Making Tax Digital without an accountant or bookkeeper?

lukab · May 29, 2026

I came across this YouTube video which shows an easy way to comply with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax for Sole Traders and Landlords using a spreadsheet and I would like to know your thoughts about it and how you comply without and accountant or bookkeeper:

I'm not allowed to post links, so if you go on YouTube and search for: "An easy way to comply with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax using a spreadsheet" it should be on the top of the list, with a software called: MTD 4 Income Tax & VAT.

Thanks.

Lisa Thomas · May 29, 2026

this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgdTox-Cnp0

lukab · May 29, 2026

Lisa Thomas said:
this one? youtube.com/watch?v=hgdTox-Cnp0

Yes. That one.

numbersrule · May 29, 2026

In my opinion that spreadsheet method woild be time consuming and prone to error.

For me, it is a no brainer to use dedicated online web based bookkeeping software because it is quicker, less prone to error and therefore saves money on spreadsheet methods even though the online subscription might 'cost' more.

lukab · May 29, 2026

numbersrule said:
In my opinion that spreadsheet method woild be time consuming and prone to error.

For me, it is a no brainer to use dedicated online web based bookkeeping software because it is quicker, less prone to error and therefore saves money on spreadsheet methods even though the online subscription might 'cost' more.

I’m not sure whether the spreadsheet method introduces more errors. It is not only it saves money and it is very simple to use, but I feel in control of my data at any time. While, sending my financial data to an online accounting system means, my data is exposed and no available when the online services are down.

UK Contractor Accountant · May 29, 2026

lukab said:
I’m not sure whether the spreadsheet method introduces more errors. It is not only it saves money and it is very simple to use, but I feel in control of my data at any time. While, sending my financial data to an online accounting system means, my data is exposed and no available when the online services are down.

in that case have a look at VT Transaction+

not cloud based, £90+VAT per year

DWS · May 29, 2026

UK Contractor Accountant said:
in that case have a look at VT Transaction+

not cloud based, £90+VAT per year

Which is what I will be using for all the clients I submit MTD for, rather than all that cloudy rubbish!

lukab · May 29, 2026

UK Contractor Accountant said:
in that case have a look at VT Transaction+

not cloud based, £90+VAT per year

Ok, I checked that out, my observations are: 1. technology wise, it seems going back to the dark ages where I have to install an exe on my device which might damage or compromise it. 2. it is too complicated for my simple income/expenditure records. 3. I rather use this MTD 4 Income Tax Software £20 per year, it is web based, not exe to download and install, it has a simple digital records management system, data are stored locally on the device, protecting my privacy and I can submit the quarterly updates automatically, by just clicking the button.

DWS · May 29, 2026

lukab said:
Ok, I checked that out, my observations are: 1. technology wise, it seems going back to the dark ages where I have to install an exe on my device which might damage or compromise it. 2. it is too complicated for my simple income/expenditure records. 3. I rather use this MTD 4 Income Tax Software £20 per year, it is web based, not exe to download and install, it has a simple digital records management system, data are stored locally on the device, protecting my privacy and I can submit the quarterly updates automatically, by just clicking the button.

1. Dark ages? You may see it as that but I would be surprised if there are many professional accountants who do not use it in some form.
2. Complicated?? It is based on spreadsheets, in the simplest form!
3. But you seem intent to use what you are peddling, so good luck.

lukab · May 29, 2026

DWS said:
1. Dark ages? You may see it as that but I would be surprised if there are many professional accountants who do not use it in some form.
2. Complicated?? It is based on spreadsheets, in the simplest form!
3. But you seem intent to use what you are peddling, so good luck.

You are missing the point... have you read the thread title before replying? And I guess... you are the vendor of the VT Transaction+ still stuck at the technology of the 2000s, you know, there is internet now, or are your customers still sending you a fax?

UK Contractor Accountant · May 29, 2026

DWS said:
1. Dark ages? You may see it as that but I would be surprised if there are many professional accountants who do not use it in some form.
2. Complicated?? It is based on spreadsheets, in the simplest form!
3. But you seem intent to use what you are peddling, so good luck.

yes also good for FRS105 Micro Accounts
for £175 + vat per year can't complain

DWS · May 29, 2026

lukab said:
You are missing the point... have you read the thread title before replying? And I guess... you are the vendor of the VT Transaction+ still stuck at the technology of the 2000s, you know, there is internet now, or are your customers still sending you a fax?

Yes, read the thread title and not missing the point at all.
You are talking about using a You Tube link which uses spreadsheets which is basically what VT+ is, but according to you VT is in the dark ages!
Have spreadsheets not been available for over 30 years?

lukab · May 29, 2026

DWS said:
Yes, read the thread title and not missing the point at all.
You are talking about using a You Tube link which uses spreadsheets which is basically what VT+ is, but according to you VT is in the dark ages!
Have spreadsheets not been available for over 30 years?

