Wholesale receipts, van costs, callout mileage in one app
Plumb Center, Wolseley, Screwfix, B&Q. Van expenses. Gas Safe registration. Callout mileage. All scanned and sorted.
Two trips to the merchants a day, paper receipts everywhere
Plumbers buy small bits constantly — a fitting, a length of pipe, a washer. Each one is a receipt. By Friday your van glove box is a paper graveyard, and at year-end you're trying to remember what £12.40 at Wolseley on a Tuesday was for.
What PocketReceipt tracks for plumbers
Wholesaler receipts
Plumb Center, Wolseley, City Plumbing, Screwfix — vendor and category auto-detected.
Callout mileage
Job-to-job miles tracked. HMRC 45p / 25p AMAP rates.
Gas Safe registration
Annual fee tracked. CPD courses for gas qualifications captured as training.
Tools & van kit
Pipe cutters, wrenches, leak detector, blowtorch — capital allowances flagged.
Public liability
Insurance premium tracked monthly or annually.
Phone & software
Job management apps (ServiceM8, JobLogic), business phone — captured as overhead.
A typical plumbing day, tracked
- 8:00am — fill diesel, snap petrol receipt
- 9:30am — first callout, return to Plumb Center for a missing fitting
- 12:00pm — second callout, drive 14 miles, mileage logged
- 2:00pm — quick stop at Wolseley for copper pipe, scan receipt
- 4:30pm — emergency callout, drive 22 miles
- Sunday — pay annual Gas Safe registration, receipt saved
FAQ for plumbers
Can I claim Gas Safe registration as an expense?
Yes. Mandatory professional registration for your trade is fully allowable.
My van is also used for school run on weekends — can I still claim it?
Yes, but apportion. If 80% of miles are business, claim 80% of actual costs. Or use simplified mileage rate which avoids the apportioning calculation.
What about overalls and steel-toe boots?
Protective clothing required for the job is allowable. Branded uniform is allowable. Generic clothing that could double as everyday wear is not.
Reverse-charge VAT — does it apply to me?
For VAT-registered plumbers invoicing other VAT-registered businesses on construction work, yes. End-customer (homeowner) work is normal VAT. See our CIS calculator for the construction-services overlap.