Industry News
Trusted Payments app and the Approved Code, explained
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.
Read articlePractical Guides for UK Tradespeople
Learn how to handle quoting, invoicing, VAT, CIS, and growth with clear, practical guidance built for real trade businesses.
Guide Topics
VAT Guides
Learn VAT threshold tracking, invoice VAT setup, and practical steps for VAT-ready trade workflows.
CIS Guides
Understand CIS deductions, contractor/subcontractor workflows, and export-ready records for accounting.
Invoicing Guides
Improve invoice quality, payment terms, and collection speed with practical invoicing playbooks.
Quoting Guides
Build quote templates and acceptance workflows that improve conversion and reduce back-and-forth.
VAT Guides
See allVAT calculator
Add or remove VAT at 20%, 5% or a custom rate, including the reverse calculation.
VAT flat rate scheme calculator
Compare the flat rate scheme against standard VAT, with the 9.5% and 14.5% construction rates and the limited cost trader rule.
UK trade tax calendar
Every VAT, CIS and Self Assessment deadline for 2026/27 in the order they land.
Free invoice template
What a VAT invoice must show, including when a simplified invoice is allowed.
CIS Guides
See allCIS deduction tracking
How the 20%, 30% and gross rates work, and why materials sit outside the deduction.
CIS deduction calculator
Work out the deduction on a subcontractor invoice with materials excluded correctly.
CIS rebate calculator
Estimate the refund owed back from a year of deductions, expenses and tax bands.
Making Tax Digital for trades
Why CIS subcontractors report gross invoice values in a quarterly update, not the net that reached the bank.
Invoicing Guides
See allFree invoice template
Everything a UK invoice has to carry, plus the VAT and CIS variations.
Statement of account template
Show the whole account with an ageing summary, which is far harder to ignore.
Late payment letter template
The statutory interest and compensation you can claim on commercial debts, and the wording that moves an invoice up the payment run.
Automatic payment reminders
Chase overdue invoices on a schedule instead of remembering to do it.
Quoting Guides
See allTrusted Payments and the Approved Code
Who can join the government-backed escrow app, how staged payments work, and why the cooling-off notice still goes with the quote.
Free quote template
Scope, line items, terms and an acceptance section customers can sign.
What to charge for a job
Build a price from days, materials, markup and contingency, then check it against 2026 market rates.
Job profit calculator
Find out what a job really made, and what it paid you per day.
Markup and margin calculator
Convert between markup and margin, which is where most trades quietly undercharge.
Latest from the blog
Product Updates
Meet Jodie: the AI agent that does the admin for UK trades
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.
Read articleBusiness Tips
The best AI tools for tradesmen in the UK (2026)
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.
Read articleBusiness Tips
15 practical ways tradesmen can use AI in 2026
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.
Read articleCertificates
How to do an EICR: a step by step guide for electricians (BS 7671 A4:2026)
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.
Read articleCertificates
The quickest way to do an EICR: 10 time savers that don't cut corners
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.
Read articleCertificates
How to fill in a landlord gas safety record (CP12): a step by step guide
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.
Read articleCertificates
PAT testing explained: how to do it, how often, and how to record it
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.
Read articleCertificates
BS 7671 Amendment 4: what changes on 15 October 2026
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.
Read articleCertificates
EICR codes explained: C1, C2, C3 and FI (2026)
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.
Read articleCertificates
EIC vs EICR vs Minor Works: which electrical certificate do you need?
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.
Read articleInvoicing
How to chase unpaid invoices: a UK guide for trades, with templates
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.
Read articleInvoicing
How to charge interest on late invoices in the UK
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.
Read articleVAT & Tax
Van tax for tradesmen: sole traders, limited companies and the 2026/27 rates
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.
Read articleBusiness Growth
How to work out job profit (and why most trades get it wrong)
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.
Read articleBusiness Tips
The best landscaping and grounds maintenance software in the UK (2026)
The best landscaping and grounds maintenance software for UK firms in 2026: recurring rounds, quoting, invoicing and teams, with UK prices and honest limits.
Read articleCertificates
What certificates does a landlord need? A 2026 checklist
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.
Read articleCertificates
How to fill in a boiler service record and the Benchmark checklist
How to fill in a boiler service record and the Benchmark commissioning checklist: what each covers, the combustion readings, warranties and notifying installs.
Read articleCertificates
Gas warning notices explained: Immediately Dangerous vs At Risk
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.
Read articleBusiness Tips
Google reviews for tradesmen: why they matter and how to get more
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.
Read articleVAT & Tax
HMRC mileage rate is now 55p: what self-employed trades can claim
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.
Read articleCIS & Compliance
CIS payment and deduction statements: what you should get and what to check
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.
Read articleProduct Updates
What's New in Traddie: the 1.8 Update
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.
Read articleProduct Updates
What's New in Traddie: September 2026 Product Update
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.
Read articleProduct Updates
What's New in Traddie: August 2026 Product Update
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.
Read articleProduct Updates
New in Traddie: Customer Portals and Work Numbers
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.
Read articleProduct Updates
What's New in Traddie: July 2026 Product Update
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.
Read articleVAT & Tax
VAT Threshold Guide for UK Tradespeople in 2026
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.
Read articleCIS & Compliance
CIS Deductions Explained: A Complete Guide for Contractors
How CIS deductions actually work, what gets deducted and what doesn't, and how to keep the paperwork straight without a spreadsheet headache.
Read articleBusiness Tips
How Professional Quotes Help You Win More Work
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.
Read articleInvoicing
Setting the Right Payment Terms on Your Invoices
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.
Read articleIntegrations
Why Integrate Your Invoice App with Xero
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.
Read articleBusiness Growth
10 Tips for Growing Your Plumbing Business in 2026
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.
Read articleCIS & Compliance
CIS Gross Payment Status: Should You Apply, and How?
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.
Read articleCIS & Compliance
How to Register for CIS as a Subcontractor (2026)
Step by step through registering for the Construction Industry Scheme as a subcontractor: what you need, how long it takes, and what changes afterwards.
Read article