Software

Free MTD software: the honest version.

Yes, you can do Making Tax Digital for Income Tax without paying for software. Here's where the free options are, what they ask of you in return, and when paying a little is worth it.

Checked against HMRC guidance on 5 October 2026

HMRC doesn't make its own MTD software for Income Tax. You have to use a product from a third party that's been recognised by HMRC, and HMRC keeps a list of them on GOV.UK where you can filter for free ones. "Free" usually falls into one of four groups.

1. Free with your bank

Some banks include accounting software with a business account. FreeAgent, for example, has been free for customers of NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank and Mettle. If you already bank there, this is genuinely good value.

The catch: it's tied to the account. Switch banks and you start paying or start again. And it's full bookkeeping software, so there's more to learn than MTD needs.

2. Free tiers with limits

Some products have a free plan capped by size, such as a limit on how many ledger entries or transactions you can have in a year. QuickFile and Clear Books have offered free tiers like this.

The catch: check the limit against a full year of your transactions, not one quarter, and check what happens when you go over it.

3. Free bridging software

Bridging tools take totals from a spreadsheet and send them to HMRC. A few are free for simple use.

The catch: you're still keeping the spreadsheet. Every transaction gets typed or pasted and categorised by you, every quarter. The software is free; your time isn't.

4. Free trials

Plenty of paid products are "free" for the first month or the first submission. That's a fine way to try something, as long as you know what it costs afterwards.

How to choose

Count your time. Four quarters a year at an hour each of spreadsheet work is four hours. At almost any hourly rate, that costs more than simple paid software.
Check the final declaration. Some tools only do quarterly updates. You also need to send a final declaration after the tax year, so make sure your choice covers it or you know what you'll use instead.
Check it's on HMRC's list for Income Tax, and that it supports your income type (property, self-employment, or both).

Where Quartax fits. We're not free, but your first quarterly update is, and you don't need a card to start. After that it's from £39 a year. You upload a bank statement, we sort it into HMRC's categories, and you send it. No spreadsheet to keep.

Prices and offers change. We checked the examples here in October 2026; confirm the current terms with each provider before you sign up.