If your self-employment or rental affairs are straightforward, you can meet MTD at £0.
You don't need to pay for software just because the government changed the rules. HMRC publishes its own free tool, and several third parties (QuickFile, Clear Books, My Tax Digital, Zoho Books) offer permanent free tiers for simple cases.
12 providers match this situation. Free options first.
The government's own MTD tool — free, but basic.
HMRC has its own free software for simple MTD Income Tax cases. No bank feeds, no receipt scanning, no fancy dashboards — but for a sole trader or landlord with straightforward affairs, it does the legal minimum at zero cost.
UK-built, genuinely free under 1,000 transactions/year.
QuickFile is a UK cloud accounting platform with a generous free tier — free for small businesses with fewer than 1,000 nominal transactions in a year. Full MTD support for VAT and Income Tax.
Free tier from an established UK accounting brand.
Clear Books offers a free tier aimed at small sole traders and landlords. HMRC-recognised for both MTD VAT and MTD Income Tax.
Free tier for small turnover, part of a huge ecosystem.
Zoho Books is part of Zoho's wider business suite. UK edition is HMRC-recognised for MTD and has a permanent free tier for businesses under a turnover threshold.
Free bridging from Excel / Google Sheets.
My Tax Digital offers a free bridging mode that imports figures directly from spreadsheets and submits to HMRC. Also has a free accounting mode for simple digital records.
Free MTD tool — requires a (free) Starling business account.
Starling offers free MTD Income Tax software for customers of its business current account. The account itself has no monthly fee (for sole traders and limited companies), so this is a genuinely zero-cost path — provided you're willing to bank with Starling. Tight integration with your transactions.
Mobile-first personal tax app.
Untied is a mobile-first UK personal tax app that handles Self Assessment and MTD Income Tax. Good for sole traders and side hustlers.
Excel add-in bridging — free tier available.
VitalTax is an Excel add-in that submits directly from your spreadsheet. Free tier for very small traders, paid tiers very cheap.
Free MTD tool for landlords.
RentalBux offers a free plan for landlords needing basic MTD compliance — digital records, quarterly submissions, property income reporting.
Purpose-built for landlords.
Hammock is a UK property-specific finance platform — built specifically for landlords with one or many properties. MTD Income Tax ready.
Cheap bridging software for spreadsheet users.
123 Sheets is a low-cost bridging tool — keep your records in Excel, it handles the HMRC submission. No bells, no whistles, just cheap compliance.
Simple MTD Income Tax for individuals.
GoSimpleTax is a UK tool focused specifically on Self Assessment and MTD Income Tax for individuals, sole traders and landlords. Keeps it lean.