The MTDPrep Blog
Practical guides for sole traders and landlords getting ready for Making Tax Digital — no jargon, no software sales pitch.
13 July 2026
Barclays will export your transactions to CSV — a genuine advantage over most UK banks. But the export is desktop-only, limited to recent transactions, and still isn't an MTD digital record. Here's what to do with it.
Read more →12 July 2026
Downloading a Lloyds statement is the easy part. Here's how far back you can go, why a PDF isn't a digital record, and what has to happen before it's ready for your quarterly MTD update.
Read more →11 July 2026
A bank statement converter gets you roughly halfway to MTD compliance — it extracts transactions but doesn't categorise them into HMRC's expense boxes. Here's exactly where the gap sits, and how to close it.
Read more →10 July 2026
Making Tax Digital does not yet apply to partnerships — no start date is set. But partners with a sole trade or rental income in their own name can still be caught. Here's how to tell if that's you.
Read more →9 July 2026
No — you don't need full accounting software for Making Tax Digital. Here's how a spreadsheet paired with bridging software keeps you fully compliant for a fraction of the cost.
Read more →8 July 2026
A plain-English explainer of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax — what it is, who it affects, and what you actually have to do, with no jargon.
Read more →7 July 2026
If Making Tax Digital is coming your way, getting your expense categories right is no longer optional. HMRC recognises nine main categories of allowable expenses for sole traders — and under MTD ITSA, you need to use them correctly every quarter, not just at year end.
Read more →6 July 2026
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax arrived on 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords earning over £50,000. Find out if you're in scope, what the quarterly deadlines are, and what to do if you missed the start date.
Read more →4 July 2026
MTD ITSA explained in plain English: what it stands for, who it affects, when it starts, and what you actually need to do.
Read more →3 July 2026
If you're self-employed and MTD has been a confusing phrase you keep hearing, here's the plain-English version. Who's affected, when it starts, and exactly what you need to do to stay compliant.
Read more →2 July 2026
Comparing Making Tax Digital software? Most sole traders don't need a full accounting suite — a spreadsheet paired with bridging software meets the same requirement, for a fraction of the cost.
Read more →2 July 2026
If you receive rental income above £50,000, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax already applies to you. Here's what landlords need to keep, when to submit, and how to stay compliant without accounting software.
Read more →1 July 2026
Bridging software is the cheapest way to meet Making Tax Digital's submission rule if you already use a spreadsheet — but 123 Sheets, Absolute Excel and VT all assume your figures are already correct. Here's what each one does, and what none of them do.
Read more →1 July 2026
HSBC made it significantly harder to download your bank statements as CSV. Here's what changed, why it matters for Making Tax Digital, and what to do instead.
Read more →29 June 2026
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is here for anyone earning over £50,000 from self-employment or property. Here's what it actually means, who it affects, and what you need to do about it.
Read more →Now live
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