
- Always link invoices to the client: name, address, contact details, job reference.
- Keep PDFs in one place: avoid “some in email, some on phone, some on laptop”.
- Track corrections: credit notes / invoice corrections should link to the original document.
- Store payment terms: due date, payment reference, bank details (or chosen payment method).
- Export for your accountant: monthly or quarterly summary beats a panic spreadsheet in April.
The biggest mistake: mixing personal notes with business records
Many self-employed people keep job details in WhatsApp, photos, and notebook notes. That’s fine — until you need to prove what was agreed, find an invoice, or explain a correction months later. Keep “work records” and “personal chat” separate wherever possible.
A clean workflow that scales
- Quote: scope + assumptions + exclusions + validity.
- Approve: written confirmation.
- Invoice: convert, don’t rewrite.
- Records: everything stored, searchable, exportable.