The bookkeeping app for plasterers
Do your books from the van, out loud. Say what you did and VanBooks writes the invoice, logs the costs and miles, and keeps your tax figure up to date.
“Skimmed two bedrooms for Hughes Builders, £520 labour. Plaster and beads, £85. Fourteen miles.”
Made for the way plasterers work
CIS on labour only
Set your CIS rate once: materials are left out and the deduction fills itself in.
Retentions tracked
Main contractor keeping back 5%? VanBooks reminds you when it's due and makes the release invoice.
Statements for builders
Send a builder one statement of every invoice and what's left to pay.
Chasing done for you
Automatic reminders for late payers, with late-payment interest for business customers.
Also in VanBooks
- Making Tax Digital quarterly updates and VAT returns
- How much to put aside after every payment, and when to pay HMRC
- Mileage worked out from postcodes, 45p and 25p a mile
- A private link for your accountant, or their own sign-in
Questions plasterers ask
What can a plasterer claim?
Plaster, beads and materials used on jobs, mixers and tools, van costs or mileage, workwear and PPE, trade insurance and phone.
Does Making Tax Digital apply to me as a plasterer?
It depends on your turnover (money in before costs), not profit. It starts in April 2026 if you took over £50,000, April 2027 over £30,000 and April 2028 over £20,000. VanBooks keeps the digital records and sends the quarterly updates.
Can I claim for my van?
Yes. Either claim 45p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles and 25p after, or the actual costs (fuel, insurance, repairs and the van itself), but not both for the same van. VanBooks works out either and warns you if you mix them.
Guides for plasterers
- How to invoice as a sole trader: what an invoice must include
- What can tradespeople claim as expenses?
- CIS for subcontractors: how deductions work and getting money back
- Retentions in construction: how they work and how to claim them
- How much tax should I put aside when I'm self-employed?
- Making Tax Digital for sole traders: what changes and when
First month free, then £9 a month
No card needed to start. Cancel any time.
Free tools: tax calculator · mileage calculator · Does MTD apply to me?