Self-Assessment Tax Preparation Pack

Checklist and worksheet to gather everything needed before filing your tax return. HMRC expense categories included.

BeautyKiln Document Hub - Self-Assessment Tax Preparation Pack - Free to use, no attribution required

What this is

A checklist and preparation pack for self-employed beauty workers filing their Self-Assessment tax return. Gather everything listed here before you start filing - it will save you hours of scrambling for paperwork.

Section 1 - Your details

• UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference): ___________________
• National Insurance number: ___________________
• Government Gateway user ID: ___________________
• Government Gateway password: ___________________ (stored securely)
• Tax year you are filing for: 6 April 20___ to 5 April 20___

Section 2 - Income

Record ALL income received during the tax year, whether paid by card, cash, bank transfer or app.

• Total card/contactless payments received: £___________
• Total cash payments received: £___________
• Total bank transfer payments received: £___________
• Total tips received (card and cash): £___________
• Gift vouchers redeemed: £___________
• Any other income (workshops, training, affiliate): £___________

Total self-employment income: £___________

Other income (not from your beauty business)

• Employment income (if you also have a job): £___________
• Bank/savings interest received: £___________
• Dividend income: £___________
• Rental income: £___________
• Any other income: £___________

Section 3 - Expenses by HMRC category

HMRC groups expenses into specific categories on the tax return. Sort your receipts and records into these groups.

Cost of goods sold

Products, materials and supplies bought for use on clients.

• Hair colour, developer, toner: £___________
• Nail products (gel, acrylic, polish): £___________
• Wax, tanning solution, lash adhesive: £___________
• Skincare products used in treatments: £___________
• Disposables (gloves, couch roll, spatulas, towels): £___________
• Other consumables: £___________

Subtotal: £___________

Car, van and travel expenses

Choose either actual costs OR the simplified mileage rate (45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles, 25p after that). Do not use both.

• Mileage log total miles: ___________ x rate = £___________
• OR actual fuel costs: £___________
• OR actual vehicle insurance (business portion): £___________
• OR actual vehicle repairs (business portion): £___________
• Parking fees: £___________
• Congestion/toll charges: £___________

Subtotal: £___________

Travel and subsistence

Travel costs that are not car/van related.

• Public transport (train, bus, taxi): £___________
• Hotel/accommodation for work: £___________
• Meals when working away from your normal base: £___________

Subtotal: £___________

Telephone, fax, stationery and other office costs

• Mobile phone (business percentage): £___________
• Landline/broadband (business percentage): £___________
• Stationery, printing, postage: £___________
• Computer software/apps (booking system, accounts): £___________

Subtotal: £___________

Advertising and business entertainment

• Social media advertising (Facebook, Instagram, Google): £___________
• Business cards, flyers, signage: £___________
• Website hosting and domain: £___________
• Photography for portfolio: £___________
• Directory listings: £___________

Subtotal: £___________

Business insurance

• Public liability insurance: £___________
• Professional indemnity insurance: £___________
• Treatment risk insurance: £___________
• Contents/equipment insurance: £___________

Subtotal: £___________

Interest on bank and other loans

• Business loan interest: £___________
• Credit card interest (business purchases only): £___________

Subtotal: £___________

Other allowable expenses

• Chair/room rent: £___________
• Salon/premises rent (if you rent your own space): £___________
• Laundry (towels, capes, uniforms): £___________
• CPD courses, training, qualifications: £___________
• Professional body membership (NHBF, ABT, etc): £___________
• DBS check: £___________
• ICO registration fee: £___________
• Accountant/bookkeeper fees: £___________
• Bank charges on business account: £___________
• Waste disposal: £___________
• Use of home as office (simplified: £10/month for 25-50hrs, £18 for 51-100hrs, £26 for 101+hrs): £___________

Subtotal: £___________

Section 4 - Capital allowances

Equipment and large items bought for your business this year. If the item costs under £1,000, you can usually claim the full amount in the year you bought it using the Annual Investment Allowance.

• Item: ___________________ Cost: £___________
• Item: ___________________ Cost: £___________
• Item: ___________________ Cost: £___________
• Item: ___________________ Cost: £___________

Total capital allowances claimed: £___________

Section 5 - Other information needed

• Student loan plan type (Plan 1 / Plan 2 / Plan 4 / Postgraduate): ___________
• Student loan outstanding: Yes / No
• Pension contributions made this tax year: £___________
• Gift Aid donations made this tax year: £___________
• Child Benefit received: Yes / No (may need to repay if income over £60,000)
• Marriage Allowance transferred: Yes / No

Section 6 - Documents to have ready

• Bank statements for all accounts used for business (full tax year)
• Receipts or digital records of all expenses claimed
• Invoices issued
• Mileage log (if claiming mileage)
• P60 or payslips (if you also have employed income)
• P11D (if you received benefits from an employer)
• Pension statements
• Previous year's tax return (for reference)

Common expenses beauty workers forget

These are legitimate expenses that self-employed beauty workers regularly miss:

• ICO registration fee (currently £40 if you hold client data)
• DBS check renewal
• Laundry costs for towels, capes and uniforms
• Use of home as office (even if you only do admin and booking at home)
• Phone case and screen protector (if you use your phone for bookings)
• Parking at supplier wholesalers
• Travel to training courses
• Professional body membership fees
• Accountant or tax software subscription
• PPE (gloves, masks, aprons)
• Sharps bin collection
• Music licensing (if applicable to your workspace)

Key dates

• Tax year runs: 6 April to 5 April
• Online filing deadline: 31 January following the end of the tax year
• Paper filing deadline: 31 October following the end of the tax year
• Payment deadline: 31 January (and possibly 31 July for payments on account)
• Sinners: Late filing penalty starts at £100, even if you owe nothing

How to use this template

Print this out or save a digital copy. Work through each section, filling in figures from your records, bank statements and receipts. If you use accounting software (FreeAgent, QuickBooks, Xero), most of these figures will already be there - but use this checklist to make sure nothing has been missed. Once complete, either file your return yourself via HMRC's online service or hand this pack to your accountant. They will thank you for it.

Update this pack each tax year. The 30 minutes you spend gathering everything upfront will save hours of stress in January.