Bookkeeping workbooks
Keep the underlying records
Enter individual income and expense transactions as they happen. The workbook calculates useful quarterly and year-end totals for you.
See the three bookkeeping workbooksFree Excel templates
Choose your free MTD spreadsheet: landlord or sole trader Excel templates
Download free Excel (.xlsx) templates for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Pick a bookkeeping workbook to record transactions through the year, a transaction upload sheet to categorise payments in aligned.tax, or a quarterly summary if your figures already live elsewhere. No sign-up. For the full sole trader or landlord guide and primary download, use the specialist pages below.
When you are ready to file, upload your completed .xlsx and review the figures - free for individuals, see pricing. Compare free MTD software. Or browse all eight templates.
Start with the job
Three ways to prepare your figures
Pick the format that matches where your records live today.
Transaction upload templates
Categorise payments in aligned.tax
Enter receipts and payments, then review their HMRC categories and totals in the app before filing.
See the two transaction sheetsQuarterly summary templates
Summarise records kept elsewhere
Enter cumulative year-to-date totals from your existing digital records, ready to upload and review in aligned.tax.
See the three quarterly summariesBookkeeping workbooks
Keep your records
Use these workbooks as your day-to-day digital record of income and expenses.
Best for 1 to 3 properties
Landlord Starter workbook
Record rental income, property expenses and mortgage interest throughout the year, then see quarterly and year-end totals.
- Up to 3 property sheets
- Quarterly and year-end summary
- UK property income and expense categories
aligned-tax-landlord-starter-bookkeeping.xlsxDownload .xlsx
Best for 4 to 10 properties
Landlord Portfolio workbook
Keep each property separate while viewing consolidated rental income, expenses and year-end totals across the portfolio.
- Up to 10 property sheets
- Portfolio overview dashboard
- Consolidated year-end totals
aligned-tax-landlord-portfolio-bookkeeping.xlsxDownload .xlsx
Best for self-employed record keeping
Sole Trader workbook
Log sales and business expenses against clear HMRC categories, with automatic quarterly totals and a live profit and loss view.
- Transaction-by-transaction ledger
- Quarterly totals calculated automatically
- Expense guide and simplified expenses calculator
aligned-tax-sole-trader-bookkeeping.xlsxDownload .xlsx
Transaction upload templates
Upload payments for categorisation
Use the sheet for your income source. Fill the Transactions worksheet and keep the category reference for guidance. Transaction filing is offered only when the selected business and update support it.
Best for categorising self-employment payments
Sole trader transaction upload
List receipts and payments in the columns recognised by aligned.tax, then check their HMRC categories and quarterly totals before filing.
- One transaction per row
- Optional HMRC category field
- Self-employment category reference
aligned-tax-sole-trader-transactions.xlsxDownload .xlsx
Best for categorising UK property payments
UK property transaction upload
List rental receipts and property costs for one income source, then review their HMRC categories and quarterly totals in aligned.tax.
- One transaction per row
- Optional HMRC category field
- UK property category reference
aligned-tax-uk-property-transactions.xlsxDownload .xlsx
Quarterly summary templates
Prepare a quarterly summary
Use these when the detailed digital records already live in another spreadsheet or bookkeeping system.
Best if UK property records are kept elsewhere
UK Property quarterly summary
Bring cumulative year-to-date rental figures into one structured sheet, using detailed expense categories or a single expense total.
- Cumulative year-to-date figures
- Detailed expenses or one total
- Built-in checks
aligned-tax-uk-property-summary.xlsxDownload .xlsx
Best for foreign property income from 2026-27
Foreign Property quarterly summary
Prepare cumulative year-to-date income and expenses for foreign properties before uploading the completed summary to aligned.tax.
- Supports up to 20 properties or country codes
- Detailed expenses or one total
- Built-in checks
aligned-tax-foreign-property-summary.xlsxDownload .xlsx
Best if sole trader records are kept elsewhere
Sole trader quarterly summary
Enter cumulative year-to-date self-employment income and expenses in the format needed for review in aligned.tax.
- Cumulative year-to-date figures
- Detailed expenses or one total
- Built-in checks
aligned-tax-sole-trader-summary.xlsxDownload .xlsx
Quick decision guide
Which one should I use?
01
Choose your income source
Use the landlord templates for UK property, the foreign property template for overseas property, or the sole trader and self-employment templates for business income.
02
Choose how much detail to enter
Need to keep records through the year? Pick a bookkeeping workbook. Ready to categorise payments in aligned.tax? Pick a transaction upload sheet. Already have totals? Pick the matching cumulative quarterly summary.
The templates organise your figures. They do not send anything to HMRC by themselves. Upload the completed file to compatible bridging software, review it and authorise the submission.
For practices
Need client-branded landlord and sole trader workbooks?
Accountants and bookkeepers can brand landlord or sole trader templates with practice name, logo and colour, then send them to clients to fill and return.
More free templates
Need invoices, timesheets or a cash flow forecast?
The aligned.tax template library has free Excel templates for everyday business admin: invoices, quotes, purchase orders, payroll, staff rotas, landlord records and more.
Common questions
MTD spreadsheet template FAQs
Which MTD spreadsheet template should I use?
Choose a bookkeeping workbook to keep records through the year, a transaction upload template to categorise individual payments when that option is offered for your update, or a quarterly summary template to organise cumulative year-to-date totals from records kept elsewhere.
Are these Excel spreadsheet templates free?
Yes. All eight .xlsx files are free to download and there is no email form or sign-up gate. You can keep using the file on your own computer.
Do these spreadsheets submit figures directly to HMRC?
No. The spreadsheets help you keep or organise digital records. To send an MTD quarterly update to HMRC, upload the completed file to compatible bridging software such as aligned.tax, review the figures and authorise the submission.
Can I use Excel for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax?
Yes, provided you keep the required digital records and use compatible software to submit the required updates to HMRC. The digital link between your records and the submission must be maintained.
Can landlords and sole traders use the same spreadsheet?
Use the template for the relevant income source. UK property, foreign property and self-employment have different income and expense fields, so separate templates reduce mapping mistakes and make review clearer.
From spreadsheet to submission
Got your spreadsheet? File it free with aligned.tax.
Upload the completed workbook, review the mapped figures or transaction categories, and authorise your MTD submission when you are ready.
Start filing now