Ok, you stated that your software is used by professional accountants, right? What I stated in the thread title is: this is a message for Sole Traders and Landlords who DO NOT need an accountant or a bookkeeper.

ctrlbrk · May 29, 2026

lukab said:
Ok, you stated that your software is used by professional accountants, right? What I stated in the thread title is: this is a message for Sole Traders and Landlords who DO NOT need an accountant or a bookkeeper.

For someone who has come across a YouTube video, you seem to be quite opinionated about this software.

DWS · May 29, 2026

lukab said:
Ok, you stated that your software is used by professional accountants, right? What I stated in the thread title is: this is a message for Sole Traders and Landlords who DO NOT need an accountant or a bookkeeper.

Instead of questioning me on whether I read the title of the thread before posting (which I did) maybe you should read what I said before you reply.
I said ‘I would be be surprised if there are many professional accountants who do not use it in some form’
I did not say the software was only for accountants as it is available for all businesses, and by the way it is not ‘my’ software, I just use it for my clients.
I am an Accountant not a software developer!

lukab · May 29, 2026

DWS said:
Instead of questioning me on whether I read the title of the thread before posting (which I did) maybe you should read what I said before you reply.
I said ‘I would be be surprised if there are many professional accountants who do not use it in some form’
I did not say the software was only for accountants as it is available for all businesses, and by the way it is not ‘my’ software, I just use it for my clients.
I am an Accountant not a software developer!

Ok. Sorry for the long discussion. This software is not meant for accountants. I hope we have clarity on this.

DWS · May 30, 2026

lukab said:
Ok. Sorry for the long discussion. This software is not meant for accountants. I hope we have clarity on this.

For clarity then, VT can be used by Accountants and Businesses as I already mentioned.

JEREMY HAWKE · May 30, 2026

lukab said:
Ok, you stated that your software is used by professional accountants, right? What I stated in the thread title is: this is a message for Sole Traders and Landlords who DO NOT need an accountant or a bookkeeper.

You do need help from a person that knows what they are doing as your posts show us that your struggling with this

Lets go back your opening post I dont know why your messing around with spreadsheets. You need to simplify things
We use Sage obviously this is considerably expensive but for the simple accounting of renting out houses they have low costs packages that are easy to use ,easy to track your numbers and compliant with HMRC
You can also use this without a bookkeeper or accountant its exactly what your looking for!

You dont trust the security of these systems your in business and dont want to spend money on running this enterprise It makes no sense to me You appear to expect to be exempt from what the rest of us have to comply with . Your trying to avoid the most important part of running your business .

You have made a good choice here on this site though .You are asking real, genuine traceable and contactable businesses and not watching some moon buggy on You Tube
I hope your take on board what the boys and girls are advising here

lukab · May 30, 2026

JEREMY HAWKE said:
You do need help from a person that knows what they are doing as your posts show us that your struggling with this

Lets go back your opening post I dont know why your messing around with spreadsheets. You need to simplify things
We use Sage obviously this is considerably expensive but for the simple accounting of renting out houses they have low costs packages that are easy to use ,easy to track your numbers and compliant with HMRC
You can also use this without a bookkeeper or accountant its exactly what your looking for!

You dont trust the security of these systems your in business and dont want to spend money on running this enterprise It makes no sense to me You appear to expect to be exempt from what the rest of us have to comply with . Your trying to avoid the most important part of running your business .

You have made a good choice here on this site though .You are asking real, genuine traceable and contactable businesses and not watching some moon buggy on You Tube
I hope your take on board what the boys and girls are advising here

Ok, Many thanks for all your advices. I have been filing my Self Assessment Tax Return by myself for years and, I think, I do know what I'm doing. Here, I was interested in what other Sole Traders and/or Landlords, who do not need an Accountant, do now with MTD. But it seems this forum is dominated by Accounts, by the feedback I had so far.

ctrlbrk · May 30, 2026

lukab said:
But it seems this forum is dominated by Accounts, by the feedback I had so far.

I think this forum is dominated by smart people (not talking about me) that can see a stealth plug for a product from miles away.

lukab · May 30, 2026

ctrlbrk said:
I think this forum is dominated by smart people (not talking about me) that can see a stealth plug for a product from miles away.

Yes, yes, I understand, you guys are set here looking for clients and you see me as competition.

JEREMY HAWKE · May 30, 2026

lukab said:
Yes, yes, I understand, you guys are set here looking for clients and you see me as competition.

Your not a competitor of mine if you had a good product I would tell you that it was good
Its just dawned on me that your selling something and not asking for help

Daybooks · May 31, 2026

lukab said:
I’m not sure whether the spreadsheet method introduces more errors.

You can be sure. It does not.

gpietersz · May 31, 2026

lukab said:
technology wise, it seems going back to the dark ages where I have to install an exe on my device which might damage or compromise it.

