Bookkeeping and Making Tax Digital (MTD) for self-employed cleaners
You’re in and out of other people’s homes all day, getting paid in cash, by card and by bank transfer, and the paperwork usually waits until the evening. Pulse keeps it all in one place, from the miles between clients to your Making Tax Digital updates.
- Log journeys between clients on your phone
- Send weekly or fortnightly invoices automatically
- Send your quarterly updates and tax return straight to HMRC
Sam’s Tuesday
£18 an hour-
Leaves home8:30am
-
Mrs Okafor, Moorside Road3 hours, paid in cash£543.2 miles from home
-
Holly Cottage, Bury Road2 hours, paid by card£364.1 miles
-
Albert Street dental practice1½ hours, on a monthly invoice£272.6 miles
-
Back home5:00pm5.0 miles
When Making Tax Digital starts for you
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax means keeping your records digitally and sending HMRC a short update every three months, then a final declaration after the tax year ends. Whether you're in depends on your turnover, the total you charge your customers before any expenses, not your profit.
- From 6 April 2026Over £50,000Already started
- From 6 April 2027Over £30,000Based on your 2025/26 tax return
- From 6 April 2028Over £20,000Based on your 2026/27 tax return
An example. You clean 35 hours a week at £18 an hour and take four weeks off a year. That’s 48 weeks × £630, or £30,240 of turnover. If your 2025/26 tax return shows that, you’ll need to use Making Tax Digital from 6 April 2027.
The quarterly updates are due by 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May. If you have other self-employed work or rent out a property, that income counts towards the total too. When do I need to start?
Travelling between clients
This is the question we’re asked most by cleaners. If you run your business from home and travel out to different clients’ homes and premises, those journeys are usually business travel. That includes the drive from home to your first client and back again at the end of the day, as well as the trips in between.
It’s different if you clean in one place every day, for example the same office for one company, Monday to Friday. That can look more like ordinary commuting, which you can’t claim. If that sounds like you, ask us before you claim it.
You can claim a flat rate per mile, which covers fuel, insurance, servicing and wear and tear. Parking at a client’s is claimable too, but parking fines aren’t.
Read more about cars, vans and mileage, parking charges and fines.
| Car or van | Per mile |
|---|---|
| First 10,000 business miles | 55p |
| Every mile after that | 25p |
If you claim mileage for a car, you can’t also claim its fuel or running costs. Once you’ve used the mileage rate for a vehicle, you keep using it for as long as you use that vehicle for work.
What you can claim as a cleaner
Every allowable expense brings down the profit you pay tax and National Insurance on. These are the ones cleaners claim most. Keep the receipt for each, or scan it into Pulse.
Cleaning products and supplies
Sprays, cloths, bin bags, gloves and anything else you buy and use on the job.
Equipment
Vacuums, steam cleaners, mops and buckets. Bigger items may need to go in as a capital allowance.
Uniform and protective clothing
A tunic with your business name on, or protective wear. Everyday clothes don’t count. Clothing expenses
Insurance
Public liability insurance, and cover for keys or equipment you carry.
Phone and broadband
The business share of your mobile and internet. Phone and broadband
Advertising
Leaflets, a local Facebook ad, business cards or a simple website. Marketing costs
Card machine fees
Fees charged by SumUp, Square and similar on card payments. Card payment charges
Admin at home
If you spend 25 hours or more a month on admin at home, you can claim a flat rate of £10 to £26 a month. Simplified expenses
What you can’t claim
- Everyday clothes and shoes, even if you only wear them for work
- Parking and speeding fines
- Products a client buys for you to use in their home
For the full list, see Allowable expenses, what are they?
How Pulse helps
Pulse is our online bookkeeping system, with apps for iPhone and Android. Here’s what cleaners use most.
Mileage on your phone
Enter postcodes or use your location, and Pulse works out the miles. Save regular clients in your address book so each journey takes seconds.
Logging mileageRecurring invoices
Set up a client once and Pulse creates their invoice every week, fortnight, four weeks or month. Send it automatically or check it first.
Recurring invoicesGet paid by card
Add your Stripe, SumUp or PayPal.Me link and a Pay online button appears on your invoices. The money goes straight to you, and part payments are tracked.
Online paymentsScan your receipts
Take a photo of a receipt in the app and it’s saved against the expense, so there’s no carrier bag of receipts at the end of the year.
Receipt scannerRegular costs remembered
Your insurance and phone bill come round every month. Add them as recurring expenses and Pulse asks you to confirm each one when it’s due.
Recurring expensesStraight to HMRC
Pulse is recognised by HMRC for Making Tax Digital. Send your quarterly updates from Pulse, and your tax return if you choose that package.
Sending MTD updatesEverything in one package
Small Business Complete includes everything on this page. There are no invoice limits, and you can start partway through the year and add the months you've missed.
MalgraBooks is recognised by HMRC for Making Tax Digital. HMRC reference D5P1NR.
Small Business Complete
- Bookkeeping, invoicing and mileage in Pulse
- Unlimited receipt scanning
- Making Tax Digital quarterly updates
- Your tax return sent to HMRC
Questions cleaners ask us
Do I need to register as self-employed?
If you earn more than £1,000 a year from cleaning before expenses, yes. You need to register by 5 October after the end of the tax year you started in. For example, if you started in June 2026, that’s by 5 October 2027. How to register with HMRC
Most of my clients pay cash. Do I need to record it?
Yes, every payment counts as income however it’s paid. The easiest habit is to add it in the app the same day, before it goes in your purse or the bank.
A client pays for the products I use at their house. Can I claim them?
Only if you paid for them. If you buy the products and add the cost to your invoice, the whole invoice is your income and the products are your expense. If the client buys them, there’s nothing for you to claim or record.
Do I need to register for VAT?
Only if your turnover goes over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months. Most self-employed cleaners are well under this. VAT explained
How long do I need to keep my records?
At least five years after the 31 January deadline for that tax year. Records and receipt photos in Pulse count, so you don’t need to keep paper copies as well. Keeping records
I’ve been using a spreadsheet. Can I switch partway through the year?
Yes. You can add the earlier months of the tax year when you join, so the whole year sits in Pulse ready for your updates and tax return.
Got a question that isn't here? Send us a message and the team will get back to you.