MTD Survival Kit — Be Making Tax Digital compliant this weekend, without an accountant

What just changed

864,000sole traders & landlords pulled into MTD in April 2026

4×/yearquarterly digital updates now required, not one annual return

£200fine once you hit 4 late-submission penalty points

£500–1,500what an accountant typically charges per year to handle it for you

If your self-employment and property income tops £50,000, you're in now. Over £30,000? April 2027. Over £20,000? April 2028. Paper records and a January spreadsheet scramble are no longer legal options.

What's in the Kit

📊 MTD-ready records spreadsheet

Income and expense ledgers with HMRC's exact categories built in as dropdowns, and a quarterly summary that produces precisely the boxes HMRC asks for — cumulative maths handled for you. Works in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice, and plugs into free bridging tools.

📖 Plain-English Quick Start Guide

What MTD actually changes, what goes in which category, your 1-hour quarterly routine, and how to submit — written for humans, with every claim sourced to gov.uk.

✅ Quarterly checklists

One page per quarter. Tick ten boxes, submit, get on with your life. Includes the year-end extras for Q4.

🔄 Free updates when HMRC changes the rules

Categories, deadlines or penalties change? You get the updated files by email. (Current tax year on Core; 12 months on Complete.)

Choose your kit

Core Kit

£19

Sole trader records spreadsheet (HMRC categories built in)
Plain-English Quick Start Guide
Quarterly checklists
Free updates for the current tax year

Get the Core Kit

Most complete — landlords need this

Complete Kit

£43 (£19 + £24)

Everything in Core
Landlord / UK property records spreadsheet
Software Chooser — free vs paid bridging tools compared
Expense Cheat Sheets — what you can claim, category by category
Penalties Guide + the 4-reminder system
12 months of free updates

Get the Complete Kit

Instant download · 14-day refund policy · VAT handled at checkout

How it works

Download and set your tax year. Open the spreadsheet, set one date, read the 20-minute setup section of the guide. Done — you now keep compliant digital records.

Add rows as money moves. Date, description, category from the dropdown, amount. The quarterly summary builds itself in HMRC's exact format.

Submit in minutes each quarter. Connect a free bridging tool once (the guide shows you how), then each deadline is a 10-minute job. The checklist keeps you honest.

Questions, answered straight

Can I really still use a spreadsheet under MTD?

Yes. HMRC explicitly allows spreadsheets connected to a bridging tool, as long as the link is digital (no retyping). That's exactly how this kit is designed — including free bridging options.

Why not just use free software like Clear Books or AbraTax?

You can — and our Software Chooser will tell you if that's your best move. What software doesn't give you is correctly categorised records, plain-English guidance, and a routine. Most MTD stress isn't the submission button; it's "what goes where, and when". That's what the kit solves.

I'm a sole trader AND a landlord. Which kit?

Complete. You're required to send two updates per quarter — one per income source — and Complete includes both spreadsheets.

Is this tax advice?

No. It's an educational records system and guide, with every factual claim sourced to gov.uk. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified accountant.

What if HMRC changes the rules?

We track gov.uk and reissue the affected files. Updates are free — current tax year on Core, 12 months on Complete.

What if it's not for me?

14-day refund policy, no questions asked.

Be Making Tax Digital compliant this weekend — without an accountant