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
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.
- 162 articles
- Page 2 of 7
MTD Guides articles
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
MTD Guides
HMRC Compatible Software: What the Label Cannot Tell You
Over 600 products carry the HMRC compatible badge. Here is what it actually certifies and what sole traders must check before signing up.
8 min read
MTD Guides
HMRC Pauses New MTD Software Approvals: What the Frozen 2026-27 Shelf Actually Offers
HMRC has paused new production access requests for 2026-27 quarterly update software and is designing a controlled access model. We graded the 144 products already on the list, and 69% cannot complete a single tax-return item.
15 min read
MTD Guides
Free Self Assessment Software: The Migration Problem
Free self assessment software works fine until MTD arrives in April 2026. Here is what switching mid-stream actually costs UK sole traders.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Self Assessment Software Free: The Deadline That Changes Everything
Free self assessment software works fine today. But April 2026 makes it obsolete overnight. Here's what sole traders need to know before that date arrives.
9 min read
MTD Guides
Do I Need More Than One MTD Product?
HMRC says you can use more than one software product for Making Tax Digital. Directory data shows 103 of 152 tools cannot complete a single tax-return item, which is why so many people end up with two.
12 min read
MTD Guides
HMRC Assist Explained: What Submission Feedback Actually Does
HMRC Assist checks your MTD submissions against the data HMRC already holds and flags likely errors inside your software. Only 36 of the 152 listed products support it, and the directory gives no signal about who is building it.
11 min read
MTD Guides
Standard vs Calendar Quarters in MTD: Which Should You Choose?
MTD for Income Tax lets you report on tax-year quarters ending 5 July, or calendar quarters ending 30 June. The deadlines are identical. Here is how to choose, and why 30 of 152 tools cannot offer the choice.
11 min read
MTD Guides
What Is Inside IR35 and Who Actually Decides It?
Inside IR35 isn't just a tax category. Someone decides you're in it, and that decision can cost you thousands. Here's who holds the power and why.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Free Accounting Software UK: The Data Question HMRC Ignores
Before you hand your financial records to free accounting software, ask who owns that data. UK sole traders face a hidden cost HMRC never mentions.
7 min read
MTD Guides
MTD Software Pricing Traps: What the Monthly Fee Hides
A £4/month MTD plan can cost far more once you add bank feeds and self-assessment filing. How to calculate the real annual cost before you commit.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Free Making Tax Digital Software: Who Bears the Risk?
Free MTD software sounds ideal for sole traders, but who carries the risk when it fails, changes pricing, or drops support? Here is what nobody tells you.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Free MTD Software: The Questions Nobody Asks Before Signing Up
Before you download free MTD software, there are five questions that will save you money, data, and a very bad April. Here's what to ask first.
9 min read
MTD Guides
HMRC Making Tax Digital Software: The Compatibility Test
Not all HMRC making tax digital software works the way the approval badge implies. Here is what sole traders must check before April 2026.
8 min read
MTD Guides
MTD Software: What Happens When Your Broadband Goes Down
Quarterly MTD submissions have a deadline. Your broadband doesn't care. Here's what sole traders need to know about offline risk and MTD software reliability.
8 min read
MTD Guides
MTD Accounting Software: What Changes When You Go Live
MTD accounting software sounds simple until you're actually using it. Here's what your workflow genuinely looks like once quarterly submissions begin
9 min read
MTD Guides
Making Tax Digital Free Software: The Expiry Date Problem
Free MTD software sounds like a win until the trial ends. Here is what sole traders earning £50k-£80k actually face when the clock runs out.
8 min read
MTD Guides
Tax App for Self Employed: What Changes After April 2026
MTD goes live for sole traders in April 2026. Here's what a tax app for self employed people actually needs to do - and what most still can't.
9 min read
MTD Guides
HMRC MTD Software: How the Approved List Actually Works
HMRC's approved MTD software list sounds reassuring. Here's what it actually means, what it doesn't guarantee, and how to choose without getting burned.
7 min read
MTD Guides
Software for Making Tax Digital: The Setup Trap Nobody Warns You About
Most MTD software takes minutes to sign up and months to actually work for you. Here's what sole traders discover too late about setup, data
9 min read
MTD Guides
HMRC Free Accounting Software: Why It Does Not Exist
HMRC does not offer free accounting software for sole traders. Here is why that decision was made, who benefits, and what genuinely cheap options exist.
8 min read
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