Making Tax Digital for Tradespeople

Quick Answer: Making Tax Digital (MTD) is HMRC's programme to digitise tax record-keeping and submission. MTD for VAT has applied to all VAT-registered businesses since April 2022. MTD for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD ITSA) starts from April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with turnover over £50,000, then April 2027 for turnover £30,000–£50,000, with a likely later rollout for £20,000–£30,000. Compliance requires keeping digital records and submitting quarterly updates through compatible software (Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage, etc.). Manual paper records and bridging-only spreadsheet workflows are no longer compliant for in-scope traders.

Summary

For UK tradespeople, MTD is the largest change to tax administration since self-assessment was introduced in 1996. It replaces the annual paper or online tax return with quarterly digital submissions and an end-of-period statement. The data must originate in compatible software — that means receipts, invoices, mileage, and material costs are entered into a system as they happen, not reconstructed from a shoebox of receipts at the year-end. This is a fundamental workflow change for many sole traders who currently rely on a hand-written job book and an accountant who reads the bank statements at year-end.

The mandate is staged. VAT-registered traders have been in MTD for VAT since 2019 (above the £85,000 threshold) and 2022 (all VAT-registered, regardless of threshold). The next stage, MTD for Income Tax, applies to sole traders and landlords with self-employment or property income above £50,000 from April 2026, and above £30,000 from April 2027. The threshold for £20,000–£30,000 is under government review with the most likely rollout date being April 2028 or later.

For the sole trader on £40,000 turnover currently using paper records, the practical implication is that from April 2027, all business records must be in compatible software, with quarterly returns submitted within one month of quarter end (so for the June quarter, submit by 5 August). Penalties apply for late submission. The five-figure investment in software, training, and accountant time during transition is not optional; it is the cost of remaining a self-employed trader.

Key Facts

Quick Reference Table

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Income / VAT status Currently From April 2026 From April 2027
VAT registered, any turnover MTD for VAT (mandatory) Continues Continues
Sole trader, turnover >£50k Self-assessment annual MTD ITSA quarterly + final declaration Continues
Sole trader, turnover £30–50k Self-assessment annual Self-assessment annual MTD ITSA quarterly + final declaration
Sole trader, turnover £20–30k Self-assessment annual Self-assessment annual Self-assessment (until further notice)
Sole trader, turnover <£20k Self-assessment annual Self-assessment annual Self-assessment annual
Limited company Corporation tax (CT600) Same Same (MTD CT deferred to 2030+)
Landlord (property income only) Self-assessment If income >£50k, MTD ITSA If income >£30k, MTD ITSA

Detailed Guidance

What "Digital Records" Means in Practice

Digital records means every business transaction recorded in software that is compatible with HMRC's API. The records must include:

A handwritten ledger is not digital records. A spreadsheet with manual entries is digital but must be linked to bridging software for HMRC submission. A photo of a receipt is acceptable as supporting documentation but the transaction itself must be entered as a record in software.

The "digital link" rule means that data flowing between systems must be by digital connection, not by manual re-keying. If a sale is invoiced in software A and summarised in software B for tax submission, the connection between A and B must be a digital link (API, file import, or formula). Manually retyping numbers from one system to another breaks the digital link and is non-compliant.

Choosing Compatible Software

HMRC publishes a list of recognised software for both MTD VAT and MTD ITSA. Common choices for tradespeople:

Xero — full cloud accounting, strong invoicing and bank reconciliation, integrates with most CIS and trade tools, £20–£40/month. Good for businesses already using it for VAT.

QuickBooks Online — similar feature set to Xero, slightly more focused on US/Canada but UK MTD compliant, £10–£35/month.

FreeAgent — designed for freelancers and small businesses, strong on tax estimation and end-of-year preparation, free for NatWest/RBS/Mettle business banking customers, £20/month otherwise.

Sage Accounting — UK established, traditional desktop heritage now cloud, £14–£35/month.

Coconut — bank-account-with-bookkeeping for sole traders, £6–£15/month, designed specifically for self-employed and CIS-active trades.

Bridging-only spreadsheet workflow — for traders who keep records in Excel or Google Sheets, bridging software (e.g. VitalTax, BTCSoftware, 123Sheets) imports the spreadsheet data into MTD-compliant submission. £30–£100/year. Acceptable for VAT but more limited for full MTD ITSA which requires more transaction-level detail.

The choice depends on existing workflow, accountant preference, and bank integration. The biggest migration cost is not the software fee — it is the time to set up the chart of accounts, import historic data, and learn the system. Allow 10–20 hours of trader time, plus 5–10 hours of accountant time, for a clean transition.

Quarterly Submission Workflow

Each quarter, the trader (or accountant on their behalf) submits totals for sales and expenses, summarised by category. The submission is a snapshot of the digital records at quarter-end; it does not include final adjustments such as opening or closing stock, depreciation, capital allowances, or tax-affected adjustments.

