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AI bookkeeping tools for joiners and carpenters in the UK

Joiners often have a mix of work that needs separating in the books: CIS site work for builders, fitting kitchens and doors for homeowners, and workshop jobs making bespoke pieces. Timber and sheet material prices move, so job-by-job costs show what's actually profitable. A bookkeeping app also keeps the records you'd need to apply for CIS gross payment status.

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.

Gross payment status

With gross payment status, contractors pay you without the 20% deduction, which helps cash flow. For a sole trader it needs construction turnover of at least £30,000 a year, ignoring VAT and materials, plus tests on paying tax on time (GOV.UK). Clean records of labour and materials make that turnover easy to show.

Labour, materials and the deduction

Under CIS the deduction is taken from labour, not materials, so invoices to contractors should show materials separately. Our CIS calculator uses HMRC's method. QuickBooks and Sage both list CIS support (checked 14 and 15 October 2026).

Workshop and site jobs

Track timber, sheet goods and hardware against each job, and keep tool purchases separate from materials. If you're near the VAT threshold, check the VAT threshold checker monthly; Making Tax Digital for Income Tax uses turnover too (GOV.UK).

The options, with prices

Tool	Price and free plan	UK notes and source
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
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
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
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
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?
Do invoices show labour and materials separately for CIS?
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 joinery business. Here are this quarter's invoices and costs: [paste]. Split income into CIS site work, domestic fitting and workshop jobs; total construction turnover excluding VAT and materials; and list materials by job. 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. 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

How much turnover do I need for CIS gross payment status?

For a sole trader, at least £30,000 a year of construction turnover, ignoring VAT and materials, among other tests set by HMRC.

Should my invoice show materials separately?

For CIS work, yes: the deduction applies to labour, not materials.

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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