Built from a Greasy Spreadsheet.
ForgeDash is a business and tax app that shows UK self-employed mechanics exactly what they can safely spend after tax, and runs their quotes, jobs and invoices from their phone.
One mechanic was losing a full day every month to HMRC paperwork. A spreadsheet wasn't enough. So we built something that was.
What ForgeDash does
Safe-to-Spend
One live number: the money in your business that is actually yours after income tax, National Insurance and VAT are set aside. It updates as you invoice and log expenses, so you stop spending HMRC’s share by accident.
Self Assessment and VAT tracking
ForgeDash works out your income tax and Class 4 National Insurance to 2026/27 HMRC rules as the year goes, not in January. It also watches your turnover against the £90,000 VAT threshold and warns you before you cross it.
Quotes, jobs and invoices
Send a quote by email, get notified when the customer approves it, and turn it into a job and then an invoice. On Pro, customers can pay on the spot by QR code, email link or on your phone.
Customer and vehicle records
Look up a car by its registration, record a digital damage walkaround, and keep every job against the customer and vehicle. The service history is there the next time they come in.
Receipts and expenses
Snap a photo of a receipt and ForgeDash reads it and files it as an expense. Your Profit & Loss builds itself from the jobs and receipts you have already recorded.
What makes ForgeDash different
The workshop and the books in one app
Most garages run a garage management system for jobs and a separate accounting package such as Xero or QuickBooks for the books. ForgeDash does both, so the invoice you raise is already in your tax figures.
Built for mechanics, not for every business
Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent are general-purpose accounting software used by everyone from florists to lawyers. None of them looks up a car by registration, records a damage walkaround or tracks parts markup on a job.
A free plan that stays free
The Free plan costs £0 with no time limit and no card, and covers up to 10 jobs a month with Safe-to-Spend and tax tracking included. Xero and QuickBooks have no free plan: you pay a monthly fee from day one.
Monthly, with no contract
Paid plans are billed month to month. You can upgrade, downgrade or cancel at any time, and your data stays yours whichever plan you are on.
Made for the phone in your pocket
ForgeDash is designed to be used one-handed on a phone in the workshop, and installs to your home screen like an app. The desktop layout is the extra, not the other way round.
Your data on our own server, never sold
The whole app, database included, runs on our own dedicated server in Germany, with encrypted backups in Stockholm, Sweden. We never sell your data or pass it to lenders, brokers or advertisers.
Who uses ForgeDash
- Self-employed mobile mechanics working from a van
- Sole-trader mechanics running their own garage or unit
- Mechanics who have just gone self-employed and face their first Self Assessment
- Sole traders whose turnover is heading towards the £90,000 VAT threshold
- Mechanics who want a live tax figure without paying for a monthly bookkeeper
ForgeDash is for sole traders only. It does not handle limited companies, Corporation Tax or director payroll.
The team behind ForgeDash
ForgeDash wasn't born in a boardroom. It started when I helped a mate — a mechanic — sort out his books. He was burning full days just to keep up with HMRC paperwork. That's a day of lost revenue, every month, just to keep the taxman off his back.
I tried fixing it with a spreadsheet, but it fell apart fast. It couldn't handle parts markups. It didn't know the vehicles. And it couldn't give him a live number for what was safe to spend after tax.
ForgeDash is now in its third version. What started as a basic invoicing hack has grown into a complete operating system for the independent garage, run as a founder-led company from Wisbech, UK, incorporated in 2026. I built it to give tradesmen their weekends back.
How ForgeDash works
Getting started
Sign up with an email address, no card needed. Setup takes about a minute: add your business details and tax settings, and Safe-to-Spend starts working from your first invoice or expense.
Support
Email [email protected] or use the contact form, and we reply within 24 hours. Pro customers get priority support.
Who you deal with
ForgeDash is founder-led, so your questions and feedback go to the person who builds the product. Feature requests from working mechanics shape what gets built next.
Where it runs
ForgeDash works in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer, and can be installed to your home screen. There is nothing to download from an app store.
Key facts
- Company name
- ForgeDash
- Type
- Software as a service (SaaS): business and tax app for UK sole traders
- Founded
- 2026
- Founder
- Kaspars
- Headquarters
- Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
- Website
- forgedash.uk
- Core offering
- Safe-to-Spend: a live figure for the cash that is yours after income tax, National Insurance and VAT
- Pricing
- Free: £0 (up to 10 jobs a month). Pro: £39.99/mo. Auto: £79.99/mo and Full Auto: £249.99/mo, both coming soon.
- Contract terms
- Monthly billing, no contract, cancel any time. The Free plan needs no card.
- Services
- Safe-to-Spend, Self Assessment and National Insurance tracking, VAT threshold alerts, quotes, jobs and invoices, card payments, registration lookup, damage walkarounds, receipt scanning, Profit & Loss
- Who it is for
- Self-employed mechanics in the UK (sole traders, not limited companies)
- Communication
- Email [email protected] or the contact form. Replies within 24 hours.
- Hosting
- Dedicated server in Germany; encrypted backups in Stockholm, Sweden
- Tax rules
- UK 2026/27 HMRC income tax and Class 4 National Insurance
- Alternatives
- Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, garage management systems
Frequently asked questions
What is ForgeDash?
ForgeDash is a business and tax app for self-employed mechanics in the UK. It shows how much money is safe to spend after tax, tracks your Self Assessment and VAT position live, and runs your quotes, jobs and invoices.
Who founded ForgeDash?
ForgeDash was founded by Kaspars, after helping a mechanic friend who was losing a full day every month to HMRC paperwork. The company was incorporated in 2026 and is based in Wisbech, UK.
Does ForgeDash work for limited companies?
Not yet. ForgeDash is built for sole traders who file Self Assessment, and every tax figure assumes self-employment. Limited company support is on the roadmap.
Do I still need an accountant?
ForgeDash keeps your records and tax figures up to date through the year, so you should not need a monthly bookkeeper. Many sole traders still use an accountant to file, and your records are ready to hand over.
Where is my data stored?
On our own dedicated server in Germany, with encrypted backups in Stockholm, Sweden. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and we never sell it.
How much does ForgeDash cost?
There is a Free plan with no time limit and no card required. Pro is a monthly subscription with no contract; see the pricing page for current prices.
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