The full picture comes together in the End-of-Period Statement (EOPS) at year-end, where adjustments are made and the final taxable profit is calculated. The Final Declaration combines the EOPS with any other income (PAYE, pensions, dividends) into a single tax position, replacing the SA100 self-assessment return.

The practical workflow:

  1. Daily: enter sales and expenses as they happen; reconcile bank feed
  2. Monthly: review and tidy categorisation; CIS300 if applicable
  3. Quarterly: submit MTD update within one month and five days of quarter end
  4. Year-end: capital allowances, stock, accruals; submit EOPS
  5. By 31 January: Final Declaration combining all income sources

For trades with strong seasonal patterns (e.g. a roofer with heavy summer income and quiet winter), the quarterly submissions create cash-flow visibility on tax liability that wasn't available with annual returns. This is genuinely useful — many sole traders are blindsided by tax bills based on a year that ended ten months previously.

Common Pitfalls for Tradespeople

Mixing personal and business accounts. The single most common cause of bookkeeping pain. Open a separate business bank account; route all business transactions through it. Bank-feed reconciliation is much faster from a clean account than from a personal account with mixed transactions.

Cash transactions. Cash jobs are still legal, but they must be recorded. Each cash receipt is a sale to be entered into the software. Cash spend on materials at the merchant must be entered as an expense. Failure to record cash transactions exposes the trader to investigation if HMRC compares declared income against measurable wealth or lifestyle indicators.

Mileage records. A mileage log was previously sufficient for tax-deductible travel. Under MTD, mileage must be entered transaction-by-transaction in the software. Apps such as MileIQ, TripCatcher, and Coconut Mileage capture mileage automatically from the phone's GPS and feed into accounting software.

Material purchase categorisation. Builders' merchants supply mixed receipts (timber, screws, sealant, ironmongery). Each item is a separate expense category. Most accounting software handles this with line-item entry from the receipt, but the trader must take the time to enter line items rather than just the total.

CIS deductions. Subcontractors deduct CIS at 20% (or 30% if not verified) from labour-only invoices. The CIS deduction is not an expense to the contractor — it is a deduction passed to HMRC. The accounting software must handle CIS correctly, showing gross labour, CIS deduction, and net payment. Misclassifying CIS as an expense overstates the contractor's costs and understates the subcontractor's income.

Penalties and Late Submission

MTD uses a points-based late submission penalty system. Each missed quarterly submission earns one point. Once the points threshold is reached (4 for quarterly returns), a £200 financial penalty applies. Subsequent late submissions each trigger a further £200.

Late payment of tax is separate. Interest accrues from the due date; further penalties at 15 days, 30 days, and 12 months overdue.

Genuine reasons for late submission (illness, bereavement, software outage) can be appealed but the standard is rigorous. The HMRC stance is that the trader is responsible for understanding the software and submitting on time; "I forgot" is not a defence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use accounting software for MTD?

Yes, if you are in scope. The records must be digital and the submission must come from compatible software. Bridging software allows a spreadsheet to be the underlying record-keeping system, but the trader still needs accounting software (or bridging software) to submit. There is no manual or paper submission route under MTD.

Will my accountant handle this for me?

Yes, but the trader must still keep digital records. The accountant cannot produce digital records from paper receipts at year-end. The standard workflow is the trader keeps records (typically in cloud accounting software) throughout the year, and the accountant reviews and adjusts at quarter-end and year-end before submission. Trader time on bookkeeping increases under MTD; accountant time per client typically reduces because the data is more accurate and easier to review.

What happens if I'm just under the threshold one year and over the next?

Once you cross the threshold, you remain in MTD for that year and the following year, regardless of whether income drops below the threshold subsequently. HMRC's rules allow opt-out only after consistent below-threshold income (typically three years). For a borderline trader, the practical advice is to assume MTD applies from the higher-of-recent-three-years income.

Can I keep using a spreadsheet?

Yes, with bridging software. A spreadsheet with summarised quarterly figures is no longer sufficient — the spreadsheet must contain transaction-level data (each sale, each expense, each item separately). Bridging software then exports the totals to HMRC. For most tradespeople, the spreadsheet workflow is more work than just adopting cloud accounting; for those who already have a strong spreadsheet workflow, bridging is a reasonable option.

What about CIS?

CIS continues as a separate regime. Monthly CIS300 returns by contractors continue. Subcontractors' CIS deductions are recorded in the digital records as the gross labour invoice and the deducted CIS — the deduction is reconciled at year-end against income tax via the Final Declaration. The CIS deduction is offset against income tax due, so subcontractors with significant CIS deductions may finish the year with a refund rather than a payment. See how CIS interacts with self-assessment for full CIS details.

Regulations & Standards