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Vcents vs Spreadsheets
Most tutors and cleaners start with a spreadsheet: a row per client, a column per week, and an evening spent ticking off who has paid. It is free and it works, until you are matching bank transfers to names at 10pm.
| Spreadsheets | Vcents | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Free with Google Sheets, or part of Microsoft 365 | 2% + 20p per payment you receive. No monthly fee |
| Asking for money | Write the message yourself and send your bank details | Type “Get £40 from Sarah for Tuesday” in WhatsApp |
| How your client pays | A bank transfer they set up themselves, with whatever reference they type | Taps the link and pays in their own banking app, or by card |
| Knowing who has paid | Check your bank app and tick off each row by hand | Every payment is matched to the client automatically |
| Who still owes you | Filter the sheet, if it is up to date | Ask “Who still owes me?” and get the list |
| Reminders | Remember to check | A daily or weekly message with what was paid and what is open |
| Making Tax Digital | Needs bridging software to send quarterly updates to HMRC | Not yet. Making Tax Digital support is coming |
Making Tax Digital details from GOV.UK, checked November 2026. It applies to sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 from April 2026, £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028.
Which one fits you
If you have a handful of clients who always pay on time, a spreadsheet is free and fine. If you spend your evenings matching transfers to names and writing reminder messages, Vcents does that part for you, and you only pay when a client pays.
See exactly what Vcents costs on the pricing section.
Try it in the chat.
Message Vcents and it gets you set up in about a minute.