Making Tax Digital for Income Tax in practice: a real business story
Business overview
Rebecca Griffiths works as an accountant in industry and, alongside this, supports her husband Craig’s equine dentistry business with its bookkeeping and tax compliance. Craig is an Equine Dental Technician, working with family-owned and professional horses.
Craig’s business has relatively straightforward accounting needs, and his self-employed income brought him within the scope of the Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD IT) rules.
Deciding to join the MTD IT pilot
It was Craig and Rebecca’s accountant, who supports Craig with self-assessment, who first flagged MTD IT to them.
“I like to get onboard early with changes like this,” Rebecca says. “Being part of the pilot felt like a sensible way to learn how MTD IT works in practice, without the pressure of being fully mandated from day one.”
Participating early gave them both time to understand the requirements and test processes and to build confidence ahead of the April 2026 mandate deadline.
Choosing the right MTD IT software
Initially, a large bookkeeping package was recommended to them as a solution for MTD IT. However, Rebecca quickly realised it wasn’t the right fit.
“For Craig’s business, it felt overly complex and expensive for what we actually needed,” she explains. “His income and expense accounts are relatively simple, so we didn’t want a system that would create unnecessary work.”
Rebecca then reviewed HMRC’s list of MTD IT recognised software providers, focusing on solutions that were designed to be simple and user-friendly. From her investigations and trials, TaxNav stood out for its straightforward approach and flexibility.
“We wanted something that would make compliance quick and easy, and that aligned with how we already work. TaxNav ticked all those boxes.”
Experience of using TaxNav
Since joining the HMRC pilot with TaxNav, Rebecca says the experience has been far easier than she initially expected.
“TaxNav’s software is genuinely easy to use, and the dashboard makes things really clear. It’s helped us understand exactly what MTD IT involves without it feeling daunting.”
Rebecca particularly values seeing a year-to-date tax position build with each quarterly update, which has been particularly helpful for budgeting and planning.
“The fact that quarterly updates simply involve inputting year-to-date income and expense totals is reassuring. If you miss something one quarter, you can correct it later. That flexibility has been very useful.”
Rebecca also values TaxNav’s adaptability. The software supports spreadsheet users, provides templates, and enables direct data entry, allowing businesses to choose the method that suits them best.
Quarterly submissions to HMRC have been smooth, and proactive communication from the TaxNav team about HMRC system downtime has helped avoid wasted time.
“The support has been excellent. The TaxNav team are so responsive, clear and very helpful. Overall, MTD IT has been far less burdensome than I expected.”
Value for money
Rebecca and Craig appreciated TaxNav being free during the pilot. For potential users, Rebecca believes the post-April 2026 pricing represents great value.
“At £5 plus VAT per month, it’s very affordable, especially compared to larger bookkeeping packages that simply aren’t necessary for many small businesses.”
Experience of HMRC’s pilot process
On the HMRC side, Rebecca describes the pilot experience positively. “HMRC’s communications have been clear and setting everything up at the beginning was very straightforward. That helped make the transition smoother.”
Final advice for others preparing for MTD IT
Rebecca’s advice to others is simple: don’t panic.
“Give yourself time to prepare and get familiar with what MTD IT actually involves. Think about how you keep your records now and choose software that fits with that.”
She adds that businesses with simple affairs shouldn’t feel compelled to invest in complex bookkeeping systems merely to comply.
“The quarterly updates get easier every time, and while they might feel like extra work at first, they’re quick to complete and should make the year-end process much faster.”
A big thank you to Rebecca Griffiths and Craig Griffiths, Equine Dental Technician, for sharing their experiences.