Making Tax Digital |

What is Making Tax Digital (MTD)?

Making Tax Digital or MTD as it is often shortened to is the Government’s initiative to have a fully digital UK tax system; the plan is for everyone to use digital software as a way of recording, submitting and paying their tax online. This is to make it easier for individuals and businesses to get their tax correct, providing more accurate information to ensure they keep on top of their tax affairs.

So far Making Tax Digital (MTD) has made significant changes to the way the tax system works – transforming tax administration so that it's all online, replacing paper-based reporting. The benefits of reporting digitally are as follows:

More accurate:
Replacing paper bookkeeping records with digital tax accounts will ensure that the information held by HMRC is ‘live’ and accurate with fewer errors from data input.
Easier to understand:
Digital accounting will help businesses and individuals see how much tax is owed (or due to be returned) with up-to-date records in the financial year– similar to online banking.
Faster to report to HMRC:
MTD software will make it faster to submit returns to HMRC online via compliant software.

The primary legislation for Making Tax Digital relating to VAT and Income Tax is contained in the Finance (No.2) Act 2017, providing certainty about the broad framework in which Making Tax Digital will operate, with secondary legislation for VAT laid in February 2018, which came into force from April 2019.

Who is affected by MTD and when?

The first to be affected were small businesses and individuals with a turnover above the VAT threshold of £85,000, they have been required to keep digital records for VAT purposes since April 2019.

MTD for VAT - All VAT registered businesses were required to follow the new MTD rules for their first return starting on or after April 2022.

MTD for ITSA - Self-employed businesses and landlords with annual business or property income over £50,000 will need to follow the new rules for MTD from their next accounting period starting on or after 6 April 2026. The same will apply to those earning over £30,000 but they have until April 2027.

For up-to-date information, please also see hmrc.gov.uk

Let TBA help you go digital

MTD changes the way HMRC need information from tax payers and you will need to move from your existing manual record keeping processes onto a HMRC compliant software package such as QuickBooks. As we are experts in digital/online solutions, we can help get you compliant.

We have decided to Partner with QuickBooks as our preferred digital solution, we feel this is the best fit for our new and existing clients however we are also fully trained in Xero.

As QuickBooks accountants we will be offering training to new and existing clients to give a better understanding of QuickBooks as well as understanding your obligations and responsibilities under MTD.

If you would like us to help you with your MTD obligations, then call us today on 0208 661 7878 or email us at bsg@turpinba.co.uk to arrange a free initial consultation.

In summary, Making Tax Digital will mean:

For the taxpayer:

The end of the self assessment tax return

The ability to pay tax based on your business activity during the year

The ability to upload or update your tax account in real time

All of your tax information in one place

For small businesses:

All of the tax information and interactions are in one place

No separate notifications of change of address or other details

Easy payment, time to pay and other options

Less direct contact with HMRC

For HMRC:

Smoother processing of data by removing peaks

Better interaction with taxpayers

All of the information about a business in one place

The ability to target information and support much more directly

What are the advantages of going digital?

Be able to view your current financial position in real time
Have your accounts 100% online so there is no software to install and everything is backed up automatically
Your bank supplies data directly into your digital account on a daily basis
No more lost receipts, just take a photo of your receipt on your phone & add it
Access your data 24/7, 365 days a year from your phone
Create invoices including how much each customer owes, manage payroll and much more all in one place

What can I really do with digital accounting software like QuickBooks:

Create and send invoices on the go
Track sales, purchases, debtors and creditors
Connect to your online banking
View a snapshot of your business
Estimate tax payments
Easy tax filing that matches HMRC requirements
Manage customers and suppliers
Create estimates, purchase orders and manage your stock

“At turpin barker armstrong, we are experts in market-leading accountancy and cloud-based digital solutions. As making tax digital accountants we are excited to move our clients towards a digital way of accounting and tax reporting, this will streamline processes for our clients and help us at turpin barker armstrong to work in a more environmentally sustainable way. We are following the guidelines from HMRC closely and will offer training and implementation services to help clients feel confident in the digital ways of working”

Dean Clark, Partner