The back office for UK caterers.
Ingredients, hire and mileage logged in a tap. Lekhio keeps the books while you run the kitchen.
What caterers can claim.
The everyday costs of the job, all allowable, all logged from a text. Claim them and you pay tax only on what is left.
Not sure about something specific? Check it on the expense checker. General guidance, not tax advice.
Do caterers need an accountant?
Short answer, no. The questions below are the ones caterers actually ask, answered straight.
Do caterers need an accountant?
No. There is no legal requirement for a self employed caterer in the UK to use an accountant. What you are actually required to do is keep records of what came in and what went out, and send a Self Assessment return once a year. An accountant is one way to get that done. Software that keeps the records as you go is another, and it is the cheaper one. Lekhio prepares your figures and you approve and send them yourself, so nothing reaches HMRC without you.
What can a self employed caterer claim as expenses?
The everyday costs of doing the work, which for caterers usually starts with food and ingredients, packaging and disposables, equipment and hire. You can also claim your van running costs or 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles, tools, protective clothing, public liability insurance and the business share of your phone. You pay tax on what is left after those come off, so a cost you forget is tax you did not need to pay.
When do caterers need to register for Self Assessment?
If you earned more than £1,000 from self employment in a tax year, you need to register with HMRC by 5 October following the end of that tax year. Registering is free and you do it yourself on GOV.UK. It takes about ten minutes and nobody should be charging you for it.
When is the tax return due?
31 January after the end of the tax year, for an online return. You send it, and the tax you owe is due the same day. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax adds four quarterly updates once your turnover plus any gross rent, before a single expense comes off, passes the line on a return already filed: more than £50,000 on your 2024 to 2025 return brought people in from April 2026, more than £30,000 on your 2025 to 2026 return brings them in from April 2027, and more than £20,000 on your 2026 to 2027 return from April 2028. The tax return still comes at the end, and a partner’s share of partnership profit does not count.
How long do caterers have to keep records?
At least five years after the 31 January deadline for the return you send for that tax year. HMRC can ask to see them in that window. A photo of a receipt counts, which is why logging it the day it happens beats a carrier bag in the van in January.
General guidance for the UK, not tax advice. Lekhio prepares your figures. You check them and you send them, and nothing reaches HMRC without you pressing yes.
Free tools for caterers.
Caterers, your books are handled.
Snap it, say it, or send it. Lekhio logs it, claims it, and keeps you ready for tax. You always approve before anything reaches HMRC.
Start free