Best AI office assistants for UK trades firms in 2026
Five AI tools for a trades office, scored on the jobs each covers, set-up, approval, support, a price you can read and track record.
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Trades and building firms
Guides to the admin that eats a firm's week, and reviews of the software that claims to fix it. 65 guides and 2 reviews so far.
Free toolsBest buysQuestions answeredKey factsGlossaryKey datesGetting paidQuotes and enquiriesSoftware and costsRules and paperwork
Free tools
Customer cancels a job: which rule applies and what you are owedFive questions on who the customer is, where the job was agreed and whether work had started, leading to one of eight outcomes with the regulation behind each.Getting paid check for trades firms: ten yes-or-no questions from quote to court judgmentTen yes-or-no questions on how a UK trades firm gets paid: extras, payment terms, invoices, chasing, the letter of claim and enforcing a court judgment.Unpaid invoice: the next step for this customerFour questions on who owes you, how far you have got and whether the work is disputed, leading to one of eight next steps with the rule and the fee behind each.Unpaid invoice chasing letter maker for tradesThree copy-and-paste messages for an unpaid trade invoice, at due date, 7 days and 14 days, with different wording for homeowners and business customers.Late payment interest calculatorWork out the statutory interest and fixed fee a late-paying business customer owes you, using the right Bank Rate for the date interest started.CIS deduction calculatorWork out the CIS deduction on a subcontractor invoice at 20%, 30% or gross, with materials and VAT left out and the reverse charge shown properly.Invoice maker for tradesFill in a free UK invoice for trades work in your browser and print it or save it as a PDF. Handles VAT, the reverse charge and CIS.VAT calculatorAdd VAT to a price or take it out of a total in one step. Why taking 20% off a VAT-inclusive total gives the wrong answer, with the fix.Letter before action maker for an unpaid trade invoiceA letter of claim you can copy for an unpaid trade invoice, the forms that must go in the envelope, and the 30 days you wait before a court claim.Letter to a customer after a county court judgmentA court judgment does not collect itself. The four ways to enforce one in England and Wales, the fee for each from £82 to £139, and how to pick the right one.Admin scorecard for a trades firm: the office hours a week that could be prepared by AI and checked by you, job by jobEnter the hours a week your firm spends on enquiries, quotes, chasing and paperwork to see which jobs AI could prepare and what stays with you.CIS checklist: taking on a subcontractor21 steps for a trades firm taking on a subcontractor under CIS: registering, verifying, the deduction, the statement, the return by the 19th and paying HMRC.Day rate calculator for trades: what to charge a day and an hour to earn what you needEnter the income you want, your yearly costs and the days you cannot bill, and see the day rate and hourly rate that cover them, with and without VAT.Job paperwork checklist for tradespeople22 paperwork steps for one job, from the quote to the last invoice: cancellation forms, CIS, VAT, certificates, chasing and tax records, each with its rule.Quote follow-up message maker: day 0, day 3 and day 7Copy-and-paste follow-up messages for a quote nobody has answered, plus a quote we drafted from an invented site note to show what a good one contains.Quote terms maker for tradespeopleCopy-and-paste terms for a trade quote: price, extras, payment, cancellation, faults and removed materials, each with the rule in law that limits it.Trades firm paperwork check: ten yes-or-no questions on quotes, tax and getting paidTen yes-or-no questions for a UK trades firm on quotes, terms, CIS, VAT, Making Tax Digital, sick pay, scrap and certificates, each with the rule behind it.VAT registration checklist for tradespeople23 steps for a trades firm that has crossed the £90,000 VAT line: the dates, registering, pricing while you wait, first invoices and the first return.
Best buys
Best AI office assistants for UK trades firms in 2026
Five AI tools for a trades office, scored on the jobs each covers, set-up, approval, support, a price you can read and track record.
Best job management software for UK trades firms in 2026
Seven job management apps for UK trades firms, scored on the jobs each covers, Capterra UK reviews, a price you can read and a link to Xero or QuickBooks.
Getting paid
CIS refund for a sole trader: £6,000 deducted, and the profit level where you stop getting money back
A subcontractor gets CIS deductions back through Self Assessment: £6,000 deducted is £5,368.20 back at £15,000 profit, and nothing near £35,650.
Getting paid check for trades firms: ten yes-or-no questions from quote to court judgment
Ten yes-or-no questions on how a UK trades firm gets paid: extras, payment terms, invoices, chasing, the letter of claim and enforcing a court judgment.
Is it legal to backdate an invoice? What the date on a trade invoice can and cannot be, with one job dated through
An invoice must show the real date it was issued and the date the work was done. Why a false date moves no VAT, tax or interest, with one job worked through.
