Complete User Guide

How to Use AxiomaBooks

From signing in and keeping records to reviewing VAT exports and using bridging software — step by step, with no assumed knowledge.

In this guide

1Getting Started 2Business Setup 3Recording Income 4Recording Expenses 5VAT Returns 6Submitting to HMRC (MTD)7Reports 8Working with Your Accountant 9Plans & Billing 10Income Tax MTD (ITSA)11Getting Paid (Axioma Pay)

1Getting Started

Getting Started

AxiomaBooks is a cloud-based accounting tool for UK freelancers and small businesses. Follow these steps to sign in and set up your business.

Request a sign-in code

Go to axiomabooks.co.uk/login and enter your email address. New and returning users use the same sign-in page; no password is needed.

Enter your six-digit code

Check your inbox and enter the six-digit code in AxiomaBooks. Use the code, rather than looking for a confirmation link. Check your spam folder if the email does not arrive.

Set up your business and start your trial

For a new business, complete onboarding on Starter, then complete the checkout for the 14-day free trial. No card is required to start. Successful checkout returns you to the dashboard. Starter then costs £9.95/month; if no payment method is added before the trial ends, the subscription cancels.

You can use AxiomaBooks on any device — desktop, tablet, or phone. It's a progressive web app (PWA) so you can also add it to your phone's home screen for quick access.

Working on several records at once: on Invoices, Clients & Suppliers, Income & Expenses, Mileage and Recurring bills, tick the boxes on the left of the rows (or the box in the header to tick every row on the page), then choose an action in the bar above the list, such as Archive, Unarchive, Delete, Restore or Void. The same rules apply as for one record at a time: for example, a client used by invoices is skipped rather than deleted, and only the business owner can delete permanently.

2Setup

Business Setup

Before you start recording transactions, tell AxiomaBooks about your business. This helps identify your business and its VAT registration.

Go to Settings → Business

As the business owner, open Settings → Business to review and save your business name. Use the name you want associated with your business records.

Record your VAT registration

If registered, select VAT registered and enter your VAT number. Keep these details current. Registration details do not establish whether a particular transaction or VAT scheme is supported by the export.

Choose report dates

Select the appropriate From and To dates when viewing reports. The VAT export initially uses the current UK tax year to date, so change those dates to your actual VAT period before preparing a return. There is no financial-year-start setting in this form.

If you are a sole trader, your business name can simply be your own name. You do not need to be a limited company to use AxiomaBooks.

3Income

Recording Income

Every amount you receive from clients or customers needs to be recorded as income. AxiomaBooks lets you create invoices and log income directly.

Create an invoice

Add your client under Clients & Suppliers, then open Invoices → New invoice. Select the client, enter the invoice number, issue and due dates, and add line descriptions, quantities, unit prices and the appropriate numeric tax rates.

Share the invoice

Owners on Growth can use Email invoice to client when the client has an email address; the email has a payment button and the invoice is marked Sent. Owners can also generate an Axioma Pay payment link (valid for one month) to share. Mark sent changes the invoice status; it does not itself send an email. Only the business owner can send an invoice or mark it as sent.

Record payment and income

When payment is confirmed, use Mark paid on the invoice. This changes its status; it does not automatically create a ledger income entry. Record the receipt in Income & Expenses for your ledger reports, checking first that it has not already been recorded.

Log income in the ledger

Open Income & Expenses → Add entry, choose Income, and enter the amount, category and date, with an optional contact and note. This also supports receipts without an invoice. Ledger income alone does not populate the invoice-based VAT sales figures.

Bill a recurring client as a subscription

For a client you bill on a regular schedule, tick Make this a recurring invoice when creating it. The Subscription option underneath is ticked by default. Send that first invoice as normal: your client gets a Subscription Payment button that pays the first invoice and securely saves their card. After that, each new period's invoice is charged to that card automatically and marked paid, so you do not need to send a fresh Pay Now link every time. Untick the Subscription option for a client who prefers to pay each invoice manually.

Use consistent income categories (e.g. "Consultancy fees", "Product sales") from the start. This makes your Profit & Loss report much easier to read at year end.

Auto-charge uses the same Axioma Pay payout setup as your regular Pay Now links, so your business's Axioma Pay setup needs to be complete first — you will be prompted to finish it the first time you generate a payment link. If a scheduled charge fails (for example the card needs extra verification, or is declined), you will get a notification and the invoice is left for you to follow up manually.

