What advice or tips can you share for those doing their tax return (cm)

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I know the closing date for paper version has passed. I am not aiming to do my tax return THIS MONTH. Twice I did it in January (not a good idea!!)

What works for you?

Do you have an account for paying your tax return?

Are you super organised with receipts etc.

I am looking at how I can take my organisational skill to a higher level.

All ideas appreciated.

This year I am using the M M financial records.

I am not working Monday to friday therfore I need to set time aside to do this.

Thanks

Sorry should have written I am aiming to do my tax return this month.

I think I need to take my time typing should have written I am working monday to friday. Sorry.

I just log receipts, mileage, invoices, etc on a spreadsheet as I go along and at the end of the year it tells me the totals.

I keep all my receipts in a folder and add them up at the end of the year. I don't have mileage. I maintain a spreadsheet of my bank account with all my income from CMing highlighted so at the end of the tax year it's just a case of copy-pasting all the income lines then taking off the reductions I'm entitled to.

Check your HMRC login works now so that you aren't panicking in January trying to sort out why your user id and password don't work.

I truely appreciate your advice.

Tell me more about spread sheets please.

I use an Excel spreadsheet, but I think Google has one too and I'm sure there are others. It has boxes where I can just put the date, what the expense/income was and how much and then it will add it all up for me at the bottom. If I'm feeling daring, I can sort it into date order, or search for specific transactions.

When I first started, I just wrote it all in a list in a book, which is effectively the same thing.

I've been using this for years, by a childminder for childminders, so simple and brilliant, prints off the 3 line summary you need, plus loads of other stuff, calculates w&t, gas& elec etc depending on hours worked - utterly brilliant !

www.childsplayaccounts.co.uk/

I also used childsplay and highly recommend, have used since I started in 2005!

Thank you lovely people.

Will take a look

If you can go on the Bromley Childminding Association website www.bromleycma.org.uk, They have a excel spreadsheet for childminding accounts it excellent.

yep know the logging in thing need to ring them and ask them to resend me both as cant remember or find either - in some safe place stored away when rushed to tidy up for house viewing - will surely find when not looking but had set aside time at weekend to do and now go to ring and do on another day. As a night nanny mine wont take to long, income and then expenses of insurance/mileage/phone calls