Sources
Each quote below was copied from the page named, fetched on 3 October 2026, and is checked word for word against our saved copy of that page by an automated test. Where we could not find a source we can quote, it says so. Where a statement here is our reading — the anti-money-laundering position above all — it says that too: none of this is legal advice.
HMRC, legislation and HMRC's own published code
HMRC, Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (updated 26 March 2026)
“£50,000 for the 2024 to 2025 tax year, you should’ve started using Making Tax Digital for Income Tax from 6 April 2026”
Sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 have been in MTD since 6 April 2026.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
“£30,000 for the 2025 to 2026 tax year, you will need to use it from 6 April 2027”
Over £30,000 they join on 6 April 2027 — the quarterly work multiplies for a practice.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
“£20,000 for the 2026 to 2027 tax year, you will need to use it from 6 April 2028”
Over £20,000 from 6 April 2028.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Send quarterly updates
“These are known as quarterly updates — they are summaries, not tax returns.”
A quarterly update is totals per category. That is what we prepare.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Send quarterly updates
“You do not need to make any accounting or tax adjustments before sending a quarterly update.”
We make none. Adjustments stay with the practice at the year end.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Send quarterly updates
“Each quarterly update covers from the start of the tax year to the end of the update period.”
So our totals run from the start of the tax year to the end of the quarter; the three-month part is shown beside them for reading.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Send quarterly updates
“Making Tax Digital for Income Tax uses the same income and expense categories as Self Assessment.”
The categories are HMRC's; the exact list is in HMRC's direction below.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Send quarterly updates
“HMRC will not apply penalty points for late quarterly updates during the 2026 to 2027 tax year.”
In the first year late updates do not earn penalty points; from 2027 to 2028 they do.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax update notice (direction)
“This direction is made further to regulation 10 of The Income Tax (Digital Obligations) Regulations 2026 .”
The list of categories we use — self-employment and UK property — is exactly this direction's list, in its words.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC direction, section 1
“A relevant person with trading income must provide the following update information in each quarterly update:”
Self-employment: Turnover and Other business income, then thirteen expense categories.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Self Employment Business API 5.0, published source code (cumulative period summary schema)
“Bank, credit card and other financial charges. Expenses associated with the running of the business.”
The column hmrc_api_field in our CSV is the name HMRC's own API gives each figure (here: financeCharges).
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Choose the right software for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (updated 13 July 2026)
“All software listed has been through HMRC’s recognition process. HMRC does not recommend any product or software provider.”
Only recognised software sends updates to HMRC. We are not recognised software and send nothing; the practice submits through its own.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Choose the right software for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
“For example, if you use spreadsheets to record income and expenses, bridging software can connect to them and make your submissions to HMRC.”
Our CSV files are made for that route, or for import into the practice's bookkeeping software.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Create digital records
“XML, CSV importing and exporting, and downloading and uploading files”
Importing a CSV is a digital link. Retyping or pasting the figures is not — import the file.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Create digital records
“If you use software that connects to your bank account to help you to create digital records, you may need to add additional detail, such as the relevant Self Assessment category.”
Bank lines need a category before they are a record for MTD — the work this service does.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Create digital records
“It is your responsibility to check and make sure your digital records are accurate before sending your quarterly update to HMRC.”
The practice checks the figures before it sends them.
Quote checked against the page · the page
Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulation 11(c)
““ external accountant ” means a firm or sole practitioner who by way of business provides accountancy services to other persons, when providing such services.”
Bookkeeping for a practice is accountancy services to another person — so the regulations reach us.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Check if you need to register for money laundering supervision if you're an accountancy service provider
“The services they provide can be recording, reviewing, analysing, calculating and reporting on financial information for other people. This includes:”
The list that follows begins with «professional bookkeeping services».
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, accountancy service provider guidance
“If all your customers are accountancy service providers supervised by HMRC or a professional body, or banks supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority you do not need to register so long as:”
Why we work only for supervised practices: without that, we would need our own registration.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, accountancy service provider guidance — condition 1
“you do not do business directly with the supervised accountancy service providers’ or the banks own customers”
We never contact the practice's clients; questions for the client go to the practice.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, accountancy service provider guidance — condition 2
“you’re included in the supervised accountancy service providers’ or banks anti-money laundering controls and procedures, suspicious activity reporting, and training programmes”
The practice includes this service in its AML procedures; suspicions go to the practice's MLRO (our terms, section 3).
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, accountancy service provider guidance — condition 3
“you have a written contract with each of your customers confirming that every aspect of the relationship between you meets all anti-money laundering requirements”
Section 3 of our terms, accepted by the practice's owner before the first upload.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, accountancy service provider guidance
“You need to meet all these conditions, otherwise you’ll need to register.”
Our position is our reading of this guidance; HMRC has not confirmed it to us. If a condition fails, we register first.
Quote checked against the page · the page
HMRC, Who needs to register for money laundering supervision
“A business must not trade without registering with HMRC under the regulations. Trading while not registered is a criminal offence.”
Why the position above matters, and why it is stated rather than assumed.
Quote checked against the page · the page
UK GDPR Article 28(3)
“that sets out the subject-matter and duration of the processing, the nature and purpose of the processing, the type of personal data and categories of data subjects and the obligations and rights of the controller.”
Section 2 of our terms states each of these.
Quote checked against the page · the page
UK GDPR Article 28(3)(a)
“processes the personal data only on documented instructions from the controller”
We process only what the practice asks for on these screens or in writing.
Quote checked against the page · the page
UK GDPR Article 28(3)(g)
“at the choice of the controller, deletes or returns all the personal data to the controller after the end of the provision of services”
The practice exports, then deletes a client or itself; deletion is immediate.
Quote checked against the page · the page
UK GDPR Article 28(9)
“The contract or the other legal act referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4 shall be in writing, including in electronic form.”
The practice's owner accepts the terms on screen; we keep the version and the name.
Quote checked against the page · the page
Professional guidance and the regulator's explanations
Import formats of particular bridging products
Not verified: no bridging product publishes its import format where we could read it, so our CSV is labelled plainly and the practice maps its columns once.
Not verified
CCAB, Anti-Money Laundering Guidance for the Accountancy Sector (July 2026), para 5.4.9
“Where a relevant business, A, is engaged by another business, B, to help with work for one of its clients or some other underlying party, C, then A should consider who the client is.”
For a subcontractor the client is usually the practice, provided there is no relationship with the practice's client.
Quote checked against the page · the page
CCAB AMLGAS (July 2026), para 5.4.10
“where there is significant contact with the underlying party, or where a business relationship with it is believed to have been established, then C may also be deemed a client and CDD may be required for both C and B.”
Contacting the practice's clients would make them our clients too — another reason we never do.
Quote checked against the page · the page
ICO, What needs to be included in the contract?
“An instruction can be documented by using any written form, including email.”
An upload and a request on screen, or an e-mail, is a documented instruction.
Quote checked against the page · the page