So you have a problem with installing software on a computer? That is plain silly. if you never install software you are really limiting what you can do.

BTW the dark ages were not that bad and often better than the age that preceded them (ask a historian of the period). There might be a parallel here because I am not convinced that using other people's computers for everything is an improvement.

MyAccountantOnline · Jun 1, 2026

numbersrule said:
In my opinion that spreadsheet method woild be time consuming and prone to error.

For me, it is a no brainer to use dedicated online web based bookkeeping software because it is quicker, less prone to error and therefore saves money on spreadsheet methods even though the online subscription might 'cost' more.

Agree entirely.

I dont think I've ever seen a clients spreadsheet which has been error free - it's not the right tool for the job in 2026.

MyAccountantOnline · Jun 1, 2026

lukab said:
I came across this YouTube video which shows an easy way to comply with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax for Sole Traders and Landlords using a spreadsheet and I would like to know your thoughts about it and how you comply without and accountant or bookkeeper:

I'm not allowed to post links, so if you go on YouTube and search for: "An easy way to comply with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax using a spreadsheet" it should be on the top of the list, with a software called: MTD 4 Income Tax & VAT.

Thanks.

You dont have to use an accountant or bookkeeper if you are happy to spend time learning what you can and can't claim and maintaining your records. Do consider how much your is time worth - can you earn more doing what you do best?

My view MTD-compatible software will generally quicker, more accurate and less error-prone than spreadsheets. Bank feeds, automated categorisation and built-in checks can reduce manual data entry and help avoid formula errors, missing transactions or accidental mistakes that are very easy to make in a spreadsheet.

numbersrule · Jun 1, 2026

Daybooks said:
You can be sure. It does not.

Hi Daybooks

I'm sure that you can be sure when you are using a spreadsheet.

But that same surety may not apply to everyone using spreadsheets.

For some business owners, spreadsheets would be a no-go area.

DWS · Jun 1, 2026

numbersrule said:
For some business owners, spreadsheets would be a no-go area.

But then the same could be said for some business owners using accounting/bookkeeping software.
I don’t think it’s a case of one size fits all, it’s a case of each individual business using what they feel comfortable with, whether that be spreadsheets or software, using accountants or not, everybody is going to be different and make their own choices that suits their business.

Daybooks · Jun 2, 2026

MyAccountantOnline said:
I dont think I've ever seen a clients spreadsheet which has been error free - it's not the right tool for the job in 2026.

Jo Hamilton said similar of her use of Horizon.

gpietersz · Jun 2, 2026

MyAccountantOnline said:
I dont think I've ever seen a clients spreadsheet which has been error free

Spreadsheets are in incredibly easy to get started with and accessible way to do programming. It is real programming too (Excel formulae alone are a Turing complete programming language now) and you can do pretty complex things with it. Its also very prone to silent bugs and very hard to debug.

numbersrule · Jun 4, 2026

numbersrule said:
Hi Daybooks

I'm sure that you can be sure when you are using a spreadsheet.

But that same surety may not apply to everyone using spreadsheets.

For some business owners, spreadsheets would be a no-go area.

Hi Daybooks
I may have to reconsider the above to some extent based on the distinction between the Type 1 Spreadsheet and Type 2 Spreadsheet as described by GL Abusiness in the other separate thread entitled 'when is a spreadsheet not a spreadsheet?'.
Maybe it is possible to make spreadsheets that are safer and less error prone if protected cells are built in thereby preventing accidental errors and providing guided data entry.
But then, that begins to sound more like dedicated 'software' built from a spreadsheet foundation.

Daybooks · Jun 4, 2026

numbersrule said:
Hi Daybooks
I may have to reconsider the above to some extent based on the distinction between the Type 1 Spreadsheet and Type 2 Spreadsheet as described by GL Abusiness in the other separate thread entitled 'when is a spreadsheet not a spreadsheet?'.
Maybe it is possible to make spreadsheets that are safer and less error prone if protected cells are built in thereby preventing accidental errors and providing guided data entry.
But then, that begins to sound more like dedicated 'software' built from a spreadsheet foundation.

Microsoft Excel is more than just a spreadsheet with its rich programming language Visual Basics for Applications. A user’s limitation is their imagination nobody else’s.

Thus when you wish your online solution would do something…

Excel the gift that keeps on giving.

GLAbusiness · Jun 5, 2026

I have just looked at the video on YouTube. It strikes me that, compared to FreeAgent (Other packages are available) this spreadsheet solution is woefully lacking. I want links to bank accounts, reconciliation, invoicing, Conformance with future regulation etc. The spreadsheet shown in the video is manually data entry heavy, At best a partial solution, Not future proof and does not follow the normal business flow I would not dream of using something like this

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Making Tax Digital without an accountant or bookkeeper?