Practical guides for UK tradespeople

These guides pull together what a solo tradesperson needs to know about the paperwork around the job. Each guide starts with the two or three things you need to hold in your head, then links to the free tools and templates that save you typing.

No guide on this site pretends you have a team or a finance department. Every page is written for one person on one phone. That person is working on site and sorting the paper afterwards.

You can read the guides in any order. If you know what you are after, pick the topic below. If you are not sure, start with invoicing for how to bill, or taking money for how to get paid.

By topic

VAT

You have to know when you need to register, what rate to use, and how to show it on the paper.

• VAT guides: when the threshold trips, the three rates, how to work out a VAT inclusive price and how to remove VAT, and where the app shows VAT on the quote and the bill.

CIS

You need to know if CIS applies to the job, what it is charged on, and when the contractor pays it to HMRC.

• CIS guides: the three deduction rates, why CIS is on labour only, how materials and VAT sit outside, and how the invoice keeps a record of the deduction.

Invoicing

You need an invoice that is legal, clear, and easy to pay. And you need a way to chase it when it is late.

• Invoicing guides: what to put on a UK invoice, the VAT and CIS notes where they apply, and the four steps from reminder to letter before action.

Quotes

You need a price that covers cost, a quote that reads clearly, and an answer you can trust.

• Quotes guides: how to build the price, what to put on the quote, and how the app turns speech into a priced quote you check and send.

Taking money

You need a reference the customer cannot get wrong, a deposit that protects you on a long job, and a clear way to say when payment is due.

• Getting paid guides: bank transfer with the invoice number as reference, deposits and part payments on one job, and the payment note that sits under the total.

Free tools and templates linked from every guide

Every guide links to the free tools and templates that fit that subject. The links are on the topic page itself, one line to say what each page does.

For VAT you will find the VAT calculator and the remove VAT calculator. For CIS the CIS calculator. For pricing the job the job profit calculator, what to charge, day rate calculator and markup calculator. For late payment the late payment interest calculator. For travel the mileage allowance calculator.

Templates sit on the topic pages too. A quote template that shows the lines and the terms. An invoice template with the VAT breakdown and the CIS block where it applies. A job sheet template for what was done on site. A timesheet template for hours that become a labour line. A statement of account template for what a customer owes across all jobs. A late payment letter template and a payment reminder template for the four steps of chasing.

Each calculator and each template lives on its own page so you can open that one thing and get the answer.

Why these five topics

VAT and CIS are the two tax rules that catch most trades. They are read from gov.uk and HMRC on the date on the page, with the link given so you can check them.

Invoicing is the paper the customer keeps. Quotes is the paper that wins the work. Taking money is the part that turns both into cash in your account. Those three run together: a quote becomes a job becomes an invoice, and the payment reference on the invoice is what ties the bank transfer back to that job.

How to use the guides

Read the two or three things at the top of a topic page first. They are the rules you need to keep. Then follow the one line under each link to the tool or template you want. Every external source is named on the topic page and the link is tested when the page is built. If a source does not answer, the page does not pass.

If you spot a figure that has changed, tell us at support@yellowtradie.com with the page address and the sentence. We will check it against gov.uk and fix the page.

Latest from the blog

Posts on VAT, CIS, invoicing, quotes and getting paid will appear here as they are written. Each post carries its own sources and its date.

• How to chase unpaid invoices: the four steps and the words to use, with the letters written out in full.
• Late payment interest explained: statutory interest at 8 percent above base rate and your own fixed rate.
• Professional quotes win work: what makes a quote get accepted and what loses it.
• How to work out job profit: income less costs, with CIS taken off where it applies.
• What to charge for a job: building the price from days, materials, paperwork and contingency.
• VAT threshold guide: when you have to register for VAT and when you can stay below.
• CIS deductions explained: the 20, 30 and 0 percent rates on labour, with materials outside.
• How to raise a VAT invoice: what a VAT invoice must show, and when a simplified invoice can be used.
• Taking money on site: bank transfer, deposits, and taking a card when the page is live.
• The cost of a missed call: what missed calls cost in a year from your own figures.

The app is not in the shops yet. New posts will sit at the top of this list with the newest first.

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