receipts?

[babybluebell]

Hiya Im just starting this week childminding and just getting my head wrapped around tax, expenses etc but one question i have is do i need to have receipts to send with my tax return for the following things: electric, oil heating/gas, rent and food?? Any info much appreciated thanks :)

[Kiddleywinks]

You don't need to send anything in when you do your tax return.
You just fill in the annual total for the relevant questions.
Should the tax office decide to do a tax inspection, then you would need to provide all your receipts for the relevant tax year.

The way I do my accounts is this:
Big A4 sized envelope labelled for the relevant tax year, then inside

Spreadsheet listing my incomings and outgoings for the year - printed off
All invoices and receipts clipped together in month order
Copy of my tax return once it's been submitted

You must keep accounts for a 6 year period, so the current year 2014 -2015 can't be shredded until after April 2021
Food receipts only need to be kept for 6 months, but I regularly calculate my food costs, so keep the receipt I used to work it out as evidence and put that in a smaller envelope inside the big one

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I am very similar and keep everything documented in a diary. From there I enter all the figures into a spreadsheet (I used Pacey account books for the first year and then devised my own) and once it has all be submitted it goes in a large envelope in the roof. When I enter the receipts they are stapled weekly and marked Oct 14 week 1, October 14 week 2 etc.. for easy checking if needed.