4Expenses

Recording Expenses

Every business cost — software subscriptions, travel, office supplies, professional fees — needs to be recorded as an expense. Keep clear supporting records and check the tax treatment with your accountant.

Add an expense

Open Income & Expenses → Add entry and choose Expense. Enter the amount in pounds, category and date. Add a supplier and note if useful. The current form has one amount field and does not separate net cost and purchase VAT.

Prepare purchase VAT separately

The app does not calculate recoverable purchase VAT from expense entries. Review your supporting records with your accountant and enter the appropriate Box 4 override in the VAT Return Export report. Check the Box 7 approximation as well; a gross expense amount is not automatically converted to a net purchase value.

Keep supporting records and backups

Keep receipts and other supporting documents in your own organised records, linked to the relevant expense. The current expense form does not offer a receipt attachment upload. Export your records and keep independent backups at intervals suited to your business.

Only business expenses are deductible. Personal costs — even if paid from a business account — should not be recorded as business expenses. When in doubt, ask your accountant.

5VAT

VAT Returns

Prepare a VAT summary for your HMRC reporting period. AxiomaBooks displays nine boxes, but some need separate inputs or review; this is not a complete automatic VAT calculation for every business.

Go to Reports → VAT Return Export

Open Reports → VAT Return Export. Enter the From and To dates for the period you need, and your checked Box 4 override. Do not assume the initial date range matches your HMRC obligation.

Review the nine-box summary

Boxes 1 and 6 use non-draft, non-void invoices by issue date. Box 4 uses your manual override. Box 7 sums non-void expense ledger amounts and is only an approximation. Boxes 2, 8 and 9 are currently zero; Boxes 3 and 5 are derived totals.

Box	Description
Box 1	VAT due on sales and other outputs (key figure)
Box 2	VAT due on goods acquired in Northern Ireland from EU member states
Box 3	Total VAT due (Box 1 + Box 2) — calculated automatically
Box 4	VAT reclaimed on purchases and other inputs (key figure)
Box 5	Net VAT to pay HMRC or reclaim (Box 3 − Box 4) (key figure)
Box 6	Total value of sales, excluding VAT
Box 7	Total value of purchases, excluding VAT
Box 8	Value of goods supplied from Northern Ireland to EU member states
Box 9	Value of goods acquired in Northern Ireland from EU member states

Check the export limitations

Reconcile the report to your records and ask your accountant to check any adjustments, VAT scheme or transactions it does not handle. The app shows Box 5 as a signed difference; check the destination template’s required sign convention before importing. A nine-box layout does not mean every VAT scenario is supported.

You are responsible for the accuracy of your VAT return. AxiomaBooks calculates the figures from what you have recorded — if a transaction is missing or mis-categorised, the figures will be wrong. Always reconcile against your bank statement before submitting.

Most businesses are on quarterly VAT returns aligned to calendar quarters (Jan–Mar, Apr–Jun, Jul–Sep, Oct–Dec) or stagger-dated quarters. HMRC sets your specific quarter dates when you register for VAT — check your VAT certificate if unsure.

6Making Tax Digital

Submitting to HMRC via Making Tax Digital

If you are required to use MTD for VAT, filing needs compatible software. Starter and Growth provide a VAT CSV export for review. Use a bridging provider only after confirming a supported import workflow and checking that your figures are complete.

Illustrative workflow: confirm the file format and any linked template before importing.

Preparing a bridging workflow with any MTD bridging software like My Tax Digital

Prepare and review the VAT summary

Open Reports → VAT Return Export, set your actual period and Box 4 input, and review the limitations in Section 5 before using the figures.

Download the CSV export

Use Download VAT export CSV. The filename includes your From and To dates. It contains a readable summary and a machine-readable row with VAT field names; it is not a verified, universal bridging-software import format.

Set up your chosen bridging provider

Choose any HMRC-recognised MTD bridging software — for example My Tax Digital (see its current VAT instructions). Follow your chosen provider’s instructions to register, select your business and authorise access through HMRC. Bridging providers are independent services, not part of AxiomaBooks or HMRC, and pricing varies.

Confirm the import format before filing

Direct import of AxiomaBooks’ exact CSV into any particular bridging software has not been verified. Check the provider’s example template and required fields first. You may need a spreadsheet that imports the CSV and links its figures into that template electronically. Ask your accountant or provider to confirm the mapping before uploading.

Review the imported figures

Check the business, VAT period and all nine figures against your reviewed records. Resolve any missing values, sign or rounding differences before confirming the return.

Submit through the bridging provider

Follow the provider’s review, declaration and submission steps. Save its confirmation and receipt with your records. Filing a return does not itself pay any VAT due.

