Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
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It’s almost time for self-employed tax returns to be submitted (the deadline is January 31st – don’t miss it!). But if the idea of wrangling with HMRC’s self-assessment website fills you with fear and procrastination, consider being a beta tester for AbraTax’s new software which is currently free and simplifies the process. In addition, AbraTax is already preparing for the upcoming Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD ITSA).
AbraTax already offers an Excel bridging software for VAT that’s compliant with current Making Tax Digital (MTD) regulations. However, MTD will also become relevant for an increasing number of self-employed people and landlords from April 2026, so it’s important to get your head around it this year in preparedness for the next.
Instead of annual returns, there will be quarterly ones. While this seems like extra paperwork, the aim is to improve accuracy and reduce the overall workload on small businesses and the self-employed. After all, how many times have you reached the end of the tax year and can’t remember what that strange note in an Excel margin from May actually means?!
Tax Returns Made Easy with AbraTax
Making Tax Digital will require everyone who submits a tax return to HMRC each year to use a third-party digital software. For many, that will be quite a headache to learn a new accounting software and move their processes across.
AbraTax’s MTD VAT product is different. You can still use Excel for your accounting processes – there’s no need to shift everything to the new software. AbraTax’s MTD VAT product is an Excel bridging software, so it takes your spreadsheet and acts like a third-party software provider to submit your tax return. AbraTax MTD ITSA will similarly allow you to keep your existing processes as far as possible, whilst still being MTD compliant in the eyes of HMRC.
AbraTax recognises there are two main headaches for small business owners and the self-employed: the annual Self Assessment return and quarterly VAT returns.
Users who only need to submit a Self Assessment don’t need to wrangle with HMRCs very complex, often ill-explained online portal with confusing questions. Instead, AbraTax has simplified the process with clear instructions to help decide which parts of the tax return apply to you. All you need to do is create a free account, answer the questions about your income and expenses, and submit. All for free!
If you are someone in need of a VAT Return, AbraTax can help with that, too. If you download their free VAT template, you can insert it as a sheet into your existing Excel accounting spreadsheet for ease. Then, you use the template to digitally link the relevant boxes, upload the Excel template to your AbraTax platform and… that’s it. You can file from there!
AbraTax really is free for submitting your Self Assessment. You don’t even need to supply a credit or debit card like many ‘free trials’ that auto bill you after two weeks. There’s a good reason for this!
AbraTax is in the beta testing stage. So, instead of paying a fee, what they want from you – all they want from you – is a product review. They want to know what’s working for you, what tools you would like to see added in a later version, and what else could be improved upon. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to AbraTax, who want to build an easy-to-use, jargon-free software.
Right now, you can also get a free VAT Return too – a great way to test it out! There are monthly pricing tiers for businesses needing a VAT Return, starting from £10 a month. But your first one is free (whatever business tier you choose).
The Making Tax Digital rollout has had its delays – but it is coming. Many self employed workers either aren’t aware of the changes that will impact them, or think they’re years away. In fact, changes happen as early as next year for many people. Starting now, in time for this January’s tax return deadline, will help you be prepared for the full rollout.
Using AbraTax’s free MTD Excel Bridging Software for VAT Returns is easy – and it’s just as straightforward for those wanting to use their Self Assessment tool, too.
Sign up to a free account, and follow the instructions on your dashboard. When complete, hit submit!
That’s really all there is to it.