UK Sole Trader Money Tracker 2026/27 | Excel & Google Sheets

Log what comes in and what goes out. See your profit, a rough tax bill and your quarter totals for Making Tax Digital. One spreadsheet for the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027), made for one-person trades: nail techs, lash and brow artists, hairdressers, barbers, dog groomers, cleaners, tattoo artists and personal trainers.

What it does

• Adds up your income and expenses by month and by quarter.
• Puts every expense in the right HMRC Self Assessment category (the boxes on the self-employment pages).
• Works out mileage at HMRC's 45p and 25p rates, and use of home at HMRC's flat rates.
• Gives a rough estimate of income tax and Class 4 National Insurance at 2026/27 rates, and checks whether the £1,000 trading allowance beats your actual expenses.
• Shows how much to put aside each month.

What's inside, sheet by sheet

• Start here: numbered steps, including how to open it in Google Sheets.
• Settings: business name, trade, Scottish taxpayer yes/no, opening bank balance, % to put aside for tax, your own income categories.
• Income log: date, client, service, category, cash/card/bank, amount and tips. Room for 1,000 entries.
• Expenses log: date, supplier, what for, HMRC category dropdown, amount, receipt kept, allowable or not. Room for 300.
• Mileage log: business journeys, with the 10,000-mile switch from 45p to 25p worked out for you. Room for 300.
• Use of home: hours worked at home each month, turned into HMRC's flat-rate claim.
• Monthly summary: income, expenses, mileage, use of home, profit and running profit for each tax month.
• Tax estimate: personal allowance (including the taper over £100,000), 20/40/45% bands, Class 4 NI at 6% and 2%, Class 2 note, trading allowance check, payments on account warning.
• MTD quarters: income and each expense category for the four standard quarters, plus year-to-date totals.
• Key dates: payment and filing deadlines for 2025/26 and 2026/27, with days to go.

Formulas are locked so you can't break them by accident. Yellow cells are yours to fill in. It comes with demo data so you can see it working; the Start here sheet tells you how to clear it.

How delivery works

After checkout you get a download link. Open the file in Excel, or upload it to Google Drive and open with Google Sheets. Nothing to install.

Honest limits

• It's an estimate to help you set money aside, not tax advice. Check with HMRC or an accountant.
• It isn't Making Tax Digital software and can't send anything to HMRC. It gives you the totals to copy into MTD or bridging software.
• The tax estimate assumes this business is your only income and uses the England, Wales and Northern Ireland income tax bands. Scottish income tax bands are different; the sheet shows a clear note if you say you're a Scottish taxpayer.
• No student loan, pension or other reliefs are included.

FAQ

Do I need Excel?
No. It works in free Google Sheets too: upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets.

Do I need Making Tax Digital?
From 6 April 2026 if your qualifying income is over £50,000, from April 2027 if it's over £30,000, and from April 2028 if it's over £20,000. The MTD quarters sheet gives you the numbers; you'll still need MTD-compatible software to send them.

Can I use it for next tax year?
This file is set up for 2026/27 dates and rates. Save a blank copy before you start if you want to reuse the layout, but the tax rates and dates would need checking for a new year.