Important: digital link requirement

Where digital links are required, transfer figures electronically using a supported import or linked spreadsheet. Copying and pasting or retyping figures is not a substitute for that link. An export alone does not establish compliance. See HMRC’s digital-link guidance and confirm your workflow with your accountant.

Your Government Gateway credentials belong to your business — not to AxiomaBooks. When you sign into your chosen bridging software (any HMRC-recognised bridge), you authenticate with your own HMRC account. AxiomaBooks never sees or stores your HMRC login details.

Complete: direct VAT filing is coming soon

Direct filing from AxiomaBooks is planned for Complete. Complete is not currently available to subscribe to, and native filing is not part of the Starter or Growth workflow. We will announce availability on the pricing cards.

View plans

7Reports

Reports

AxiomaBooks generates the key financial reports you need to understand your business and meet HMRC obligations.

Profit & Loss

Shows your total income minus total expenses for any period. This is the primary report for understanding whether your business is making money. Use it for Self-Assessment and for conversations with your accountant.

VAT Return Export

A nine-box summary and CSV export for a selected date range, with manual Box 4 input and the limitations explained above. Available on Starter and Growth.

Revenue by Client (Growth)

Review invoiced revenue grouped by client over your selected date range.

Expense Report (Growth)

Review recorded expenses by category and date. Growth also includes Invoice Details and Payments Collected reports.

Aged Receivables (Complete)

What each client still owes, split into Not yet due, 1–30, 31–60, 61–90 and over 90 days, with every unpaid invoice listed and partial payments taken off. Export it to CSV to chase late payers or review with your accountant.

Use each report’s available date filters and CSV export controls. Starter includes Profit & Loss and VAT Return Export. Growth also provides Business Snapshot views for cash flow and receivables ageing. A Balance Sheet report is not currently available.

8Collaboration

Working with Your Accountant

The Growth plan lets you invite your accountant or bookkeeper as a collaborator on your AxiomaBooks account. They can review your records and VAT figures before you submit — keeping everything in one place instead of over email.

Invite your accountant (Growth plan)

As owner, open Accountant access in the menu and send an invite to their email address. They receive an email, sign in with that address and accept. The plan supports one accountant with read/write access to your bookkeeping, not a read-only seat. Only invite someone you authorise to make changes. An accountant who works for several AxiomaBooks businesses — or an owner with more than one company — moves between them with Switch business at the top of the menu.

Know what your accountant can and cannot do

Your accountant can add, edit, void and restore income and expenses; create and edit invoices, clients, suppliers and mileage; record payments received; leave comments on invoices and entries; and view and export every report your plan includes. They cannot send invoices or mark them as sent, create payment, card-setup or share links, view or connect Payments (Stripe), change your plan, edit Business settings, connect to or file with HMRC, permanently delete records, or manage who has access. Those stay with you as the owner.

Check what your accountant has done

Every change your accountant makes is recorded. Open Accountant access to see their most recent actions, or use Export full log (CSV) for the complete history. Only you can see this log. You can revoke their access from the same page at any time.

Agree the figures before filing

Agree your review process with your accountant; there is no dedicated VAT sign-off approval workflow. Export the checked VAT summary and use a confirmed compatible bridging workflow, as described in Section 6.

Looking for an accountant who already knows AxiomaBooks? Ask whether they are an AxiomaBooks Certified Accountant. Accountants and bookkeepers who would like to be trained and certified can contact us.

If you are on the Starter plan and want to share figures with your accountant, you can download the available report CSVs and share them securely. The Growth plan adds the in-app collaboration seat for real-time review.

9Billing

Plans & Billing

Starter and Growth are available now; Complete is coming soon. New businesses start with the Starter trial. Owners can use Upgrade for available paid-plan checkout; contact support about downgrading or cancelling.

Starter

£9.95/mo

Full bookkeeping
Up to 10 active clients
Unlimited suppliers & invoices
Recurring invoices & auto-charge
VAT Return report & MTD CSV export
Email support

Growth

£19.95/mo

Everything in Starter
Up to 100 active clients
Email invoices & overdue reminders
Invite your accountant (read/write)
Additional financial reports
Priority email support

Complete

Price TBC

Everything in Growth
Unlimited active clients
Native HMRC MTD submission (coming soon)
Priority support with phone call-back
Coming soon — not subscribable
Availability will be announced

Manage your plan

10Income Tax

MTD for Income Tax (ITSA)

MTD for Income Tax introduces digital records and quarterly updates for eligible sole traders and landlords, alongside an annual tax return. It is separate from MTD for VAT. AxiomaBooks does not currently provide ITSA submission or a dedicated ITSA export.

