Tax Filed For You

What accountants charge for Making Tax Digital quarterly updates in 2026: published prices compared

By Patrick Roper ACA, ICAEW chartered accountant. Last reviewed 6 November 2026. Figures next checked by 1 December 2026.

Published 2026 prices for a landlord's MTD year run from about £480 (Taxfix Full Support at £39.99 a month) to £800 or more at high-street practices quoting £75 to £125 per quarterly update plus £150 to £300 for the year-end return. Provestor's Done For You service is £499 a year (£399 in the first year) for up to 10 properties. Tax Filed For You is £399 a year for up to three properties, filed by one named ICAEW chartered accountant. It is not the cheapest option on this page.

The prices, with where they come from

WhoWhat is publishedA year, up to three propertiesVATSource and date
Taxfix MTD Full Support£39.99 a month, bookkeeping, quarterly filings and year end; first three months freeAbout £480 (£360 in year one with the free months)Includedtaxfix.com, modified 20 Oct 2026
Provestor Done For You£399 first year, then £499 a year, up to 10 properties, record keeping included£399 then £499Not stated on the page; unverifiedprovestor.co.uk, 1 Nov 2026
High-street practices (range)£75 to £125 per quarterly update, plus £150 to £300 for the year-end return£450 to £800Plus VATmtd.digital, 17 Feb 2026
LKA, chartered accountants"Around £100 + VAT per quarter" as the typical charge£400 plus the year endPlus VATlkassociates.co.uk, 1 Nov 2026
Landlord group quotes£75 to £100 per quarter, one landlord asked £80£300 to £400 plus the year endVariesFacebook landlord group, 2026
Tax Filed For You£399 a year: four quarterly updates and the year end, one named ICAEW chartered accountant. £699 for joint owners or four or more properties. £69 a month with bookkeeping, no minimum term.£399IncludedThis site, 1 Nov 2026

How to read the table

  • Per-update prices add up. £100 a quarter sounds smaller than it is: four updates plus a £200 year end is £600 before VAT, £720 after.
  • Bookkeeping is the hidden line. Most per-update prices assume you arrive with categorised figures. Ask what happens if you send a bank statement instead.
  • Property count changes the answer. Provestor's £499 covers 10 properties. Our £399 covers three, and £699 covers more or two owners. A landlord with eight properties and no joint ownership is better served on price by Provestor.
  • Who files it. Taxfix says its accountants are ACCA or ICAEW qualified; it does not name the one you get. Provestor names staff on its homepage without stating qualifications. Here, every return is filed by Patrick Roper ACA under his own name.
  • Introductory prices end. Taxfix's three free months and Provestor's £399 are year-one prices. Compare year two.

Accountant, software or do it yourself: one landlord's cost three ways

For a landlord with two properties in their own name, the year costs nothing with free software, roughly £60 to £120 with paid software, and £450 to £800 plus VAT at published high-street rates or £399 with us. The work is the same on every route: digital records of the rent and costs, four quarterly updates, and one tax return. HMRC treats all your UK lets as one property business, so two properties mean one set of four updates. What changes is who does the work.

RouteCost for the yearWhat you do yourselfRight when
Free software from HMRC's list£0Everything. Pick a product in HMRC's software finder, sign up, record each rent receipt and cost with its date and category, send the four updates, make the year-end adjustments, add your other income and submit the return.Your affairs are simple. HMRC says free products exist for that case and may carry limits, for example on the number of transactions.
Paid software, you fileTaxfix MTD Self-service: £4.99 a month including VAT, £59.88 a year, first three months free. Hammock Basic, 1 to 3 properties: £8 a month or £76.80 a year plus VAT, which is £92.16 a year with VAT. FreeAgent landlord plan: £10 a month or £100 a year plus VAT, which is £120 with VAT. It is half price for the first six months on monthly billing, or the first year on annual billing.The same work as the free route. The subscription buys the vendor's tools and support, such as bank feeds. The categories and the year-end figures are still yours to get right.You want bank feeds or vendor support, or the free product's limits do not fit.
An accountant does it£450 to £800 plus VAT at high-street practices. About £480 (£360 in year one with the free months) at Taxfix Full Support. £399 with Tax Filed For You, with no VAT added.Send your bank or agent statements each quarter, then read and approve each update and the return before it is filed.The categorisation is uncertain, there is a second business or a joint owner, or you do not want to do the work.

Free is the right choice when the rent goes into one account, the costs are few and regular, and you are content to press send four times a year and submit the return yourself. Two properties with a monthly agent statement often fit that. Paying for software or an accountant does not change the tax owed on figures that are already right.

The software prices were read from each vendor's own pricing page on 6 November 2026. FreeAgent also lists its landlord plan as free for holders of a NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank business current account, or a Mettle account with at least one transaction a month. HMRC does not recommend any product. Before you pay for one, check that it appears in HMRC's software finder, covers your income sources and submits the year-end tax return as well as the quarterly updates.

With us, nothing is paid until you approve your first quarterly update. If the free route suits you, use it.

What you are paying for in any of them

The quarterly update itself is a short summary of income and expenses by category. The value is in the categorisation being right (repairs against improvements, deposits against rent, the finance-cost credit at the year end), the deadlines being met, and someone answering if HMRC asks. If your records are clean and you are happy to press send, HMRC's list of recognised software includes free tiers and you need none of the firms above.

Common questions

Why is Tax Filed For You not the cheapest?

Because one chartered accountant does every return under his own name, at a fixed price, with no sales team and no hand-off. If price is the only test, Taxfix Full Support or Provestor DIY cost less and the comparison says so.

Do the high-street figures include bookkeeping?

Usually not. The £75 to £125 per update assumes you hand over categorised figures. Firms quoting bookkeeping plus filing were at £125 to £200 per quarter in the same source. Our annual price assumes you send statements; the monthly option includes the bookkeeping.

Are these prices inclusive of VAT?

Taxfix states inc VAT. LKA and the mtd.digital ranges are plus VAT. Provestor's page does not say and is listed as unverified. We are not VAT registered, so no VAT is added to our prices.

Is free software enough for a landlord with two properties?

Often, yes. HMRC says free products are available for people with simple tax affairs, and that they may have limits such as a cap on the number of transactions. If the rent arrives in one account and the costs are few, the free route does the job. You make every entry, send the four updates and submit the tax return yourself.

What does paid software cost if I do the filing myself?

On the vendors' own pages on 6 November 2026: Taxfix MTD Self-service £4.99 a month including VAT, Hammock Basic £8 a month or £76.80 a year plus VAT for one to three properties, and FreeAgent's landlord plan £10 a month or £100 a year plus VAT. That is roughly £60 to £120 a year with VAT, before any introductory discount.

Check whether MTD applies to you

Three questions tell you whether you are in the April 2027 group and what the year costs at a fixed price, filed by a named chartered accountant.

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Sources