Making Tax Digital software has 2 jobs: it keeps your records digitally, and it sends the figures to HMRC. HMRC does not provide software of its own, so you choose a product from the list of software that works with Making Tax Digital. This guide gives you the 7 questions that show which one will make your quarters easy, and how EasyBooks answers each of them.
EasyBooks works the way your books already do. You keep them as usual, and the app prepares your Income Tax quarterly updates and VAT Returns from the same records. You do not keep a second ledger, label every transaction for Making Tax Digital or add up the quarter by hand. You choose once which accounts feed HMRC, then check the figures before you send them. You stay in control.
Who needs Making Tax Digital software?
If you are VAT registered, Making Tax Digital for VAT has applied to you since 1 April 2022. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax started on 6 April 2026, and it applies if you are a sole trader or a landlord with qualifying income over £50,000. The limit drops to £30,000 from 6 April 2027 and to £20,000 from 6 April 2028. Qualifying income is your self-employment and property income added together, before expenses.
Not everyone who works for themselves is a sole trader, and the other ways of being self-employed are outside these rules for now. If you are not sure which group you are in, the GOV.UK guidance explains who needs to use it and when. Start there.
7 things to check before you choose
The GOV.UK software finder lists the software HMRC recognises, and it asks about your income sources to give you a shortlist. These 7 questions help you choose between the ones that are left.
| What to check | Why it matters | EasyBooks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is it recognised by HMRC for the tax you need? | Making Tax Digital for VAT and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax have separate lists of software, and some products cover only one. | Recognised by HMRC for both: Making Tax Digital for VAT and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. One app covers your VAT Returns and your Income Tax quarterly updates. |
| 2. Does it keep your records, or only send them? | Some software keeps your digital records. Bridging software connects a spreadsheet you already keep to HMRC. | EasyBooks keeps the records itself, in proper books, and prepares your updates from them, so there is no second ledger to keep. If your figures live in a spreadsheet today, import them as CSV on a Mac. |
| 3. Does it cover your income sources? | Sole trader income and UK property income are reported separately, source by source. | Sole trader and UK property income, each sent to HMRC source by source, with unlimited businesses in one subscription. If you run a business and let a property, both fit in one app. |
| 4. Does it work on the devices you use? | A product you cannot open when it is time to send an update is no use to you. | Native apps for Mac, iPhone and iPad, with unlimited devices in one subscription. Your books sync between them and work offline, so you can add a record wherever you are. |
| 5. What does it cost, and is Making Tax Digital included? | Some products have a free version, and you can filter for them in the GOV.UK software finder. Compare what you get, not only the price. | Making Tax Digital is included in every EasyBooks plan, Bronze, Silver and Gold, with no separate fee for it and unlimited transactions. Try it free for 14 days, with no card needed. |
| 6. Who files your tax return? | Quarterly updates are not the whole year. The tax return (also known as the final part of Self Assessment, or the “final declaration”) still follows. | With EasyBooks, your accountant files your tax return, which is how many of our customers like to work. You keep the books and send your quarterly updates from the app, and your accountant works from reports on the same records. Agree the split with them up front. |
| 7. Can you reach a real person? | A quarterly deadline is a bad moment to be stuck waiting for an answer. | Yes. You talk to a real person on our support team, not a bot, and Gold comes with priority support. |
That is the whole checklist.
Where does EasyBooks fit in?
There are plenty of Making Tax Digital products to choose from. EasyBooks was built for small business owners who need bookkeeping software that is genuinely easy to use, and who have no wish to become accountants to get their books right. You simply record what comes in and what goes out, and EasyBooks handles the accounting behind the scenes. Native apps for Mac, iPhone and iPad, recognised by HMRC for Making Tax Digital. And when you have a question or get stuck, you talk to a real person on our support team, not a bot.
For 16 years, small business owners and the self-employed have trusted EasyBooks to keep their finances in order. That experience, and more than 315,000 downloads on Mac and iOS, has shaped an app that makes Making Tax Digital simple. You keep your records as you always have, and EasyBooks turns them into your VAT Returns and Income Tax quarterly updates. You can take your day-to-day actions and create a real-time picture of your data. EasyBooks allows you to manage revenue and spending, record receipts, invoice and accept payments, run basic reports, and track sales and sales tax through your mobile phone.
Spreadsheets were never built for Making Tax Digital. Formulas break, totals drift, and on their own they cannot send anything to HMRC. EasyBooks keeps every transaction in proper books, so your reports and your tax figures always come from the same data. When it is time to submit, the app prepares your VAT Returns and Income Tax quarterly updates from the records you already keep. You check the figures and send them to HMRC straight from the app. Your annual tax return can stay with your accountant, which is exactly how many of our customers like to work.
Real-time synchronisation keeps your books up to date on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. Update a record on one device and it is ready on the others, so you can work on the books together with your business partner or the people who help you run the business. If you run more than one business, keep a separate set of books for each one, with no limit on businesses, transactions or devices in one subscription.
Why go digital?
Digital records help you as much as they help HMRC:
- Fewer mistakes, more confidence
Mistakes happen to everyone. With EasyBooks, your quarterly figures are calculated from the records you already keep, not retyped and totalled by hand, so there is far less room for slips and you spot anything unusual early. Your HMRC online account shows your due dates, and with your figures ready in the app, sending each update on time is quick and simple. - Less paper
Your records live in one place on your devices, instead of in a drawer you have to dig through. - More time for the work you enjoy
Gathering documents and rushing to submit is what takes the hours. With your figures already in the app, there is much less to gather.
Making Tax Digital software: your questions answered
What is the best software for Making Tax Digital?
The best software is the one that HMRC recognises for your tax, handles your income sources and runs on the devices you use. Work through the 7 questions above, then try it before you pay. EasyBooks has a 14-day free trial with no card needed.
Can I do my own Making Tax Digital?
Yes, you can do your own Making Tax Digital. With recognised software you can keep your digital records and send your updates to HMRC yourself, or you can ask an accountant to do it for you as your agent.
How much does Making Tax Digital software cost?
Making Tax Digital software ranges from free versions to paid plans, and the GOV.UK software finder lets you filter for a free version. Making Tax Digital is included in every EasyBooks plan, with no separate fee for it, and you can try it free for 14 days.
Does HMRC have software for Making Tax Digital?
No, HMRC does not provide its own software for Making Tax Digital. You choose from products that have passed HMRC’s recognition process, which are listed on GOV.UK.
Test EasyBooks with your own records, free for 14 days
Take the 7 questions into a free trial. Add your own income and expenses, run your reports and see your figures for Making Tax Digital come together, in proper books on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. 16 years of EasyBooks and more than 315,000 downloads on Mac and iOS stand behind it. To see more, read about Making Tax Digital for Income Tax or Making Tax Digital for VAT.
That is why small businesses choose EasyBooks for Making Tax Digital: proper books, HMRC-recognised software and real people to help whenever you need them. To give it a try, head over to EasyBooksApp and start your free trial today.
