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AI bookkeeping tools for electricians in the UK

Electricians' books have a few recurring headaches: wholesaler accounts paid monthly, scheme membership and certification fees, test equipment that needs calibrating, and a mix of domestic, commercial and CIS work. A bookkeeping app keeps those in categories as you go, so quarterly updates and the tax return aren't a weekend's work.

Prices were re-checked on each provider's own page; the date is next to each one. Rules and figures from GOV.UK are linked where they're used.

Wholesaler accounts and scheme fees

Match monthly wholesaler statements to individual jobs so you can see which jobs actually made money. Competent person scheme fees, insurance and test-equipment calibration are regular business costs; set them up as recurring entries. FreeAgent is £19 a month for sole traders (excl. VAT), or free with some business bank accounts (checked 15 October 2026).

Making Tax Digital

Sole traders with turnover over £50,000 in 2024 to 2025 should have started Making Tax Digital for Income Tax on 6 April 2026; the threshold falls to £30,000 in 2027 and £20,000 in 2028 (GOV.UK). Read our Making Tax Digital guide for the quarterly dates.

Solar, batteries and VAT

If you're VAT-registered, installing solar panels and batteries in homes is zero-rated until 31 March 2027 (GOV.UK). Check your software applies the right rate per line. If you work for contractors under CIS, keep every payment and deduction statement for your tax return.

The options, with prices

Tool	Price and free plan	UK notes and source
FreeAgent UK accounting software for sole traders, partnerships and small companies.	Sole traders: £19 a month. Limited companies: £33 a month or £330 a year. All excl. VAT, with 50% off the first six months when checked. Free with a NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank business account, or Mettle (conditions apply). Free for eligible NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank and Mettle customers; otherwise a 30-day free trial.	UK company, pounds. Source, checked 15 October 2026
Xero Cloud accounting for invoices, bank feeds, VAT and payroll, with AI-assisted features.	Ignite: £18 a month. Grow: £39. Comprehensive: £55. Ultimate: £70 (all excl. VAT). When checked, the first 6 months were 90% off. Payroll £1.50 per person. No free plan; a free trial and introductory discounts are offered.	UK pricing in pounds; Making Tax Digital compatible. Source, checked 15 October 2026
QuickBooks Cloud accounting with invoicing, expenses and VAT, plus Intuit Intelligence AI features (some in beta).	Plans: Sole Trader Plus, Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced, each with a 30-day free trial. All include CIS calculation and submission; VAT submission isn't in Sole Trader Plus. Prices load dynamically on the UK pricing page, so check the current figure there. No free plan; 30-day free trial.	UK pricing in pounds. Source, checked 15 October 2026
Sage Accounting UK accounting and payroll software with the Sage Copilot AI assistant included in every plan.	Start: £20 a month. Standard: £43 a month. All excl. VAT. Offer when checked: 90% off for 6 months. No free plan; introductory discount instead.	UK company, pounds, Making Tax Digital and CIS support. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Zoho Books Accounting software with a free plan for very small businesses and paid UK plans.	Free: £0. Standard: £12 a month (£10 billed annually). Professional: £24 (£20). Premium: £30 (£25). Per organisation. Free plan for sole traders and micro businesses.	UK pricing in pounds. Source, checked 15 October 2026

What to check before you choose

Is it on HMRC's list of software that works with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax? Check HMRC's finder, not only the provider's page.
Does it read receipts from a photo and match them to your bank feed?
Can it split one invoice across 0% and 20% VAT lines?
Introductory discounts: budget for the full price (FreeAgent, Xero and Sage all had offers when checked on 14 and 15 October 2026).
Can your accountant log in?

A prompt to start with

Paste this into ChatGPT or Claude, filling in the brackets:

You're helping me with bookkeeping for my electrical business. Here are this quarter's transactions: [paste]. Group them into income by job type (domestic, commercial, CIS), wholesaler materials, scheme and insurance fees, tools and test equipment, van, and other. Flag anything missing a receipt. Don't give tax advice.

Free tools

Price a job with the quote and VAT calculator (20%, 5%, 0% and reverse charge), or work out your day rate (see how much to charge per hour). Near the VAT threshold? Use the VAT threshold checker and read should I register for VAT? Already registered? See if the VAT Flat Rate Scheme calculator would save you money. Electrician-specific prompts (EICRs, consumer units, EV chargers): ChatGPT prompts for electricians. Estimate your tax bill with the self-employed tax calculator, see what you owe in January and July with the payments on account calculator, or see whether a company would leave you better off with the sole trader vs limited company calculator. Over £50,000 turnover? Making Tax Digital for Income Tax has applied since 6 April 2026; check your date with the Making Tax Digital checker.

Questions

Is scheme membership a business expense?

It's a cost of running the business, so record it as one. Ask your accountant how it's treated on your return.

When are Making Tax Digital quarterly updates due?

7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May, according to GOV.UK.

Are these prices in pounds?

Not all. Where a provider only publishes US dollar prices we show dollars, so check the price in pounds at checkout.

Do you get paid if I sign up?

Some links may become affiliate links, and we'll label them when they do. It doesn't change what we list. See how we make money.

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