My invoice is unpaid: which step comes next? Four questions, from reminder to court
Four questions on who owes you, how far you have got and whether the work is disputed, leading to one of eight next steps with the rule and the fee behind each.
How to chase an unpaid invoice as a builder: three letters and when to send them
Three copy-and-paste messages for an unpaid trade invoice, at due date, 7 days and 14 days, with different wording for homeowners and business customers.
When a tradesperson has to register for VAT: the rolling 12 months, worked through
The £90,000 VAT test is a rolling 12 months, not a tax year. We ran an invented firm through it month by month to find its crossing and registration dates.
Late payment interest calculator for UK trades: what a late business customer owes you
Work out the statutory interest and fixed fee a late-paying business customer owes you, using the right Bank Rate for the date interest started.
Free invoice template for electricians and builders (UK), with CIS and reverse charge
Fill in a free UK invoice for trades work in your browser and print it or save it as a PDF. Handles VAT, the reverse charge and CIS.
VAT calculator: add 20% or take the VAT out of a total, with the one-sixth rule
Add VAT to a price or take it out of a total in one step. Why taking 20% off a VAT-inclusive total gives the wrong answer, with the fix.
Customer won't pay for work done? What a UK tradesperson can do, step by step
From the first reminder to a county court claim: the steps, the letters, the court fees in pounds, and whether you can hold back the certificate.
Letter before action template for an unpaid trade invoice, and the 30-day wait that follows
A letter of claim you can copy for an unpaid trade invoice, the forms that must go in the envelope, and the 30 days you wait before a court claim.
What happens if a customer ignores a county court judgment? What a trades firm can do next, with the fees
A court judgment does not collect itself. The four ways to enforce one in England and Wales, the fee for each from £82 to £139, and how to pick the right one.
What late payment interest can a builder actually claim? Worked sums
A business customer paying late owes you 8% plus Bank Rate and a fixed fee. Worked sums for £850 to £12,000 debts, and who you cannot claim from.
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How ready is your firm for AI? Find out in 3 minutes.Take the 3-minute readiness scorecardQuotes and enquiries
Can I charge more than my quote? When a tradesperson's final invoice can be higher, and when it cannot
A quote is a fixed price. The final invoice can be higher only for changes the customer expressly agreed. Four common reasons tested, one job worked through.
Can my customer cancel the job, and what do I get paid if they do? Five questions for trades
Five questions on who the customer is, where the job was agreed and whether work had started, leading to one of eight outcomes with the regulation behind each.
How to write a quote for a job: a worked electrical example and the cancellation trap
What to put in a trade quote, a worked example for a consumer unit change, and the cancellation rule that can leave you unpaid for a finished job.
Day rate calculator for self-employed trades: what to charge a day to earn what you need
Enter the income you want, your yearly costs and the days you cannot bill, and see the day rate and hourly rate that cover them, with and without VAT.
Quote follow-up template for builders: the day 3 and day 7 messages
Copy-and-paste follow-up messages for a quote nobody has answered, plus a quote we drafted from an invented site note to show what a good one contains.
Terms and conditions template for tradespeople: seven clauses and the law that limits each one
Copy-and-paste terms for a trade quote: price, extras, payment, cancellation, faults and removed materials, each with the rule in law that limits it.
Software and costs
How much do a trades firm's registrations cost in 2026? Waste carrier, Gas Safe, CSCS, ICO and Companies House fees
Five registrations a small trades firm pays for in 2026, each fee read from the body that sets it, and the first-year bill for a three-person heating firm.
Admin scorecard for trades firms: how many office hours a week could AI prepare for you to check, job by job
Enter the hours a week your firm spends on enquiries, quotes, chasing and paperwork to see which jobs AI could prepare and what stays with you.
Can I use ChatGPT for quotes, invoices and customer emails as a tradesperson? What four AI tools cost and what they do with your data
ChatGPT Plus is £20 a month and trains on your chats unless you opt out. Prices and data terms for ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini, with three prompts.
Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark or Rated People: what a won job really costs
Lead platforms charge in four different ways. We turned each into one number, the cost per won job, and show how to work out yours from your own figures.
Tradify vs ServiceM8 for a nine-person trades firm: the real yearly cost
Tradify charges per user, ServiceM8 by jobs a month. We priced both for a nine-person firm with four office logins, from each firm's own pricing page.
Xero vs QuickBooks vs FreeAgent for a sole-trader tradesperson: what MTD software costs a year
Xero Simple is £7 a month, QuickBooks Sole Trader Plus £10 and FreeAgent £19. The yearly cost for a sole-trader trade, with and without VAT.
Rules and paperwork
RIDDOR over-7-day injury on a trades job: weekends count, and the report is due within 15 days of the accident
HSE: an injury keeping a worker off for more than 7 consecutive days is reportable within 15 days of the accident. Four worked cases on real dates.
