What Receipts Should I Keep for Taxes? A Complete UK Guide

You should keep receipts for every business expense you claim on your tax return, along with invoices, bank statements, mileage records, and any other documents that show what you spent, when you spent it, and what the expense was for.

This guide covers exactly what receipts you should keep for taxes, how long to hold onto them, and whether digital copies count.

Key points

• Digital records are just as important as paper ones 📱
  HMRC accepts digital copies, and scanning receipts while they're still readable means a faded or lost original won't cost you the claim. You'll also need to track specific details for mileage, working-from-home claims, and business equipment purchases.
• Know how long to keep your receipts 📅
  If you’re self employed, you should keep tax records for at least five years after the relevant 31 January filing deadline. Some situations, such as HMRC enquiries or late returns, require you to keep them for longer.
• Making Tax Digital (MTD) means staying organised all year 💻
  As MTD rolls out, self employed people will need to keep digital records and submit updates using compatible software. Starting early makes the transition much easier.
• Let ANNA handle the paperwork for you 🚀
  ANNA helps you stay tax-ready with receipt scanning, a dedicated business account, Self Assessment support, VAT tools, and real-time tax estimates, so you can spend less time on admin and more time running your business.

Why are receipts important for taxes?

Receipts are important because they prove that you spent the money, and that the spend was genuinely for your business. If HMRC reviews your tax return, they will expect evidence for any expenses you've claimed. If you can’t provide it, HMRC may reject your claim. 

Receipts also help you:

• Track your spending throughout the year
• Avoid claiming the same expense twice
• Spot missing invoices or payments
• Prepare accurate accounts
• Complete your tax return with confidence

What receipts should you keep for taxes?

As a general rule, you should keep a record of every business purchase and every payment connected with your business.

That doesn't always mean a paper receipt. HMRC accepts several types of records, provided they contain enough information to support your claim. Those may include:

• Paper receipts
• Digital receipts sent by email
• Invoices
• Bank statements
• Card payment confirmations
• Online order confirmations

Receipts for travel and working from home

Some expenses need more than a receipt. If you travel for business or work from home, HMRC expects extra detail to back up your claim.

Business travel receipts

Some business travel expenses require additional records, such as:

• Train, bus, and coach tickets
• Flight confirmations
• Hotel invoices
• Taxi receipts
• Parking receipts
• Toll charges

If you claim mileage instead of your actual vehicle costs, you'll also need a mileage log showing the date of each journey, your destination, the number of miles travelled, and the travel purpose.

Home office receipts

If you work from home and claim household costs, keep records such as:

• Utility bills
• Broadband bills
• Mortgage interest or rent records, where applicable
• Council tax records, where relevant

Remember that you also need to provide a reasonable method for determining the business's share of those costs.

Receipts for equipment and capital purchases

Buying a laptop, tools, or other equipment for your business is different from everyday running costs, and HMRC treats the records slightly differently too. These are capital purchases, and you'll usually claim them through capital allowances rather than as a standard expense.

Keep the receipt or invoice, and jot down the date you started using the item for your business. If you also use it personally, note the proportion used for business purposes. If you later sell or get rid of the item, keep a record of that too, as it could affect your tax bill for that year. 

Recurring costs and subscriptions

Software subscriptions, insurance, and other recurring costs don't always generate a fresh receipt every month. Some providers only send an annual invoice or a one-off confirmation when you sign up.

For these, keep the original invoice or confirmation showing the cost and payment terms, along with your bank statement showing the outgoing payments. If the price changes during the year, keep a record of that too, so your figures match up with what you've claimed.

What should a receipt include?

Receipt formats vary by retailer, but they must all contain enough detail for HMRC to verify what you bought and why.

Ideally, they should include:

• The supplier's name
• The purchase date
• A description of the goods or services
• The amount paid
• The VAT charged

Thermal paper receipts fade fast, sometimes within a few months, so photograph or scan yours while they’re still readable.

💡 Did you know?

With ANNA’s Receipt Scanner, you can photograph paper receipts as soon as you get them, and they’ll be stored alongside your transactions. That way, you're building complete records as you go instead of hunting for missing paperwork at tax return time.

How Making Tax Digital affects record-keeping

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for ITSA) is changing how self employed people keep records and report income to HMRC. Instead of pulling everything together at the end of the tax year, you'll need to keep digital records as you go and send HMRC quarterly updates using compatible software.

MTD for ITSA applies to self employed individuals and landlords, and is being rolled out in phases:

If the new rules apply to you, paper receipts and spreadsheets won't be enough. You'll need software that can store and organise your records digitally throughout the year.

Even if your start date is a while off, it’s still a good idea to start digitising your bookkeeping now. If you're already keeping tidy digital records, the switch to MTD will barely feel like a change at all.

How long should you keep tax receipts?

Self employed people should keep their tax receipts and other business records for at least five years after the 31 January filing deadline for the relevant tax year. 

For example, you should keep records for the 2025/26 tax year until 31 January 2032.

In some cases, you may need to keep records for longer, such as if you file your tax return late, HMRC opens an enquiry, or you need to amend your return.

If you run a limited company, the rules are different. You'll need to keep records for at least six years after the end of the accounting period they relate to. Companies House may require some records to be kept for longer, particularly if they relate to an asset expected to last more than six years.

Rather than storing everything in a pile until your tax return is due, keep your receipts organised throughout the year. It'll save you time, reduce the risk of losing important records, and make it easier to find what you need if HMRC ever asks for evidence.

What happens if you lose a receipt?

Misplacing a receipt doesn't automatically bar you from claiming the expense, but you'll still need to prove it was a genuine business cost.

Look for other evidence, such as:

• A bank or credit card statement
• An email confirmation
• An invoice from the supplier
• An online order history
• A payment confirmation

What happens if your records aren't good enough

If HMRC opens an enquiry and finds your records don't support the expenses you've claimed, it can disallow those expenses and increase the amount you owe. Where record-keeping failures appear careless or deliberate rather than a one-off mistake, penalties may apply in addition to any tax you owe.

Take the stress out of receipt-keeping with ANNA

Chasing down old receipts before your tax return is due is stressful, and it's easy to lose track of what you've spent throughout the year. ANNA is built to make record-keeping something you barely have to think about.

ANNA can help you manage your receipts and expenses with:

• Receipt scanner: Stores your receipt photos as soon as you get them, and automatically extracts the key details, so nothing gets lost or fades over time
• Automatic transaction matching: Matches your receipts to the right business transactions, helping you maintain accurate records without manual admin
• Business expense tracking: Categorises expenses automatically and gives you a clear view of your spending throughout the year
• Dedicated business account: Keeps your business and personal spending separate, making bookkeeping much simpler
• Invoicing software: Creates professional invoices, sends payment reminders, and tracks who's paid, with everything feeding straight into your accounts
• MTD-ready software: Helps you maintain digital records throughout the year and stay prepared for MTD for ITSA and VAT requirements
• Self Assessment support: Calculates your taxes and keeps everything organised in one place, whether you're filing a traditional Self Assessment or preparing for MTD for ITSA
• VAT support: Enables you to easily register for VAT, track VAT automatically, and submit VAT returns directly (ANNA is HMRC-recognised)
• Real-time tax estimates: Shows how much Income Tax, National Insurance, VAT, or Corporation Tax you owe before your deadlines arrive
• 24/7 customer support: Ensures you can get help from real people whenever you have a question about your records, bookkeeping, or taxes

Stop last-minute receipt chasing – open an ANNA account and get organised today.