Busy, growing, and it's all in your head.
More jobs, more people, less control. You're growing faster than your head, your phone and your notebook can keep up with. Bidmio keeps people, jobs, materials and money in one place, so growth doesn't eat the profit.
Checked on against gov.uk and legislation.gov.uk. Written for England and Wales: HMRC’s tax and CIS rules apply across the UK, and where we checked that a law does not reach Scotland or Northern Ireland, we say so.
Growing has its own headaches
Tap the one who sounds most like you.
With five people you can keep it in your head. With fifteen you can't.
“Two off sick and the roof's open.”
Bidmio: Holiday and sick leave in one calendar: you see who's off and where to move people.
“Where's 40 metres of twin and earth gone?”
Bidmio: Stock per van or store, booked out to the job it went into.
“Every foreman runs a job his own way.”
Bidmio: One way of working for every crew: the day plan, the site diary and hours from the phone.
“Turnover's up. Cash is down.”
Bidmio: Profit on each job, and on Pro a 13-week cash forecast.
“I can't be on five sites at once.”
Bidmio: Invoices can come to you for approval before they go out; the rest runs without you.
“Five lads, five carrier bags of receipts.”
Bidmio: Everyone photographs receipts on their phone and puts them on the job.
Taking on your first employee
Check the person's right to work in the UK, get Employers' Liability insurance and set up a workplace pension; then pay at least the minimum wage, 5.6 weeks' holiday and sick pay.
Right to work
Check that your employees have the right to work in the UK and that their documents are valid. If you employ someone without the right to work and didn't check properly, the civil penalty is up to £60,000 for each illegal worker.
Employers' Liability insurance
You need it as soon as you become an employer, with cover of at least £5 million. Not being insured can cost £2,500 for every day, and not displaying the certificate £1,000. This gov.uk rule is for staff based in England, Scotland and Wales.
Workplace pension
From your first employee's first day, you must enrol staff aged 22 to State Pension age who earn at least £10,000 a year, and pay an employer's contribution.
Minimum wage
From April 2026: £12.71 an hour from age 21, £10.85 from 18 to 20, and £8 for under-18s and for apprentices who are under 19 or in their first year.
Holiday
Almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for a five-day week. You can count bank holidays as part of it.
Sick pay
Statutory Sick Pay is up to £123.25 a week, paid by the employer for up to 28 weeks.
Bidmio does not run UK payroll. It keeps holiday and sick leave in one calendar and the hours on each job.
Run the numbers before you hire or buy
- First employee calculatorWhat a first employee has to bring in before they pay for themselves.Open
- Employee cost calculatorWhat an employee really costs per billable hour, with holiday, sick pay and pension.Open
- Material markup calculatorWhat your markup on materials really earns after waste and handling.Open
- Van cost calculatorWhat each van costs you per billable hour.Open
Paying subbies makes you a CIS contractor
As a CIS contractor you verify each subcontractor with HMRC, deduct only from the labour part of their pay, and send a return every month by the 19th, even in a month you paid nobody.
Verify first
Before you pay a subcontractor, you may need to verify them with HMRC, which tells you the rate to deduct. You needn't verify someone you included on a return in the current or the 2 previous tax years.
Deduct from labour only
Deductions come only off the part of the payment that isn't the subcontractor's own cost of materials. Check the materials figure and keep the records.
A return every month
The monthly return must reach HMRC within 14 days of the end of the tax month, so by the 19th. Pay the deductions by the 19th, or by the 22nd if you pay electronically.
Nil returns are back
From 6 April 2026, a month with no payments to subcontractors still needs a nil return or a notice of inactivity, or a penalty is due.
Late return penalties
£100 the day after the deadline, £200 after 2 months, then the greater of £300 or 5% of the deductions on the return after 6 months and again after 12 months.
VAT reverse charge
Most building and construction services reported within CIS between UK VAT-registered businesses fall under the VAT domestic reverse charge. HMRC's guidance also lists when you must not use it.
Bidmio doesn't do CIS or apply the reverse charge for you. It can record a retention you hold back on a subcontractor's invoice, with the percentage and the date it's due for release.
