MTD spreadsheet template lines explained

Column A is the line name and column B is the amount in pounds. Capitals and spaces in the line name do not matter. A row with no amount is ignored, so headings and notes can stay.

All amounts are totals for the tax year so far. A line can appear only once.

• Total Sales or Rent Income must be in the file, even if it is zero
• Up to two decimal places. A £ sign is fine
• Put amounts with a thousands comma in quotes, or leave out the comma
• Expense lines can be negative, for example after a refund. Income lines and Residential Finance Costs cannot

Both Simple and Detailed use these lines.

• Total Sales: your sales before expenses. Put other business income on Other Income
• Other Income: other business income that is not sales. Optional
• Tax Taken Off Trading Income: tax deducted before you were paid. Optional. It is sent separately and does not add to Income. CIS deductions are entered separately, not on this line

Simple uses Total Expenses. Detailed uses the categories below. On Simple you can leave the categories blank, or fill them in and leave Total Expenses blank so they are added up for you.

• Total Expenses: all the expenses you can claim, leaving out Business Entertainment and Depreciation
• Cost of Goods: goods you bought to sell, or materials used in what you sell
• Subcontractors: payments to subcontractors in the construction industry
• Staff Wages: wages, salaries and other staff costs
• Car / Van / Travel: vehicle running costs and business travel
• Premises Costs: rent, rates, power and insurance for your business premises
• Maintenance: repairs and maintenance of premises and equipment
• Admin: phone, stationery, postage and other office costs
• Business Entertainment: entertaining clients. It cannot be claimed and is not imported
• Advertising: advertising and marketing
• Interest Paid: interest on bank and other business loans
• Finance Charges: bank, credit card and other financial charges
• Bad Debts: money owed to you that you have written off
• Professional Fees: accountancy, legal and other professional fees
• Depreciation: depreciation of equipment and vehicles, as in your accounts. It cannot be claimed and is not imported. Claim the cost of the item instead. Under cash basis most equipment is an expense when you pay for it. Equipment under traditional accounting gets capital allowances at year end. So do cars, unless you use simplified mileage expenses, which already cover the car
• Other Expenses: other business expenses that do not fit a category above

The property template is for UK property you own on your own. Jointly owned property is added in Money, where you enter the whole property’s amounts and your ownership share is applied.

• Rent Income: your rental income before expenses
• Total Expenses: the expenses you can claim, leaving out Residential Finance Costs
• Premises Costs: rent, rates, insurance and ground rent
• Repairs and Maintenance: repairs and maintenance of the property
• Finance Costs: loan interest and other financial costs that are not residential finance costs
• Professional Fees: letting agent, legal, accountancy and other professional fees
• Cost of Services: costs of services you provide to tenants, including wages
• Travel Costs: travel for your property business
• Other Expenses: other property expenses that do not fit a category above
• Residential Finance Costs: mortgage interest and other finance costs for residential lets. Always on its own line

Simple sends your income lines and one Total Expenses figure. Detailed sends your income lines and each expense category. If you fill in both Total Expenses and the categories, Total Expenses must equal the categories added up.

On Detailed, a file with only Total Expenses is refused. Replace it with the categories. Read how Simple and Detailed work at /features/simple-or-detailed-expenses.

If a line cannot be read, the upload stops and tells you which row to fix.

• Row 12: enter pounds with at most two decimal places.
• Row 9: “Fuel” is not a recognised line.
• Row 4: put amounts over £999 in quotes, or leave out the comma.
• Row 18: this line cannot be negative.
• Add the Total Sales line, even if it is zero.
• Replace your imported Total Expenses with the expense categories.

• Use the exact line names in column A
• Leave Business Entertainment and Depreciation out of Total Expenses
• Keep Residential Finance Costs on their own line
• Make Total Expenses equal the categories if you fill in both
• £29.99 + VAT a year. Bookkeeping is free. Pay when you send to HMRC.

Tax rules can change and individual circumstances matter. Use HMRC’s current guidance to confirm the treatment that applies to you.