Quick Start

Set up TaxMTD in under 5 minutes and start managing your self-employment taxes.

Create Your Account

Sign up at TaxMTD with your email. Non-VAT registered sole traders can use the free Starter plan with no card required. For paid plans (Essential, Pro, Business, Practice), a 14-day free trial is included.

Set Up Your First Period

An assessment period is a monthly reporting window used for Universal Credit. Navigate to Settings → Periods and create your first period.

If you don't claim UC, you can use calendar months or any date range you prefer.

Connect Your Bank

Go to Banking and connect via:

Open Banking (Plaid) - automatic feeds from 300+ UK banks
PayPal - import sales, purchases, and refunds
CSV Upload - manual import from NatWest, Starling, Monzo, and more

Import Transactions

Upload your bank statement CSV from the Import page. TaxMTD auto-detects the bank format and pre-categorises common transactions using known merchant patterns.

Run AI Categorisation

Click AI Categorise on the Transactions page. Gemini AI analyses each uncategorised transaction and assigns an HMRC-compliant expense category with a reasoning explanation.

Review & Adjust

Correct any miscategorised transactions - TaxMTD remembers your changes
Split transactions between business and personal use
Mark personal spending to exclude it from tax calculations

View Your Dashboard

Your Dashboard shows real-time:

Income & expenses breakdown
Profit trend charts
UC calculation with payment estimate
Categorisation progress tracking

Manage Your Subscription

Navigate to Settings → Billing to:

View your current plan and usage against limits (entities, invoices, receipts, team members)
Purchase add-ons for extra capacity (entities, employees, OCR bundles) without changing plan
Upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time - changes are prorated automatically
Access the Stripe Customer Portal to update payment methods or view invoices

The Starter plan is free forever for non-VAT sole traders (no card required). Starter covers day-to-day bookkeeping and MTD quarterly submissions; the yearly Self-Assessment (SA103S) submission to HMRC requires the Essential plan. All paid plans include a 14-day free trial. If you hit a usage limit, you can purchase an add-on or upgrade your plan directly from the billing page.

Stay Informed

Visit the TaxMTD Blog for expert guides on HMRC rules, tax compliance tips, IT security news, and economic updates relevant to sole traders and small businesses.

Importing Transactions

Import bank and payment data from CSV files, Open Banking, PayPal, Amazon, and more.