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My Business

Organise self-employed records

Keep business income and expense evidence by tax year without pretending Capshur decides what is allowable.

About 6 minutes

Rules reviewed 2 August 2026

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Step by step

Follow the safe route

  1. 1

    Save business evidence in My Business rather than Work or Personal.

  2. 2

    Record the supplier, transaction date, total, category and the business purpose.

  3. 3

    Where a cost has mixed use, record the business-use percentage and keep an explanation.

  4. 4

    Review the tax year and suggested retention date. Capshur should never delete automatically at that date.

  5. 5

    Export records and originals for your accountant, then keep any accounting decision separate from the captured evidence.

Helpful tips

  • HMRC says self-employed people should keep accurate records of sales, income, expenses and supporting proof.
  • The general Self Assessment retention rule is at least five years after the 31 January submission deadline for the relevant tax year.

Important boundaries

  • Capshur does not determine whether an expense is allowable or wholly for business.
  • Limited companies, partnerships and specialist schemes can have different requirements.

Official rules and guidance

Check the source before a real decision

These links leave Capshur and open official GOV.UK guidance. Rules can change, so the source wins if wording differs.

Questions people ask

Does Capshur decide whether a self-employed expense is allowable?

No. Capshur records the amount, purpose, category and evidence. The user or their accountant makes the tax treatment decision using current HMRC rules.

How long should self-employed records be kept?

HMRC’s general rule is at least five years after the 31 January submission deadline for the relevant tax year. Other taxes, business types, investigations and specialist records may require longer.

How do I know the tax and consumer guidance is current?

Rules articles show a review date and link to the official GOV.UK source. Capshur should prompt a fresh review when guidance changes and should never hide legal guidance inside marketing copy.

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