# Accounting for self-employed cleaners

Canonical: https://taxmo.co.uk/trades/cleaners
Last updated: 2026-11-06

Regular clients, small weekly payments and supplies bought as you go: cleaning is easy to run and easy to lose track of on paper. Taxmo keeps every payment and receipt together so your Self Assessment figures are a total, not a hunt.

## What Taxmo does for cleaners

- Income and expenses in one place: Record what you earn and spend in categories, and see your profit and what to set aside for tax as you go. On every plan.
- Invoices and quotes: Send quotes and invoices from the same records, and see which invoices are still unpaid. A few a month on Free, without a cap on Starter and Pro.
- Receipt scanning: Photograph a receipt or forward it on WhatsApp, and Taxmo reads it into an expense for you to check. On Starter and Pro.
- Connect your bank: Connect your bank read-only or upload a CSV statement. Each transaction waits for your approval before it counts. On Starter and Pro.
- Mileage log: Log business journeys and Taxmo applies HMRC's approved mileage rates for the tax year, including the lower rate once you pass the annual mileage band.

## Expenses cleaners commonly claim

- Cleaning supplies: Products and materials bought for the business and used up on clients' jobs. Anything taken for your own home is personal use and not allowable. Source: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed
- Equipment you keep: Equipment you keep and use in the business is claimed as an allowable expense if you use cash basis accounting, or through capital allowances if you use traditional accounting. Source: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed/office-property
- Travel to clients: Fuel, parking and fares for business journeys, or the flat mileage rate for a car or van. Fines and travel between home and work are not allowable. Source: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed/travel
- Protective clothing: Clothing that protects your own clothes while you work, such as aprons or overalls, if you only use it for work. Everyday clothing is not allowable. Source: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed/clothing
- Business insurance: Any insurance policy for the business, for example public liability insurance. Source: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed/legal-financial
- Phone and internet: The business share of phone, mobile and internet bills. Only the business part of a mixed-use bill counts. Source: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed/office-property

Current figures, each with its GOV.UK source: https://taxmo.co.uk/uk-tax-rates

## Common questions

### Can I use the trading allowance and claim expenses?

No. The trading allowance is a tax-free amount of trading income each year, and if you use it you cannot also claim expenses or capital allowances. Check the current amount on GOV.UK or on our UK tax rates page.

### Do I need to send invoices to private clients?

Records of what you earned are what HMRC needs, and an invoice per client per month is an easy way to keep them. In Taxmo the invoice and the income entry come from the same record.

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General information from GOV.UK guidance, not tax advice. Rules and figures change, so verify on GOV.UK using the links on this page before relying on them.