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That
That could have been me writing the above. Exactly as I think and do.
I do quite a few small jobs, mostly domestic. I accept cash on the day, cheque on the day, or (preferably) I invoice after the job by email, and accept direct bank transfer.
Every job, whatever payment, goes through the books.
I'm not VAT registered, sole trader, so accounts (tax return) is relatively simple.
Every job is in my Google calendar. Also Google tracks (roughly) where I go if I don't use satnav, and exactly where I go if I do. There's a digital footprint everywhere I go. If it's for a quote, it's down as such in the calendar. It all matches the mileage I record in the notebook in the van (those little IET Regs notebooks are great for that!)
I keep a manual note of cash/cheque jobs in my notebook, referenced to jobs, and cross-referenced to when I pay them in to the bank.
I do a receipt (cash or cheque) or invoice (bank transfer) for every job, even if it's just a tenner; I always offer a receipt, and even if the customer isn't bothered about one, I do one anyway for my records.
It's a pain paying in the cash/cheques to the bank.
But I sleep very easy at night.
I wouldn't want the option of paying by cash (or cheque) to go away, because some of my customers are in their '80s and '90s, and they don't cope well with anything electronic. I haven't "invested" in a card reader, as I dislike the idea of someone (who isn't HMRC) taking a cut. I dislike the idea that if you take cash for a job, you're automatically assumed to be not declaring it. It's easy: just play it straight.
That could have been me writing the above. Exactly as I think and do.