Employer National Insurance on an apprentice under 25: £0 up to £967 a week, against £1,590 a year on the same wage
GOV.UK 2026-27: employer NI on an apprentice under 25 is 0% up to £967 a week and 15% above. Against a standard employee at £8, £10.85 and £12.71 an hour.
Statutory Maternity Pay for a trades firm: 90% for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90% for 33, worked at £700, £250 and £140 a week
GOV.UK: Statutory Maternity Pay runs up to 39 weeks, 90% of pay for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90%, whichever is lower. Worked at three pay levels.
Statutory paternity pay for a trades firm: £194.32 a week or 90% of pay, up to 2 weeks, worked at £560, £215 and £129 a week
GOV.UK: statutory paternity pay is £194.32 a week or 90% of pay if lower, for 1 or 2 weeks. Worked for a labourer and a part-timer.
Redundancy pay for a trades firm: 2 years' service, a £751 weekly cap and a £22,530 ceiling, worked at £560 and £900 a week
GOV.UK: statutory redundancy pay from 2 years' service, weekly pay capped at £751 from 6 April 2026, maximum £22,530. Worked for a labourer and a foreman.
Letting a worker go: the minimum notice a trades firm must give, 1 week per year up to 12 weeks, worked at £560 a week
GOV.UK: at least 1 week's notice from 1 month, 1 week per year from 2 to 12 years, 12 weeks from 12 years. The cost at £560 a week, worked.
Right to work checks for a trades firm's new starter: what to check, 2 years of records and a £60,000 maximum penalty per worker, worked
GOV.UK: check before you employ, keep copies for the job plus 2 years. The law caps the penalty at £60,000 per worker. Worked for 1, 3 and 5.
Holiday entitlement for a trades firm's first employee: 5.6 weeks, a 28-day cap and part-timers, worked
GOV.UK says most workers get 5.6 weeks paid holiday, capped at 28 days. Worked for a full-time joiner, a four-day apprentice and a part-timer.
Employers' liability insurance for a trades firm: £5 million cover and up to £2,500 a day, worked for a first hire
GOV.UK says employers' liability cover must be at least £5 million and a firm can be fined £2,500 every day it is uninsured. Worked for a first hire.
Tool tax relief for your employed joiners and labourers: £140, £60 or £120 a year, worked for six staff over five years
HMRC flat rate expenses for tools: £140 for joiners, £60 for labourers, £120 for others. At 20% that is £28, £12 and £24 a year. Worked for six staff.
Employee using their own van for work: pay 55p a mile, then 25p after 10,000, worked on 14,000 miles
Paying an employee for miles in their own van: 55p for the first 10,000, 25p after. 14,000 miles is £6,500 for tax, £7,700 for NI. Worked, with the 45p trap.
The 48-hour week on a trades firm: the 17-week average, a 55-hour push worked out, and the 11-hour rest between days
GOV.UK says no more than 48 hours a week on average, normally over 17 weeks. A 55-hour site push worked out week by week, plus the 11-hour rest rule.
First employee in a trade business: the workplace pension duty, 3% from you on earnings between £6,240 and £50,270, worked at £28,000
Your first employee starts a pension duty: 3% from you and 5% from them on earnings between £6,240 and £50,270. Worked at £28,000 and £10,000.
Apprentice pay in a trades firm: £8 an hour, who gets it, and what the second year costs in a week
The apprentice minimum wage is £8 an hour from April 2026, but only under 19 or in the first year. A 37.5-hour week is £300, then £406.88 at 18 to 20. Worked.
Van mileage for a sole trader: 55p for the first 10,000 miles, 25p after, worked for 8,000, 14,000 and 20,000 miles
Simplified expenses for a van or car are 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles and 25p after. 14,000 miles is £6,500. Worked, with the lock-in rule.
Doing quotes and invoices at the kitchen table: the £10, £18 or £26 a month flat rate for working from home, and the hours that decide it
A sole trader doing paperwork at home can claim £10, £18 or £26 a month by hours worked. Twelve hours a week is £18 a month, £216 a year, £43.20 of tax saved.
Taking on your first employee: employer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000, and how the £10,500 Employment Allowance covers it
A £14 an hour full-time hire in a trades firm triggers £3,618 of employer National Insurance. The £10,500 Employment Allowance can cover it, with the sum shown.
Does the VAT reverse charge apply to this job? Five questions for a subcontractor, and what it does to the money you receive
The construction reverse charge decides whether you add VAT or the contractor pays it to HMRC. Five questions to settle it, and an £8,000 job worked both ways.
Buying a van or tools as a sole-trader tradesperson: what you can claim, and what a £24,000 van saves in tax
GOV.UK treats vans and tools as plant and machinery. What the £1 million allowance means for a small firm, and what a £24,000 van saves.
