Your Trade Clients' Shoebox. Solved.
Your sole-trader plumbers, electricians and builders tap through TaskDrop after each job. They can submit quarterly MTD ITSA returns directly to HMRC from the dashboard — no bridging software, no accountant involvement needed for the quarterly submission. You get a clean CSV at year-end too — every invoice, every expense, VAT calculated, mileage at HMRC rates. No shoebox. No chasing. No January nightmare.
The Problem with Trade Clients
Sole-trader tradespeople are some of the hardest clients to keep organised. They work on their phone, they invoice erratically (or not at all), their expenses are a mix of WhatsApp receipts and crumpled till slips, and their idea of record-keeping is a running total in their head.
The result lands on your desk every January — a shoebox, a spreadsheet full of gaps, and a client who can't tell you what they invoiced in October because they were busy in October.
TaskDrop solves the data-capture problem. It lives in WhatsApp — the app already on your client's phone — and turns every job into a dated, sequentially numbered, VAT-calculated invoice in under 60 seconds through a simple button-based menu. No typing long commands, no apps to learn. Every expense gets logged instantly through the Money menu. The records are there when you need them.
TaskDrop handles invoicing, record-keeping, and MTD quarterly submissions. It doesn't do bank reconciliation, VAT returns, annual Self Assessment, payroll, or tax planning. Your trade clients use TaskDrop daily — you focus on the advisory, planning and filings that actually require your expertise.
What You Get When a Client Signs Up
Year-End CSV Export
Every invoice, expense and mileage claim in one CSV. Client taps Export in the menu and forwards it to you. Imports cleanly into FreeAgent, Xero, QuickBooks and Sage.
Direct MTD ITSA Submission
From April 2026, sole traders over the MTD threshold need quarterly digital records and submissions. TaskDrop captures every transaction digitally and has MTD ITSA submission sandbox-tested. Production credentials applied for. Clients will connect their HMRC account once and submit in one tap. The only MTD ITSA software built around WhatsApp. CSV exports remain available for your workflow.
VAT Calculated Automatically
Every invoice includes the correct VAT calculation — 20% standard rate, shown separately. No reconciling rounding differences at year-end. VAT-registered clients get a full VAT invoice every time.
Mileage at HMRC Rates
Clients log site visits through the Money menu. Mileage is tracked at 45p/mile (first 10,000 miles) and 25p/mile thereafter — automatically, using the correct HMRC rates.
CIS Invoices Handled
For subcontractors under the Construction Industry Scheme — CIS deduction calculated on labour only, not materials. Correct CIS invoices every time, no manual calculation required.
Sequential Invoice Numbers
Every invoice gets a unique sequential number automatically (INV-2026-001, INV-2026-002 etc.) — the format HMRC expects. No gaps, no duplicates, no manual numbering.
How It Works — Button-Based, No Typing
TaskDrop runs entirely through WhatsApp menus. Your client never has to type a command or learn an app. Everything is a tap:
After finishing a job, the client opens WhatsApp and taps through to create an invoice. TaskDrop asks a few quick questions — customer, job, amount — and generates a branded PDF in under 60 seconds.
Fuel receipt, tool purchase, PPE — the client taps Money → Log expense. They pick a category, enter the amount, and it's captured and dated immediately. No end-of-month scramble.
Money → Log mileage. Client enters the miles, TaskDrop applies the correct HMRC rate automatically and records it against the tax year.
For MTD ITSA — the client connects their HMRC account once from the dashboard. Each quarter they review their pre-filled income and expenses, then submit in one tap. £80/quarter per submission, collected via Direct Debit.
view the figures and submit directly to HMRC in one tap. No bridging software, no involvement from you needed. For year-end — they tap Export and get a full CSV covering every invoice, expense, mileage claim and CIS record to forward to you as normal.The CSV Export — What's in It
Clients can view their quarterly figures in the MTD dashboard tab. Here's what's included:
| Sheet | What's Included |
|---|---|
| Invoices | Date, invoice number, customer name, customer address, job description, labour, materials, VAT rate, net, VAT amount, gross total, payment status, date paid |
| Expenses | Date, description, amount, VAT, category (Materials / Tools / Fuel / Van / Workwear / Other), job reference where applicable |
| Mileage | Date, description, miles, HMRC rate applied (45p or 25p), deductible amount, client or project reference |
| CIS (if applicable) | Contractor name, gross invoiced, CIS deduction rate, CIS deducted, net received, tax month |
All data is UTF-8 CSV, comma-delimited, ISO-8601 dates. Imports cleanly into FreeAgent, Xero, QuickBooks and Sage without transformation.
Making Tax Digital — What It Means for Your Trade Clients
From April 2026, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD ITSA) is mandatory for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. The threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027.
MTD requires digital record-keeping — every income and expense transaction must be recorded digitally as close to the transaction date as possible. Quarterly updates must be submitted to HMRC electronically.
TaskDrop satisfies both MTD requirements — digital record-keeping and quarterly submission. Every invoice and expense is timestamped and stored digitally as your client creates it. Clients connect their HMRC account once from the MTD Records tab in the dashboard. Each quarter they review their income and expense figures and submit directly to HMRC's Making Tax Digital API in one tap, with re-authentication required for security.
What this means for you: Your trade clients no longer need bridging software or accountant involvement for the quarterly MTD submission — they handle it themselves from the dashboard. Your involvement remains on the advisory, planning, annual Self Assessment, and VAT returns where your expertise adds real value. CSV exports remain available for your workflow if you prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions from Accountants
Does TaskDrop replace accounting software?
For invoicing — yes. For MTD quarterly submission — built and sandbox-tested, production credentials applied for. For full accountancy — no. TaskDrop captures income and expenses digitally and has direct MTD ITSA submission built and sandbox-tested (MTD ITSA submission built and sandbox-tested — HMRC production credentials application resubmitted). What it doesn't do is bank reconciliation, P&L reporting, corporation tax, payroll, or VAT return filing. You continue to use your existing software for those. CSV exports from TaskDrop import cleanly into FreeAgent, Xero, QuickBooks and Sage for your year-end work.
What about VAT returns?
TaskDrop calculates and records VAT on every invoice automatically — 20% standard rate shown separately, VAT number printed on qualifying invoices. The CSV export includes full VAT data. TaskDrop does not currently submit VAT returns — the VAT return is filed through your existing HMRC-recognised software as normal. MTD ITSA income tax quarterly returns are submitted directly by TaskDrop; MTD VAT is separate and not yet integrated.
How does it handle CIS?
For subcontractors under the Construction Industry Scheme, TaskDrop calculates the CIS deduction on labour only (not materials) at the correct rate — 20% for registered, 30% for unregistered. The invoice shows gross, deduction and net payable. The CIS sheet in the CSV export has contractor name, UTR, gross invoiced, rate, deduction and net received — the data you need for the CIS300 reclaim.
Can my client export data if they cancel?
Yes. Clients can export all their data at any time through the Export menu. If they cancel, they retain access to export for 90 days. You won't be left without records if a client moves on.
Is client data secure?
TaskDrop Pay displays bank details on every invoice — customers pay directly to the tradesperson's account via bank transfer. TaskDrop is never in the payment flow. No Stripe, no card processing fees, no intermediary.
If you have sole-trader plumbers, electricians, builders or other tradespeople as clients, TaskDrop solves their record-keeping problem and reduces your year-end workload. It costs them nothing. Forward them to taskdrop.co.uk, or get in touch if you'd like to discuss the product.