---
title: "MTD: do it yourself with software, or use an accountant?"
description: "Doing Making Tax Digital yourself vs using an accountant: time, cost, risk and what to ask before you choose."
url: https://mtdmatch.uk/blog/mtd-software-or-accountant.html
last_updated: 2026-10-26
language: en-GB
publisher: MTD Match (independent; not affiliated with HMRC)
---

# MTD: do it yourself with software, or use an accountant?

You can meet MTD rules with software alone. Whether you should depends on how you work, how much time you have, and how comfortable you are with the year-end.

## Doing it yourself works if…

- Most of your income arrives by card or bank transfer, so it can be imported automatically.
- You have a handful of expense types and keep receipts as you go.
- You are happy to do a 15-minute check every week and handle the final declaration.

## An accountant is worth it if…

- You take a lot of cash, or work through several platforms.
- You’re a landlord *and* self-employed, or have overseas property.
- You’re in CIS, use a vehicle for work, or work from home – where the year-end adjustments matter.
- You’d rather spend the time working than doing paperwork.

## What to ask an accountant

1. Is it a fixed monthly fee, and does it include all four quarterly updates *and* the final declaration?
2. Which software do you use, and is the subscription included?
3. Do you already work with people in my trade?
4. Are you a member of a professional body (ICAEW, ACCA, AAT, CIOT/ATT) and supervised for anti-money-laundering?
5. What do you need from me each quarter, and by when?

Fees vary a lot with how complex your affairs are, so compare at least two or three fixed-fee quotes.

## Sources

- [Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-out-if-and-when-you-need-to-use-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax) – GOV.UK
- [Work out your qualifying income for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/work-out-your-qualifying-income-for-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax) – GOV.UK
- [Send quarterly updates using Making Tax Digital for Income Tax](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/use-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax/send-quarterly-updates) – GOV.UK
- [Find software that works with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-software-that-works-with-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax) – GOV.UK
- [Penalties for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/penalties-for-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax) – GOV.UK

General information about HMRC’s Making Tax Digital rules as of 26 October 2026, not tax advice. MTD Match is not affiliated with HMRC.

**Written by the MTD Match team:** We turn HMRC’s Making Tax Digital guidance into plain English for each trade, cite the GOV.UK pages we rely on and update every guide when the rules change.

[How we check our guides](https://mtdmatch.uk/methodology.html) · [About us](https://mtdmatch.uk/about.html)

## Related guides

- [Your year in accountant language](https://mtdmatch.uk/blog/accounting-terms-plain-english.html)
- [What is MTD?](https://mtdmatch.uk/blog/what-is-making-tax-digital.html)
- [The £30,000 wave (April 2027)](https://mtdmatch.uk/blog/mtd-30000-threshold-april-2027.html)
- [Takings vs profit](https://mtdmatch.uk/blog/turnover-vs-profit.html)
- [Deadlines 2026/27](https://mtdmatch.uk/blog/mtd-deadlines-2026-27.html)
- [Penalties](https://mtdmatch.uk/blog/mtd-penalties.html)
- [Side income & MTD](https://mtdmatch.uk/blog/side-income-and-mtd.html)
- [What accountants do](https://mtdmatch.uk/blog/what-uk-accountants-do.html)