National Insurance for a sole trader in 2026 to 2027: Class 2 and Class 4 worked at five profit levels
Class 4 is 6% on profit from £12,570 to £50,270 and 2% above. Worked at £15,000, £30,000, £45,000, £50,270 and £60,000, with what Class 2 now means for you.
How long after a job can a customer come back about faulty work? The 6, 12 and 15-year limits for a builder
A customer has six years to sue on a simple contract, but hidden defects can run to 15. What each limit means for a builder and which job records to keep.
The £1,000 trading allowance or your real expenses? Three side-job tradespeople worked through
GOV.UK lets you deduct up to £1,000 of trading income instead of expenses. Who cannot use it, and sums showing when expenses beat it.
Van mileage for a self-employed tradesperson, 55p flat rate or actual costs? Two vans worked through
GOV.UK shows 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in 2026-27. What it covers, who cannot use it, and sums for 8,000 and 14,000 miles.
CIS gross payment status: the three tests, the £30,000 turnover line and what it is worth
Can you be paid with no CIS deduction? The business, turnover and compliance tests, the £30,000 and £100,000 figures worked through, and the annual review.
Payment notices and pay less notices: the dates that decide whether a contractor can short-pay your trade invoice
Subcontractor invoice cut by the main contractor? How the Construction Act payment notice, pay less notice and 17-day final date work, with a dated example.
0% VAT on heat pumps, solar and insulation ends on 31 March 2027. What installers should put in quotes now
The 0% VAT rate for installing energy-saving materials in homes ends on 31 March 2027. What qualifies, the cost of the 5% return and how tax points work.
CIS deduction calculator: what the contractor keeps and what you get paid
Work out the CIS deduction on a subcontractor invoice at 20%, 30% or gross, with materials and VAT left out and the reverse charge shown properly.
Electrical certificates explained: EIC, Minor Works, EICR, Part P, and the 15 October A4 deadline
Which certificate each job needs, who gets it and by when, and what changes on 15 October 2026 when the old edition of BS 7671 is withdrawn.
Making Tax Digital for sole-trader trades: are you in, and what is due on 7 November
MTD for Income Tax started in April 2026 for sole traders over £50,000 of turnover, not profit. Who is in, the quarterly dates, and the first-year easement.
Statutory sick pay from day one: what it costs a small trades firm since 6 April 2026
Since 6 April 2026 sick pay starts on the first day off. Who gets it in a trades firm, the daily rate, and three absences worked out in pounds.
New-build house at 0% VAT: does CIS still come off? One invoice worked through
On a new-build house your labour and building materials are zero-rated and the reverse charge drops out, but CIS still comes off. A full worked invoice.
Do you have to pay tax on scrap copper? What a tradesperson declares, and why the yard cannot pay cash
Scrap money from your jobs is business income. What to declare, why the £1,000 allowance does not cover it, and the yard's no-cash, ID and record rules.
Self Assessment by 31 January 2027: what a CIS subcontractor pays, and when payments on account apply
The 2025 to 2026 tax return and bill are due by 31 January 2027. One bricklayer's bill worked through, with and without CIS deductions, in pounds.
How long do I have to keep invoices and job records as a tradesperson? Five years for tax, six for VAT, one job worked through
A sole trader keeps records for 5 years after the 31 January deadline, 6 years for VAT, 3 for CIS and 2 for waste notes. One job dated through every rule.
Do I have to have public liability insurance as a self-employed tradesperson? What the law requires and what it does not
No law makes a tradesperson hold public liability cover. Employers' liability is the compulsory one: £5 million, and up to £2,500 a day in fines without it.
CIS checklist for contractors: taking on and paying a subcontractor
21 steps for a trades firm taking on a subcontractor under CIS: registering, verifying, the deduction, the statement, the return by the 19th and paying HMRC.
CIS monthly return: the 19th deadline and what a late one costs
Contractors must send the CIS return by the 19th. The late penalty ladder from £100, with worked examples, and why a nil return is still required.
Job paperwork checklist for tradespeople: from the quote to the final invoice
22 paperwork steps for one job, from the quote to the last invoice: cancellation forms, CIS, VAT, certificates, chasing and tax records, each with its rule.
Trades firm paperwork check: ten yes-or-no questions on quotes, tax and getting paid
Ten yes-or-no questions for a UK trades firm on quotes, terms, CIS, VAT, Making Tax Digital, sick pay, scrap and certificates, each with the rule behind it.
VAT registration checklist for tradespeople: what to do when you cross £90,000
23 steps for a trades firm that has crossed the £90,000 VAT line: the dates, registering, pricing while you wait, first invoices and the first return.