MTD guidance with market insight
MTD Compass
Clear guidance for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, with practical support and market insight to help sole traders and landlords understand their options.
Start with a short diagnostic to understand what Making Tax Digital may mean for you, how prepared you are, and what practical steps to take next.
Takes 2–3 minutes. Your answers remain anonymous.
How MTD Compass helps you move forward
Understand your position
Use the diagnostic to see whether MTD is likely to affect you and what that means in practice.
Make sense of your options
Cut through noise around software, spreadsheets, bridging options and support models.
Take practical next steps
Build a practical routine for record keeping, digital processes and ongoing compliance.
Start with your own situation
Before exploring the software landscape, start with your own answers.
The diagnostic helps you understand when MTD may apply to you, how prepared you are, and what kind of setup may suit your situation.
Market insight
MTD Income Tax software market funnel
The MTD software market is not a flat list of equal options. As you apply practical criteria, the field narrows quickly.
This funnel is designed to help make that reality visible. It starts with software listed on the HMRC site, then narrows through additional filters such as readiness for quarterly submissions, annual submissions, and the presence of built-in compliance support such as HMRC Assist.
The aim is to help you understand not only what exists, but also how the viable shortlist changes depending on your priorities, setup preferences and budget.
Not all listed tools go the full distance
Many products appear on the HMRC list, but fewer are ready across the broader MTD workflow.
Annual readiness narrows the field
The shortlist contracts significantly when moving from quarterly-only capability to fuller submission readiness.
Compliance support is rarer
Features such as HMRC Assist are still the exception rather than the rule.
Interactive funnel view
Use the report filters to explore how the software landscape changes by income source, cost model, cloud versus bridging approach, and submission capability.
This report is intended as a market intelligence view to support understanding and comparison. It should not be treated as a substitute for tailored advice on your own circumstances.
Apply this to your own situation
The dashboard shows how the market narrows. The next step is to see what applies to you.
Use the diagnostic to filter the software landscape based on your answers and see which options match your situation today.
Who this is for
MTD Compass is aimed at people who want a straightforward way to understand their next step, including:
- sole traders
- landlords
- people with more than one income source
- those currently using spreadsheets or manual records
- those who want guidance before committing to software or advisory support
Want help reviewing your options?
If you would like support, MTD coaching can help you review your results, make sense of the options, and choose a setup that fits your situation.