Making Tax Digital: when it reaches you
Sole traders with qualifying income over £50,000 have had to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax since 6 April 2026; it reaches £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028.
Who's in, and when
Qualifying income over £50,000 in 2024 to 2025: from 6 April 2026. Over £30,000 in 2025 to 2026: from 6 April 2027. Over £20,000 in 2026 to 2027: from 6 April 2028.
Qualifying income means turnover
It is your income from self-employment and property before expenses, based on your previous tax return.
Four updates a year
Quarterly updates are due by 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May. HMRC will not apply penalty points for late updates in the 2026 to 2027 tax year; after that, 4 points mean a £200 penalty.
Bidmio is not Making Tax Digital software and files nothing with HMRC. Your accountant's software does that, from the invoices and expenses you export from Bidmio.
And then your accountant rings.
More people means more receipts, more invoices and more questions. And you find out later whether you made money.
“Five people bring receipts and nobody knows which job they're for.”
Bidmio: Everyone photographs receipts on their phone and puts them on the job. They reach the office already sorted.
“I only see what a job made once the accountant does the quarter.”
Bidmio: Costs go on the job as they happen, so you see the profit while the job is running.
“My accountant works in Xero and we work in spreadsheets.”
Bidmio: Bidmio doesn't connect to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent. Your accountant takes CSV exports of invoices and expenses into their own software.
“Our bookkeeper left halfway through the year.”
Bidmio: Everything stays in Bidmio. Whoever takes over is invited as an external user and sees the same documents.
Keep your own accountant or bookkeeper
Invite them into Bidmio as an external user, for the companies you choose. They see your invoices, receipts and bank matches and take CSV exports into their own software. You remove the access in one click.
Accountant access works on every plan.
Read: From shoebox to sorted, records, deadlines and your accountant
Honestly: Bidmio files nothing with HMRC. It is not Making Tax Digital software, it does not do CIS or UK payroll, and it does not replace your accountant.
How many of you are there?
Bidmio switches on what makes sense at your size. Nothing extra.
A firm · 12 people
Two crews and an office
Pro plan
€258
a month for 12 people
You can't be everywhere. Invoices come to you for approval, the rest runs without you.
- Everything for a crew
- Stock per van
- Approvals
- Holiday and sick leave
- Tools and plant
- Cash forecast
Profit, not turnover
Find the loss during the job, not at year end
Budget against actuals from hours, stock and expenses on the job as they happen. On Developer, change orders and a cost forecast for every scheme as well.
Crews on their phones
Everyone knows where to go in the morning
The day plan on everyone's phone, hours logged on site, photos and the site diary. You don't have to pick up the phone at half six.
30 minutes. We'll show Bidmio on your kind of firm.
You tell us how you work, we show you how it would look in Bidmio. No sales patter.
What people ask us
What size of firm is Bidmio for?
From a sole trader to a firm with dozens of people. The Pro plan costs €49/mo. plus €19 for each extra person. The Developer plan is for firms with budgets and several schemes at once. You can try Bidmio free for 14 days, with no contract.
PricingCan I see the profit on each job?
Yes. Hours, materials and costs go on the job as they happen, so you can see whether it is making money while it is still running.
Can Bidmio track holiday and sick leave?
Yes. Holiday and sick leave go in one calendar, so you can see who is off and where to move people.
Does Bidmio run payroll or file with HMRC?
No. Bidmio does not run UK payroll, does not file CIS returns and is not Making Tax Digital software. Keep your payroll provider and your accountant for that.
Does Bidmio connect to Xero, QuickBooks or Sage?
No, there is no live connection. Your accountant is invited into Bidmio as an external user and takes CSV exports of invoices and expenses into their own software.
From shoebox to sortedHow do I try Bidmio on my own firm?
You can try Bidmio free for 14 days, with no contract. Or book a 30-minute call and we'll show Bidmio on your kind of work.
Is it more that the work and the money come and go?
Checked on against gov.uk and legislation.gov.uk. Written for England and Wales: HMRC’s tax and CIS rules apply across the UK, and where we checked that a law does not reach Scotland or Northern Ireland, we say so.