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
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