XPS v PDF

[Scrag Meister]

I was informed recently that the HMRC is now allowing us to maintain our records in purely digital form.

i.e digital invoices, scan's of receipts, remittances, insurance docs etc...

Up until the most recent dumb-ass agent who was incapable of using XPS format, I was using XPS format.

I am now forced to used PDF for my invoices and timesheets.

Any preferences, XPS is free and a Micro$oft standard, although PDF is probably used more.

The Official Adobe PDF printer driver is no longer free, although I am using CutePDF as an alternative at the moment.

[captainham]

I use biopdf for mine.

I like it because I need to submit one PDF each month with all my receipts, and this allows me to append new scans onto an existing file, and I place a watermark in the top corner with the receipt number (to match up with a 'receipt tracker' I also need to submit).

Same options may well exist in most others to be fair, not sure, but this does the job for me anyway.

[garethevans1986]

There are free PDF printers out there....it's not that hard.

GE

[kingcook]

MS Word 2010 can save documents as PDF. I've used it to generate PDF CV's. Not invoices though.

[ambient]

I was informed recently that the HMRC is now allowing us to maintain our records in purely digital form.

Would you be prepared to say who has informed you of this please? All information that i've had on this to date has been that purely digital isn't acceptable. (After all, you may digitally alter the information on a receipt.....never mind that a paper receipt often fades over time.....*sigh*)

Anyway, on the advice i've had, i've been doing both....maintaining digital records for everything and filing anything away that was originally paper based.

Out of interest, what does everyone else do?

[captainham]

Would you be prepared to say who has informed you of this please? All information that i've had on this to date has been that purely digital isn't acceptable. (After all, you may digitally alter the information on a receipt.....never mind that a paper receipt often fades over time.....*sigh*)

Anyway, on the advice i've had, i've been doing both....maintaining digital records for everything and filing anything away that was originally paper based.

Out of interest, what does everyone else do?

Scroll down to 'How to keep your records':

HM Revenue & Customs: Keeping records


although I do keep my paper receipts, everything is also scanned in and dumped on Dropbox to protect against hard drive failure, etc.


edit: but check here for original copies you must always keep:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ct/managing/record-keeping.htm

But there are certain records that you must keep in their original form. These include:

dividend vouchers
bank interest certificates
Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) vouchers - (these vouchers were used before the current scheme was introduced in April 2007)

[ambient]

Scroll down to 'How to keep your records':

HM Revenue & Customs: Keeping records


although I do keep my paper receipts, everything is also scanned in and dumped on Dropbox to protect against hard drive failure, etc.


edit: but check here for original copies you must always keep:

HM Revenue & Customs: Records for Corporation Tax: what you need to keep

But there are certain records that you must keep in their original form. These include:

dividend vouchers
bank interest certificates
Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) vouchers - (these vouchers were used before the current scheme was introduced in April 2007)

Thanks for the link. I conform to that and also, like you, I maintain an offsite backup too to protect against hard disk failure and loss of the paper records through fire/flood etc.

I'll declare that it was Abbey Tax (at a PCG Seminar) that advised against digital only, although I agree that is against what the HMRC page says. Ultimately, it looks like it's down to your own personal choice and opinion then.

[SimonMac]

MS Word 2010 can save documents as PDF. I've used it to generate PDF CV's. Not invoices though.

WHS, but I use it for invoices too

[kingcook]

Out of interest, what does everyone else do?

Everything is scanned, including dividend vouchers.

All paper is then all destroyed (EXCLUDING dividend vouchers)

[Gentile]

I used to scan everything, which had the advantage that I could read the printing on those faded receipts after a bit of firkling around with the controls on the scanner.

Then I printed it out.

When I started out years ago I had the bright idea of laminating all the fiddly little receipts I used to collect into A4 sheets. Never do this. You just end up with a load of black laminated rectangles. Because the heat from the laminator causes the thermal paper that till receipts are generally printed on to turn black!

Your approach is far more sensible. Scan them and then just keep the original receipts in envelopes marked with appropriate time periods (six month intervals is usually about right, or monthly if you have lots and lots of the things).