Sole traders and landlords: tax
Self Assessment Records Kit 2025-26 (UK)
Price: £9
One-off purchase. Instant download. UK buyers only, for now.
Secure checkout by Stripe. You confirm at checkout that you want the download straight away.
Faulty file? We fix it, replace it or refund you. Terms of sale and refunds.
- A 7-page PDF to print and an Excel workbook
- Version 1.0, free updates to that version
- Every source linked, last checked 9 November 2026
A printable records checklist, income and receipt logs, a payments-on-account planner and an Excel workbook for getting your 2025 to 2026 Self Assessment figures in one place before 31 January 2027.
Dates. The 2025 to 2026 online return and the tax are due by 11:59pm on 31 January 2027, which is a Sunday. To pay through your tax code, GOV.UK says to submit the return by 11:59pm on 30 December 2026.
The online Self Assessment return for the 2025 to 2026 tax year (6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026) and the tax are due by 11:59pm on 31 January 2027. Most of the work is finding the records: what you earned, what you spent, and what you have already paid on account.
This kit puts that in order. A checklist of the records GOV.UK says to keep for each kind of income, an income log and a receipt log to total, and a planner for the January and July payments, each with the GOV.UK page it quotes. Use the printable pack, the Excel workbook, or both. It is a record-keeping kit: it does not work out your tax, and you still file and pay on GOV.UK yourself.
Formats: A 7-page PDF to print and an Excel workbook. The workbook works in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice. No macros.
Version 1.0, checked 9 November 2026. Updates to this version are free: see the questions below.
What is inside
Who makes this, and how it is checked
- Made by
- Plainfiles, run by TurboKast Ltd (company number SC881077), registered in Scotland. 29 Commercial Street, Dundee, DD1 3DG.
- Checked
- Against 9 official sources on 9 November 2026. Every source is linked below.
- If a file is faulty
- We fix it, replace it or refund you. Terms of sale and refunds.
- Who can buy
- Buyers in the UK only, for now. Payment is handled by Stripe; you download the files straight after paying.
Written and designed by Plainfiles with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, then checked against the official legislation and guidance listed in the sources. How we write and check our work.
What is included
- The dates, as GOV.UK states themThe 30 December 2026 date for paying through your tax code, the 31 January 2027 deadline to file and pay, and the payments on account dates, each quoted from GOV.UK, with what GOV.UK says about a deadline that falls on a weekend.
- Records checklistTwo pages of tick boxes for the records GOV.UK lists: self-employment or a partnership, employment, benefits, savings, investments and pensions, rental income, overseas income and capital gains, plus how long GOV.UK says to keep them.
- Income logOne line for each amount received: the date, who it came from, what it was for, how it was received and where the proof is kept, with a page total.
- Receipt logOne line for each cost, with a category key built from the examples of allowable expenses GOV.UK gives for the self-employed, and a column for the business share.
- Payments-on-account plannerBoxes for the figures on your own tax calculation and statement, so you can see what is due on 31 January and 31 July, with GOV.UK’s own worked example, a table for setting money aside and GOV.UK’s list of the penalties for a missed deadline.
- Before you file: a last checkA one-page checklist to run through before you send the return, and the list of sources.
- Excel workbookThe income log and receipt log as sheets with 200 rows each, a category list to pick from, and a payments on account sheet that adds up the totals and works out the balancing payment from the figures you type in.
What it is not
- It does not file your return or pay HMRC. You do both yourself on GOV.UK.
- It does not work out your tax and does not tell you whether you must send a return, or which costs you can claim. GOV.UK and HMRC do that.
- It is not tax, financial or legal advice and is not issued or endorsed by HMRC or any government body.
- It is for the 2025 to 2026 tax year only. It is not Making Tax Digital software and does not keep digital records for Making Tax Digital.
Sources and checking
Checked against these official sources on 9 November 2026:
- Self Assessment tax returns: Deadlines (GOV.UK)
- Self Assessment tax returns: Penalties (GOV.UK)
- Understand your Self Assessment tax bill: Payments on account (GOV.UK)
- Pay your Self Assessment tax bill (GOV.UK)
- Business records if you’re self-employed (GOV.UK)
- Business records if you’re self-employed: What records to keep (GOV.UK)
- Business records if you’re self-employed: How long to keep your records (GOV.UK)
- Keeping your pay and tax records (GOV.UK)
- Expenses if you’re self-employed (GOV.UK)
Written and designed by Plainfiles with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, then checked against the official legislation and guidance listed in the sources. These kits are independent templates to help you organise your paperwork. They are not legal, tax or financial advice, are not issued or endorsed by any government body, regulator or council, and do not guarantee a licence, rating or any other outcome.
Free guides that go with this kit
- Appeal an HMRC Self Assessment penalty: reasonable excuse, the 30-day deadline and what to write Self Assessment
- HMRC daily penalties, 6-month and 12-month late filing penalties explained Self Assessment
- Making Tax Digital for sole traders: the £30,000 test and what starts on 6 April 2027 Making Tax Digital
Frequently asked questions
Does the kit file my tax return?
No. It gathers your records and totals. You send the return and pay HMRC yourself on GOV.UK.
Does it work out how much tax I owe?
No. Your tax calculation comes from HMRC’s online service or your software. The planner only arranges the figures from your own calculation and statement, so you can see what is due in January and in July.
Who is it for?
Anyone sending a 2025 to 2026 Self Assessment return who wants their records in one place first: sole traders, landlords, and people with other untaxed income. It does not tell you whether you must send a return: GOV.UK has a tool for that.
Do I need Excel?
No. The printable pack works by itself. The workbook also opens in Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice, and has no macros.
Is it Making Tax Digital software?
No. It is for the 2025 to 2026 Self Assessment return. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax needs compatible software and has its own rules.
Is this from HMRC?
No. Plainfiles is independent and is not government. The kit quotes GOV.UK and links each page it relies on. We never ask for your Government Gateway login, your Unique Taxpayer Reference or a payment for HMRC.
Get the Self Assessment Records Kit
Price: £9
One-off purchase. Instant download. UK buyers only, for now.
Secure checkout by Stripe. You confirm at checkout that you want the download straight away.
Faulty file? We fix it, replace it or refund you. Terms of sale and refunds.
Already had a penalty for a late return or late payment? See the HMRC Self Assessment Penalty Appeal Pack.