Making Tax Digital April 2026

[Good Plan Ted]

MTD for SE and Landlords earning over £50k

So just around the corner and 5 tax returns a year, has anyone got a property/shares simple program recommendations as maybe the time to get organised is now.

[Eric Mc]

There have been a number of threads on Making Tax Digital over the past few years here on PH. I'd advise you to have a read through on some of those.

As you can see, this has been a "hot topic" since 2018!!!

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Freakuk]

It's a con really IMO. Ltd company I had to convert to MTD several years ago and it's simply a Excel file that I fill out and upload to a 3rd party who upload to HMRC.... exactly the same as what I was doing prior to MTD, but now costing me £50 per year for the privilege.

[Eric Mc]

Freakuk said:

It's a con really IMO. Ltd company I had to convert to MTD several years ago and it's simply a Excel file that I fill out and upload to a 3rd party who upload to HMRC.... exactly the same as what I was doing prior to MTD, but now costing me £50 per year for the privilege.

There are different versions of MTD. You are talking about VAT MTD where HMRC relented and allowed spreadsheet data to be used as the basis of the original accounting records - although the data has to be submitted using non-spreadsheet "approved" software.

This thread is about a completely different version of MTD - which is aimed at sole traders and landlords. From the moment THIS MTD was anounced in 2018 HMRC stated that the data they receive every quarter for trading activities and rents could NOT use spreadsheets as a source recording medium. They want people to acquire (i.e. buy) dedicated approved specioalist software to enable them to submit directly from that software to HMRC.

There are still many, many apsects of MTD which HMRC are still unable to clarify. For example, they stated last year that they were having problems working out how trading partnerships and rental income from jointly owned properties were to be included in this system.

I am still expecting that the April 2026 deadline will not be met.

[Mr Whippy]

Is the documentation for how to make an app available?

Or, I’m guessing, you need to pay them a big fat fee for access to the standards and their server, to input YOUR data, which they’d done for free for decades.

I think I might just go back to PAYE at this rate, what a faff for nothing.

Making Tax Difficult.

Spending more time and/or money, to pay them more money, to do less with. Progress.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Freakuk said:

It's a con really IMO. Ltd company I had to convert to MTD several years ago and it's simply a Excel file that I fill out and upload to a 3rd party who upload to HMRC.... exactly the same as what I was doing prior to MTD, but now costing me £50 per year for the privilege.

I used to feel that way but a few years ago changed accountants and their fee includes a subscription to FreeAgent, and frankly it's so damn convenient that I wonder why I put myself through the pain and hassle of using a spreadsheet for so many years.

[Mr Whippy]

It’s all a con any way because it’s been digital since at least 2007 when I started doing work alongside PAYE and did SA.

And back then I did all my records ‘digitally’ and just totted up values into their online tool.

And their main supposed pitch for me is, it’ll save me time and save me money and making mistakes.

I’ve never had to spend money before, so I’m worse off.

I’ve never made a mistake before.

It’s not going to save me time because I’ll have to change my whole admin routine which had worked fine for years… and for it to a ‘system’ which will no doubt change year on year for whatever reasons… all just so I can pay a pre-determined pre-calculable sum of money to government.


I’d be all up for it if HMRC did it and it was free.

My gripe is needing to use 3rd parties to interface with my government.

All this at a time when open banking and stuff is meant to be a thing… and we have a closed source privatised interface with HMRC.

[Sir Bagalot]

Eric Mc said:

There have been a number of threads on Making Tax Digital over the past few years here on PH. I'd advise you to have a read through on some of those.

As you can see, this has been a "hot topic" since 2018!!!

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

But as you know these deadlines come and go.

Personally I haven't looked into MTD purely because the deadlines will get extended

Hopefully they'll deliver a good webinar on the subject, they may have already

[Eric Mc]

I live in hope

[Mr Whippy]

My accountant wants £252 to do my SA return this year.

Last was £230 and year before £210 ish… 7% more each year for last two years at least.

I’ve just looked at gosimple tax but even that is just over £100 to do a single return I could do on paper.


I’d been doing it for free many years via HMRC website but the late provision of an R185 has meant no way to ‘free’ file for 7 years now (can do it via paper but stupidly not online)



It all does feel utterly broken and getting more broken when what was simple now isn’t.
And what was zero cost is now about £100 just to insert numbers into the same database you did for free.