Expert advice on VAT, CIS, invoicing, business management, and growing your trade business. Written specifically for UK plumbers, electricians, builders, and contractors.
How the Trusted Payments app and Approved Code work for UK trades: who can join, how escrow pays out, disputes, and the cooling-off rules that still apply.
Jodie is the AI agent inside Traddie for UK trades. She orders materials, chases late payers and invoices finished jobs, and nothing goes until you say yes.
The best AI tools for UK tradesmen in 2026: an AI agent for your admin, chatbots for writing, AI phone answering, bookkeeping and marketing, with honest limits.
Fifteen practical ways UK tradesmen can use AI to chase payments, write quotes, order materials and fill in certificates faster, and four jobs AI must never do.
How to carry out an EICR step by step: extent and limitations, inspection, dead and live tests, C1 to FI codes, the Amendment 4 changes from 15 October 2026.
Ten ways electricians save time on an EICR without cutting corners: info before you arrive, board scanning, testing in order and a report sent before you go.
How to fill in a landlord gas safety record (CP12): what the law says it must include, the checks behind each box, the 28 day rule, and how to do it faster.
PAT testing explained for UK trades: whether it is a legal requirement, how often to test, the visual inspection and tests, and how to record the results.
BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 replaces the A3 edition on 15 October 2026. What changes for EICRs, certificates, PNB earthing, batteries and AFDDs, in plain English.
What the EICR codes C1, C2, C3 and FI mean, which ones fail a report, what landlords must do about each, and how the rules changed on 15 October 2026.
The difference between an EIC, an EICR and a Minor Works certificate, when each one is used, what goes on it, and which electrical work must be notified.
How to chase an unpaid invoice step by step: when to send each reminder, what to say, the late payment rules for business customers, and how to automate it.
How to charge statutory interest on a late invoice: 8% over base rate, the £40, £70 or £100 compensation, which customers it covers, and a worked example.
How van tax works for UK tradesmen in 2026/27: what sole traders claim, the £4,170 company van benefit, the commuting rule, electric vans and VAT on the van.
How to work out the real profit on a trade job: what to include, margin vs markup, a worked example, what a good margin looks like, and how to track it.
The best landscaping and grounds maintenance software for UK firms in 2026: recurring rounds, quoting, invoicing and teams, with UK prices and honest limits.
Every safety certificate a UK landlord needs in 2026: gas safety record, EICR, EPC, smoke and CO alarms, legionella and PAT, with how often and who can do each.
How to fill in a boiler service record and the Benchmark commissioning checklist: what each covers, the combustion readings, warranties and notifying installs.
What Immediately Dangerous and At Risk mean on a gas warning notice, what the engineer must do, what happens if the customer refuses, and when to report it.
Why Google reviews win trades more work, what customers check before they ring, five honest ways to get more, and the review rules UK law and Google enforce.
HMRC’s flat mileage rate for vans and cars rose to 55p for 2026-27, the first rise since 2011. What self-employed trades can claim, with worked examples.
What a CIS payment and deduction statement must show, when your contractor has to give you one, what to check on it, and what to do if it is wrong or missing.
WhatsApp in one inbox, certificates that work out the gas rate and maximum Zs, three prices on one quote, and the questions asked before you price it.
Klarna on every invoice, a price check that catches a quote priced under cost, the five OFTEC oil forms, and a calendar that finally takes more than jobs.
A 13-week cash flow view with a safe-to-spend number, a scan-to-pay QR code on every invoice, a proper defence against no-shows, and payroll done in one click.
Your customers get a portal of their own, your business gets a number that answers the calls you miss, and every job now shows what it actually made.
The Traddie app is live on the App Store and Google Play, with our biggest batch of features yet: digital certificates, Tap to Pay, lead catcher, auto-invoicing.
When you have to register for VAT, how to keep track of your turnover, and what actually changes once you cross the line. Written for UK trades.
How CIS deductions actually work, what gets deducted and what doesn't, and how to keep the paperwork straight without a spreadsheet headache.
The quote often decides the job before you've lifted a tool. Here's how to put one together that wins the work without dropping your price.
How to set payment terms that actually get you paid, what the law lets you charge on late invoices, and how to chase without the awkwardness.
What you actually gain by linking your invoicing to Xero, the bits to check before you switch sync on, and whether it's worth it for a small trade business.
Ten practical things that move the needle for a plumbing business, from getting found and quoting fast to building a team and keeping the cash coming in.
Gross payment status means contractors pay you in full with no CIS deduction. Here is what qualifies, how to apply, and whether it is worth it for your trade business.
Step by step through registering for the Construction Industry Scheme as a subcontractor: what you need, how long it takes, and what changes afterwards.
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