MTD Guides
Invoice Finance and MTD: The Record-Keeping Trap
Using invoice finance as a sole trader creates a hidden MTD record-keeping problem. Here is what HMRC expects and how to avoid a costly compliance gap.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, step by step: who it applies to, when it starts, and how quarterly updates and the final declaration work.
- 158 articles
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MTD Guides articles
MTD Guides
Making Tax Digital Software for Sole Traders: Five Months In
Five months after mandatory MTD ITSA launched, we examine what sole traders discovered about their software choices when the first quarterly deadline arrived.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Best Tax Software for Self-Employed: Why 2026 Changed the Test
Filing five times a year under MTD ITSA changes every criterion for choosing tax software for self-employed people. Here is what the new framework looks like.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Make Tax Digital Software Does Three Things. Most Do Only Two.
Most MTD software handles one or two of the three jobs HMRC requires from April 2026. Here is how to spot which jobs yours skips before it matters.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Accounting Software for Sole Traders: Who Owns Your Records?
Sole trader accounting software vendors get acquired and shut down. Here is what that means for your MTD digital records and what to check before you commit.
9 min read
MTD Guides
HMRC Has Two Compatibility Lists. Is Your Software on Both?
Most accounting software claims HMRC compatibility. But there are two lists, two frameworks, and one that most software still fails. Here's what changes from April 2026.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Your Free VAT Software Has a Blind Spot It Didn't Have in 2019
Free VAT software keeps your quarterly returns clean. Since April 2026, VAT-registered sole traders over £50,000 have an MTD Income Tax obligation it cannot meet.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Accounting Software for Making Tax Digital: The Annual Trap
Most MTD accounting software was designed for year-end accounts, not quarterly filing. Here is what to test before you commit to a five-year habit.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Accounting Software for Sole Traders: The Five-Year Problem
HMRC requires five years of digital records under MTD. Most accounting software locks you out when you cancel. Here is what to check before you sign up.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Sole Trader Software Hides Three Products. You Need One.
Most 'sole trader software' bundles three incompatible products under one label. Here is which type you need for MTD compliance after April 2026.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Free MTD VAT Software: The Full Cost Nobody Quotes You
Free MTD VAT software submits your returns for nothing. Here is what MTD VAT compliance actually costs a newly registered UK sole trader in time and admin.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Why Your Sole Trader Accounting App Wasn't Built for MTD
Most sole trader accounting apps were built for January 31. MTD's quarterly schedule breaks that model entirely. Here is what changed in 2026.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Tax Digital Software Had Its First Real Test. Did Yours Pass?
The first MTD quarterly deadline passed on 5 August 2026. Here is what sole traders discovered when their tax digital software met a real HMRC submission.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Free Tax Return Software: Which Track Are You On in 2026?
MTD went live April 2026, splitting UK self-employed tax into two systems. Whether free software works for you depends on one number. Here is what changed.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Accounting for Sole Traders: The DIY Question After 2026
MTD for Income Tax starts April 2026. Here is what sole trader accounting actually requires, when you need an accountant, and when software is enough.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Free Self Assessment Software UK: The £50,000 Divide
Free self assessment software still exists in the UK. Since April 2026, your qualifying income determines whether it covers your legal obligations or leaves you exposed.
9 min read
MTD Guides
HMRC Software Errors: Who Pays the Penalty?
HMRC-recognised accounting software can still submit the wrong figures. Under the Taxes Management Act 1970, the penalty lands on you. Here is what every sole trader should check before authorising a submission.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Free VAT Filing Software: The Portal HMRC Closed in 2022
HMRC retired its free VAT portal in April 2022. If you just registered for VAT and want free filing software, here is what changed and what to do.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Best MTD Accounting Software: The Exit Test
Most MTD software comparisons score price and features. This one scores what happens to your records when you leave. Run the exit test before you sign up.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Free VAT Return Software and the Scheme Switch Nobody Makes
Free VAT return software files your returns without question. It cannot tell you that switching VAT accounting scheme could save you hundreds of pounds a year.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Free VAT Software Won't Cover Your MTD Income Tax
VAT-registered sole traders earning over £50,000 face two separate MTD obligations. Most free VAT return software covers neither. Here is what the gap actually costs you.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Free VAT Software Handles Only One of Your HMRC Deadlines
Free VAT software satisfies today's MTD obligation. From April 2026, VAT-registered sole traders face a second digital mandate that free tools cannot handle.
7 min read
MTD Guides
Free Tax Return Software: The Government Tool HMRC Never Built
HMRC chose commercial software over a free government tool for MTD. Here's why that decision was made, who benefits, and what sole traders can actually do.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Free Tax Software Answers the Wrong Question After April 2026
Most free tax software was built for annual Self Assessment, not quarterly MTD submissions. Here is the category error costing sole traders compliance.
9 min read
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