MTD VAT · Bridging Software

MTD VAT returns from the spreadsheet you already use

Keep your Excel file, your Sage export or your bespoke system. Tax Optimiser bridges the 9-box totals straight to HMRC, brings back the confirmation receipt, and tracks your liabilities and payments.

Sign up free

Free for your first year. Then £30 +VAT a year. No card required.

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A VAT return in Tax Optimiser with the nine boxes populated from an uploaded Excel file

The nine boxes, filled from an uploaded Excel file — real screen, no mock-ups.

HMRC recognised software for MTD VAT Works with Excel, Sage, SAP and bespoke systems Free for your first year UK-built & supported Trusted by thousands of organisations

Built for businesses and accountants alike

Whether you file one return a quarter or run returns for a hundred clients, Tax Optimiser works the way you do.

Businesses and VAT groups

If your accounting software doesn't support MTD, or you're consolidating a VAT group in a spreadsheet, you don't need to change anything. Map your cells once, upload the file each quarter, and send. Your first year is free — then £30 +VAT a year.

See how it works →

Accountants and bookkeepers

File for all your clients from one place, from £5 +VAT a month for up to ten clients. Add your own logo, brand colours and web address with white-labelling, and let clients upload while you review and send.

See accountant pricing →

From spreadsheet to submitted return in four steps

1
VAT return settings mapping each of the nine HMRC boxes to a spreadsheet cell

Map your spreadsheet once

Tell us the sheet name and which cell holds each of the nine boxes. Do it once — every future upload uses the same mapping.

2
GOV.UK page granting Tax Optimiser permission to view and change your VAT information

Connect to HMRC

Sign in with your Government Gateway account and grant authority on GOV.UK. The connection lasts 18 months before it needs renewing.

3
VAT returns list in Tax Optimiser showing obligations pulled from HMRC with due dates and statuses

Pick the period and upload

Your obligations come straight from HMRC, with due dates and statuses. Open the period and drop your Excel file on it — the nine boxes fill themselves in.

4
A fulfilled VAT return with the HMRC confirmation receipt, form bundle number and charge reference

Send and keep the receipt

Confirm the declaration and send. HMRC's processing date, form bundle number and charge reference are stored against the return — proof of filing, forever.

See exactly what you get

These are real screens from the app — the same ones our step-by-step user guide walks you through. No mock-ups, no surprises after you sign up.

The legal declaration showing all nine VAT box values for a final check before sending to HMRC

The legal declaration — exactly what HMRC will receive. Real screen, no mock-ups.

Before you send

One last look before it goes

Before anything is sent, you see all nine boxes together with the legal declaration — exactly what HMRC will receive. Built-in checks compare the return against your nominal figures and the same period last year, so a typo in the spreadsheet doesn't become a submitted return.

Read the sending guide →
Liabilities & payments

See what you owe — and what HMRC has received

Liabilities and payments come straight from HMRC's records into the same screen as your returns. Original amount, outstanding amount, due date — no logging into the Government Gateway to find out where you stand.

Read the liabilities & payments guide →
Liabilities tab showing a VAT return debit charge with original amount, outstanding amount and due date

Liabilities pulled straight from HMRC's records.

Audit log recording every upload, review and submission against the VAT return alongside the HMRC receipt

The audit log and HMRC receipt, kept with the return.

Audit trail

Every step on the record

Who uploaded the file, who reviewed it, when it was accepted by HMRC — the audit log keeps the whole story against each return, with the uploaded spreadsheet kept alongside it. Exactly what you want when a question comes up two years later.

Read the uploading guide →

Simple, honest pricing

Free for your first year as an organisation. Accountants pay a small monthly fee that scales with clients — with white-labelling included.

Organisation

Run your own VAT/MTD ITSA returns, or file your own Corporation Tax and year-end accounts.

VAT & MTD ITSA

Bridging VAT returns and MTD for Income Tax. Free for the first year.

£ 30 +VAT yearly per organisation or individual
Get started - it's free

No credit card required

Corporation Tax & Accounts Production

One payment covers both your CT600 and Companies House submission.

£ 10 +VAT per company / year —
covers CT600 & Companies House
Get started - free trial

* Dormant companies: £5 +VAT


Accountants

We also offer the option to white label Tax Optimiser with your firms branding and custom website address

VAT & MTD ITSA

Scales with the number of clients you manage. Pricing is for the VAT / MTD ITSA module only.

Clients (organisations / individuals) Per month
1–10£5 +VAT
11–25£10 +VAT
26–50£15 +VAT
51–75£20 +VAT
76–100£30 +VAT
101–125£35 +VAT
126+£40 +VAT

Billed monthly. Counts your active organisations / individuals.

Get started - free trial

Corporation Tax & Accounts Production

Buy credits up front and spend them as you file — the more you buy, the less each credit costs.

For accountants and bookkeepers

One credit = one company, one year, both filings.

Pack Credits Price £ per credit
Pay-as-you-go1£10£10
Starter25£200£8
Practice100£600£6
Growth250£1,250£5
Scale500£2,000£4
EnterpriseBest value1,000£3,000£3

All prices exclude VAT. Credits do not expire.

Sign up to buy credits

Dormant company credits: £2 each (+VAT).

See every screen before you sign up

Our free VAT guide walks through the whole journey — from mapping your spreadsheet and connecting to HMRC through to the confirmation receipt — using the same screenshots you've seen on this page. Read it online or download the PDF edition.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Carry on using your existing Excel spreadsheet as long as it calculates the 9-box VAT totals. Tell Tax Optimiser which sheet and cells to read, then upload the file to send your return to HMRC.

Yes. We support Excel 97 onwards, and clients have successfully used a range of other spreadsheet software including LibreOffice and OpenOffice. If you're unsure, sign up free and try it.

Yes. As long as your system can export an Excel or CSV file, you can upload it to Tax Optimiser and submit to HMRC. In VAT settings you just set which sheet and cells to extract the data from. Clients use us with all versions of Sage Line 100, Sage Instant, Sage 50, Sage 200 and Access Dimensions.

No. Under Making Tax Digital the 9-box values must be calculated by software or by formulas within the spreadsheet — manually keyed totals don't satisfy the digital links requirement.

Output an Excel or CSV file with the 9-box totals calculated, then upload it to Tax Optimiser to extract the data and submit it to HMRC.

No. The MTD for Self Assessment and VAT modules run independently of each other — you can use either module separately based on your needs.

Yes. Accountants can add their own logo, brand colours and a custom web address, e.g. https://mtd.acmeaccountants.com.

Making Tax Digital — all you need to know about VAT returns

Here is a video on our thoughts about Making Tax Digital VAT returns and how to be as productive as possible

Preview frame of the Tax Optimiser video about Making Tax Digital VAT returns

Watch video

Your spreadsheet. HMRC's receipt. Free for a year.

Sign up free, map your cells once, and your next VAT return takes minutes.

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Read the FAQ →