For sole traders and the self-employed
If you are self-employed or a sole trader, HMRC now wants quarterly updates four times a year. You want to get back to work, not learn a new system or worry you have got your tax wrong. aligned.tax reads the spreadsheet you already keep, maps it to HMRC's fields, and lets you review every figure before you submit.
No credit card · Keep the spreadsheet you already use · Connects securely to HMRC.
Found 8 potential mappings in your spreadsheet.
Most MTD tools want you to switch to full accounting software. aligned.tax reads the income and expenses workbook you already keep, maps the columns, and submits the quarterly update.
Drop in your XLSX spreadsheet with your own layout. Safe, secure AI reads your columns and maps them to the right HMRC fields for you, so there is no re-keying and nothing to reformat. You stay in control: check the mapping, hit submit, and your quarterly update is filed. The mapping saves, so next quarter takes seconds.
Download a rigid template. Link cells with formulas. Or re-key every figure by hand into another tool. Every quarter. For every client. HMRC's digital mandate means you can't just copy and paste - so you're stuck adapting your workflow to fit someone else's software.
Your books stay in your spreadsheet. The mapping saves for next quarter. Tax admin stays out of your working day.
Your start date depends on your self-employment and property income, not a letter from HMRC. Check exactly when, and why, in under a minute. Every answer traces back to GOV.UK.
Check your start dateUpload the income and expenses spreadsheet you use day to day. No reformatting and no template to copy across. Smart Map reads it however you have laid it out.
Smart Map matches your column headers to the self-employment MTD fields and proposes the mapping. Review every figure and approve it before anything is submitted to HMRC.
Check the figures and file the quarterly self-employment update directly to HMRC via their MTD API. Save the mapping so next quarter is a one-click repeat, with a full audit trail.
A 7-minute read covering simplified expenses, key dates, and what changes about your bookkeeping under MTD.
Read the MTD guide for sole tradersYes. aligned.tax is officially HMRC-recognised software for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, recognised in July 2026. That means it passed HMRC's production approval checks and submits your quarterly updates through HMRC's official MTD API. If you see 'HMRC approved software' elsewhere, 'recognised' is the term HMRC actually uses.
Yes. aligned.tax is built for sole traders who keep spreadsheet records and want guided MTD submission rather than a full accounting package.
aligned.tax is designed around the quarterly filing workflow, including clear status and deadline prompts for each update.
You can start now. Create a free account, connect securely to HMRC, upload the spreadsheet you already keep, and file your next quarterly update. No credit card required.
aligned.tax is free for sole traders - the core upload-and-submit workflow is always free. There is no credit card to enter and no per-update fee for filing each quarter.
aligned.tax accepts .xlsx files. Bring the workbook you already use for income and expenses, and Smart Map maps the columns into the right HMRC fields. If it is in another format, save or export it as .xlsx before upload.
Yes. You can keep your own books in a spreadsheet and avoid moving to a full accounting package, with aligned.tax reading the file you already maintain.
Qualifying income is your total gross self-employment plus gross property income, combined across all your businesses, before expenses. It is a single threshold test, and HMRC uses the figures from your most recent filed tax return before the mandate date to decide whether you are in scope.
Your first quarterly update covers 6 April to 5 July 2026 and is due by 7 August 2026. For the 2026-27 tax year, HMRC will not apply penalty points for late quarterly updates.
Yes. HMRC allows you to use more than one compatible product provided they work together and collectively meet the minimum functionality. You can keep FreeAgent for invoicing and use aligned.tax as the bridging step from your spreadsheet to HMRC, as long as the digital link between the systems is maintained without manual re-keying.
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Free for individuals, always. Practices start with three clients free. No credit card, no setup.