Date	Who it applies to
6 April 2026	Qualifying income over £50,000 in 2024–25
6 April 2027	Qualifying income over £30,000 in 2025–26
6 April 2028	Qualifying income over £20,000 in 2026–27

Qualifying income generally means combined gross self-employment and property income before expenses, not profit. Check eligibility, exemptions and dates against HMRC’s current guidance.

Your bookkeeping can help you prepare information for your accountant, but do not assume a VAT export is suitable for an Income Tax update. Use software and a record-keeping workflow appropriate to your Income Tax obligations.

Check your chosen Income Tax software’s current capabilities and import requirements separately. AxiomaBooks has not verified an ITSA import workflow with any bridging software.

11Payments

Getting Paid with Axioma Pay

Axioma Pay lets a client pay you by card — either as a one-off payment on a single invoice, or automatically every time a recurring invoice falls due. This section covers requesting a one-off payment, setting a recurring invoice's payment dates and frequency, and turning on subscription-style auto-charging.

Requesting a one-off payment

Connect Axioma Pay (once per business)

Before requesting any payment, connect your business under Settings → Payments and complete Stripe's onboarding. This is a one-time step — every invoice afterwards can use it.

Generate a payment link

Open the invoice and use Generate Axioma Pay Link. This creates a secure payment link for the invoice, valid for one month. Each time your client opens it, a fresh Stripe payment page is created for whatever is still owed — so it never asks for more than is due, and once the invoice is paid it simply tells your client so.

Share it with your client

Copy the link and send it yourself, or use Email invoice to client (Growth plan) to include it automatically as a payment button. The same link also appears on the invoice PDF and the shared invoice page. Your client pays by card on Stripe's page — they don't need an account of their own.

Get paid and reconcile

Your client sees a confirmation page and the invoice is marked paid automatically once payment completes. Axioma Pay takes its usual small processing fee before paying the rest out to your connected account, the same as any card processor.

Setting a recurring invoice's payment dates and frequency

Tick “Make this a recurring invoice”

Do this when creating the invoice. Choose a Frequency — weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually — and optionally a Stop after date; leave that blank to repeat indefinitely.

The first invoice sets the pattern

Its issue date fixes which day each future one is generated on, and the gap between its issue and due date is kept the same for every invoice the series generates. For example, a monthly invoice issued on the 1st with 14 days to pay keeps generating on the 1st of each month, due 14 days later. This happens automatically early each morning — you don't need to be logged in.

What happens each time it falls due

A new invoice is created automatically. For a subscription (below) it is charged to the client's saved card and marked paid. Without the subscription option, it is created as a draft for you to review and send with a Pay Now link, exactly like any other invoice.

The Subscription option is ticked by default whenever you make an invoice recurring. Untick it only for clients who want to pay each invoice themselves.

Setting up subscriptions (automatic payments on recurring invoices)

Create the recurring invoice with “Subscription” ticked

Tick Make this a recurring invoice, set the frequency, and leave Subscription: collect the first payment and auto-charge future invoices ticked (it is on by default).

Send the first invoice

Use Email invoice to client (Growth plan and above) or More Actions → Send by Email. Your client receives a Subscription Payment button. On the Starter plan, use Generate subscription payment link and send the link yourself.

Your client pays once

They pay the first invoice on a secure Stripe page. The page tells them their card will be saved and charged automatically for future invoices in the subscription. The first invoice is marked paid and their card is saved in the same step.

Every future invoice is charged automatically

Each invoice the series generates is charged to the saved card as soon as it is issued and marked paid, with no action from you or your client. If a charge needs extra card verification or is declined, you'll get a notification and can send that one invoice a normal Pay Now link instead.

Client already paid the first invoice another way (for example bank transfer)? Use Card-setup only link (already paid) on the invoice page instead. It saves their card for future invoices without taking a payment. For extra one-off charges, such as equipment, create a separate one-off invoice and send a normal Pay Now link.

Moving existing subscribers from another system? Create one recurring invoice per subscriber in AxiomaBooks and send it as above, so each client makes one payment to restart automatic payments. Then cancel the automatic payment or direct debit in your old system for that client, so they are never charged twice.

Ready to get started?

Start with a 14-day Starter trial, then £9.95/month. No card is required to begin; add a payment method before the trial ends to continue.

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