FreeAgent Category Mapping
How FreeAgent categories map to Clear Books Tax's P&L fields. Includes trial balance import instructions.
How do FreeAgent categories map to Clear Books Tax's P&L fields? If you use FreeAgent for your bookkeeping and Clear Books Tax for your CT600, this guide shows where your figures go.
The Quick Way: Trial Balance Import
Clear Books Tax can import your trial balance directly from FreeAgent. This maps your figures automatically — no manual re-entry needed.
How to Import
- In FreeAgent, go to Accounting > Reports > Trial Balance
- Set the date to your accounting period end
- Export to CSV
- In Clear Books Tax, click the Import Trial Balance button on the submission form
- Select FreeAgent as the software
- Upload your CSV file
Manual Mapping: FreeAgent → Clear Books Tax
If you prefer to enter figures manually (or want to check the import), here's how FreeAgent categories map to Clear Books Tax's four P&L expense fields.
Income
| FreeAgent category | Clear Books Tax field |
|---|---|
| Sales | Turnover (Box 145) |
| Other Sales / Sponsorship / Merchandise | Turnover (Box 145) |
| CIS Income (all sub-types) | Turnover (Box 145) |
| Interest Received | Interest income (Box 170) |
Expenses
| FreeAgent category | Clear Books Tax field |
|---|---|
| Cost of Sales, Materials, Subcontractor Costs | Cost of raw materials and consumables |
| CIS Labour, CIS Materials, CIS Travel | Cost of raw materials and consumables |
| Salaries, Director Remuneration, Employer NI, Pensions | Staff costs |
| Depreciation Charge | Depreciation |
| Everything else (rent, insurance, travel, phone, etc.) | Other charges |
Common "Other Charges" Items from FreeAgent
These FreeAgent categories all map to Clear Books Tax's Other charges field:
- Rent, Rates, and Water
- Light, Heat, and Power
- Telephone, Internet, and IT
- Printing, Postage, and Stationery
- Travel, Accommodation, and Subsistence
- Advertising and Promotion
- Legal and Professional Fees
- Bank Charges and Interest Paid
- Insurance
- Repairs and Maintenance
- General Administrative Expenses
- Motor Expenses
- Realised/Unrealised Currency Exchange Gain/Loss
Balance Sheet
| FreeAgent category | Clear Books Tax field |
|---|---|
| Fixed Assets (all sub-types) | Fixed assets |
| Trade Debtors / Other Debtors | Current assets |
| Bank Accounts | Current assets |
| Trade Creditors / Other Creditors | Creditors (due within one year) |
| Corporation Tax | Corporation tax payable |
| Dividends | Profit and loss account |
Disallowable Expenses
FreeAgent tracks some expenses that are not deductible for tax purposes. After entering your figures in Clear Books Tax, add these to the Disallowable expenses field in the tax computation:
| FreeAgent category | Why disallowable |
|---|---|
| Client Entertaining | Not deductible for corporation tax |
| Charitable Donations | Claimed separately, not through P&L deduction |
| Fines and Penalties | Not deductible |
Common Questions
Q: Do I need to manually calculate every category? A: No — use the trial balance import. It maps everything automatically. Manual mapping is only needed if you prefer to enter figures by hand.
Q: FreeAgent has many more categories than Clear Books Tax — is that a problem? A: No. Clear Books Tax uses the micro-entity P&L format, which has four broad expense categories. FreeAgent's detailed categories combine into these four fields. The trial balance import handles this automatically.
Q: I have CIS income in FreeAgent — where does it go? A: CIS income maps to Turnover. CIS costs map to Cost of raw materials and consumables. Note: Clear Books Tax does not have a dedicated CIS deduction field (Box 515), so CIS tax deducted at source cannot currently be claimed through Clear Books Tax.
Q: What about exchange rate gains/losses in FreeAgent? A: These map to Other charges. If you have a net exchange gain (credit balance), reduce your Other charges total accordingly.
Q: My FreeAgent categories don't match these exactly — what do I do? A: The trial balance import handles all standard FreeAgent account codes. If you have custom categories, they'll need manual mapping. The general rule: if it's a direct production cost → raw materials; if it's staff-related → staff costs; if it's asset depreciation → depreciation; everything else → other charges.
Still Have Questions?
If you need help mapping your FreeAgent figures, get in touch.
Last updated: February 2026
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