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Keeping records a funder can read
Last checked 29 September 2026
In short
- Record every sale and expense, including cash.
- Keep business and personal money apart.
- Keep receipts, invoices and filings together, and keep records for at least six years.
Why records matter
A funder or programme usually cannot visit your shop every week. Your records are how they see what you see: steady sales, costs under control and taxes paid.
Five habits
Record every sale
Cash included. A sale that is not recorded is a sale nobody else can see.
Record every expense
Keep the receipt, or take a photo of it.
Separate business and personal money
Ideally a separate bank account for the business.
Keep filings together
TRN, registration papers, TCC, GCT and payroll filings in one place.
Keep them for long enough
Tax records should be kept for at least six years.
How Operate helps
Operate records sales at the register, keeps invoices and expenses together and reminds you before filing deadlines. The same records build your readiness grade, which you see first and decide who else sees.
This guide is general information, not advice. Rules and figures change, so check the current position with the relevant authority or a qualified adviser.