Log household bills with the business share worked out from your hours, and journeys at HMRC mileage rates.
Childminders who pay household bills or drive for work. Needs the Standard plan or a free trial. It takes about five minutes.
When you log a household bill, KinderStart works out the business share from your hours. When you log a journey, it applies HMRC's mileage rate for your vehicle.
[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Navigating Funded Hours and Tax-Free Childcare: A Childminder's Guide (2026) for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.
[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on The Death of the 10% Wear & Tear Allowance: Why Your Tax Bill Might Go Up (2026) for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.
[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Childminder Startup Costs (2026): Independent vs. Agency Realities for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.
[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on 5 Things You Think Are Tax Deductible (But Actually Aren't) for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.
[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Separated Parents: Who Signs the Contract and Who Pays the Bill? for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.
[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Is Your Contract Illegal? The 2026 Rules on 'Top-Up Fees' vs. 'Consumables' for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.
[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Never Build a Spreadsheet Again: Inside the KinderStart Finance Engine for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.
[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Childminder Finance & Tax 2026: MTD Expense Rules and the New EYFS Statutory Guidance for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.
Open Finance, tap + and choose Log Expense. Tap the category and choose Household Running Costs (Gas, Elec, Water). Add a description and the amount.
A receipt is marked REQUIRED BY HMRC when the expense is over £10 and isn't food, or when you're enrolled for Making Tax Digital. Otherwise it shows Receipt Optional. KinderStart won't save a required expense without its receipt.
For household bills, an HMRC Automated Deduction box shows your home hours per week and the percentage of the bill you can claim. Allowable Business Expense shows that amount in pounds.
The hours used are the higher of the hours you logged at home over the last 7 days and your default weekly hours in settings.
Tap Save Expense. It appears under Recent Transactions.
Tap + and choose Log Mileage. Under VEHICLE TYPE, pick Car / Van or Motorcycle:
Add a description, such as the school run, and enter the miles one way. Tap RETURN for a trip there and back, and the total doubles. Tap Log Mileage Entry.
If some sign-outs are missing for the last 7 days, the percentage for household bills may be lower than expected. Fix them in the daily diary before you log the bill.
Working out the business share from your real hours means you don't have to guess a percentage. The rates are applied as you type, so each claim is right the first time.
Navigating Funded Hours and Tax-Free Childcare: A Childminder's Guide (2026) — Detailed 2026 statutory walkthrough and checklists.
The Death of the 10% Wear & Tear Allowance: Why Your Tax Bill Might Go Up (2026) — Detailed 2026 statutory walkthrough and checklists.
Childminder Startup Costs (2026): Independent vs. Agency Realities — Detailed 2026 statutory walkthrough and checklists.
5 Things You Think Are Tax Deductible (But Actually Aren't) — Detailed 2026 statutory walkthrough and checklists.
Separated Parents: Who Signs the Contract and Who Pays the Bill? — Detailed 2026 statutory walkthrough and checklists.
Is Your Contract Illegal? The 2026 Rules on 'Top-Up Fees' vs. 'Consumables' — Detailed 2026 statutory walkthrough and checklists.
Never Build a Spreadsheet Again: Inside the KinderStart Finance Engine — Detailed 2026 statutory walkthrough and checklists.
Childminder Finance & Tax 2026: MTD Expense Rules and the New EYFS Statutory Guidance — Detailed 2026 statutory walkthrough and checklists.
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KinderStart strives for accuracy. Competitor features and pricing comparisons are based on publicly available information as of May 2026. Details are subject to change by respective providers.