BIM00510 - Introduction: about this manual

What the BIM is for

This manual is to help you compute trading profits for tax purposes or check calculations. It supplements the basic guidance provided in the self-assessment tax return and help sheets.

It is written primarily for HMRC staff but it can also assist customers and their professional advisers. You are seeing the whole manual with nothing hidden.

You can get basic information on how to compute trading profits from the self-employed notes pages of the tax return (SA103) and the related help sheets. They can be found on the HMRC internet site at www.hmrc.gov.uk/worksheets/sa103-notes.pdf.

How to use the BIM

The main ways to get to the BIM pages you need are:

• to search using either the left bar button (not available outside HMRC) or chosen words,

and

• drilling down through the contents pages.

We strongly recommend that you study the contents pages of each chapter of the manual to make sure that the further detail is not taken out of context. If you are not on a contents page you can find contents by pressing the menu button.

Feedback

• HMRC staff can use the feedback button on the left bar.
• Anyone using the Internet can click on ‘contact us’, and then ‘feedback’ which leads to the ‘give us feedback’ form for completion and submission.

What is not in the BIM

The BIM includes guidance on most aspects of the computation of trading profits. But some topics are dealt with in more detail in other manuals as follows