Most MTD-compliant software costs between £8 and £30 a month for a single sole trader or landlord, with multi-property or multi-income packages running higher. Genuinely free tiers exist, but they usually cap at one income source or a limited number of transactions. Here’s exactly what determines the price you’ll actually pay.
What determines the price of MTD software
- How many income sources you have; self-employment plus property usually sits in a higher tier than either alone
- How many properties you’re reporting on, if you’re a landlord
- Whether the software includes bank-feed automation and AI-powered categorisation, or requires manual entry
- How many quarterly updates and End of Period Statements are included
- Whether an accountant or agent needs their own access to your account
When you’re comparing options, HMRC’s own guidance on choosing the right software is worth checking first, it sets out the minimum functionality any MTD software has to support, regardless of price.
Typical MTD software pricing tiers in 2026
| Tier | Typical monthly cost | What’s usually included |
| Free / basic | £0 | One income source, manual entry, basic HMRC submission |
| Standard | £8–£15 | Bank feeds, one income source, quarterly updates + End of Period Statement |
| Multi-property / multi-income | £15–£30 | Multiple properties or income streams, AI-assisted categorisation |
| Practice / accountant-managed | Varies by client count | Multi-client dashboards, bulk submission tools |
Hidden costs to watch for
- Bridging software add-ons, if you’re staying on spreadsheets rather than switching fully
- Per-property or per-income-source charges once you exceed a plan’s included limit
- End of Period Statement (EOPS) filing sometimes billed separately from quarterly updates
- Accountant review fees stacked on top of your software subscription
Is software cheaper than paying an accountant for MTD?
For straightforward cases, a single income source, no unusual property arrangements, software alone is almost always cheaper than paying an accountant to handle MTD submissions on your behalf. Where it gets more complicated (multiple properties, mixed income, jointly owned property) many people land on a hybrid: software for day-to-day record keeping, with an accountant reviewing the year-end figures.
How does CleanBooks AI keep the cost down?
Cost only really works in your favour if the software is actually doing the work an accountant or a manual bookkeeper would otherwise charge for. CleanBooks AI’s AI bookkeeping assistant, Keeva, categorises transactions and prepares your quarterly figures automatically, see the full AI bookkeeping vs manual bookkeeping comparison for the time (and cost) difference this makes. Every new sign-up also gets 6 months free, so you can run a full quarter or two before any cost decision is required.
See the real numbers for yourself. Check if CleanBooks AI is worth it.
