MTD Software for Landlords — What HMRC's List Actually Says
HMRC recognises 135 products for Income Tax and 72 of them are bridging tools that just read your spreadsheet. The real breakdown, counted from HMRC's own finder, and why the list is closed for 2026/27.
The short answer
HMRC recognises 135 products for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, and 72 of them are bridging tools that read a spreadsheet you already keep rather than replacing it. 36 have a free version. You do not have to move your bookkeeping into an app to comply — and you cannot be sold anything that is not on that list.
Who we are, before you read a word of this. We sell one product, the Landlord Tax Pack (a £19 Excel workbook). It is not MTD software, it is not on HMRC’s list and it cannot file your quarterly update. HMRC’s developer guide, updated 7 August 2026, states: “HMRC is no longer accepting production credential access requests for new 2026–27 quarterly update products, as the market window for these products has now closed.” — so no new product joins the list for this tax year. That is exactly why this page counts the official list instead of ranking anything of ours at the top of it.
Search “MTD software for landlords” and you get ranked lists with affiliate links. None of them tell you the two things that decide your choice: how big the official list actually is, and how much of it is built for people who want to keep using a spreadsheet.
What HMRC's list looks like, counted
| HMRC filter | Products |
|---|---|
| All recognised products | 135 |
| All-in-one — software that creates the digital records | 112 |
| Bridging — connects to records you already keep in a spreadsheet | 72 |
| Has a free version | 36 |
| Free and bridging | 19 |
| Also handles VAT | 76 |
| Includes HMRC Assist submission feedback | 32 |
| Runs in a web browser | 119 |
| Windows desktop app | 125 |
| iPhone / iPad app | 53 |
| Android app | 52 |
| Built for blindness or impaired vision | 44 |
| Available in Welsh | 3 |
Counted from HMRC’s software finder on 2 September 2026, filtering as a sole trader or landlord. HMRC’s guidance pages were last updated 13 July 2026. The list is HMRC’s and it moves — check it before you buy.
Read the middle two rows again. 72 of 135 products — 53% — exist to connect a spreadsheet to HMRC. The dominant story about MTD, that everyone must abandon Excel for a subscription app, is not what the official list is made of.
The two kinds of software, in HMRC's words
| Category | What HMRC says it does |
|---|---|
| All-in-one | Records income and expenses directly, sends updates to hmrc. You keep the records inside the product. |
| Bridging | Connects spreadsheet records to hmrc for digital submission. Your spreadsheet stays the record; the tool is the postbox. |
Whatever you pick, gov.uk guidance says it has to do three things: “create, store and correct digital records of your self-employment and property income and expenses”, “send your quarterly updates to HMRC”, and “add any other income sources you have and submit your tax return by 31 January the following year”.
Products that name landlords
These appear on HMRC's list with a landlord or property focus in their own naming. Being here means recognised, nothing more — HMRC states plainly that it “does not recommend any product or software provider”, and neither do we.
| Product | Type, per HMRC's filters |
|---|---|
| Landlord Studio | bridging + records |
| Nexus by Landlord Studio | bridging |
| Landlord Vision | records |
| Hammock for landlords | bridging |
| PaTMa Property Manager | records, free version |
| Provestor for Landlords | bridging |
| RentalBux / RentalBux Free | bridging, free version |
| Property Income eReturn | bridging |
| SmartPropertyManager.com | records, free version |
| MTD Landlord Services | records, free version |
| Lendlord | records |
| GetGround | bridging, free version |
| Sage Sole Trader & Landlord (and Free) | records, free version |
Counted from HMRC’s software finder on 2 September 2026, filtering as a sole trader or landlord. HMRC’s guidance pages were last updated 13 July 2026. The list is HMRC’s and it moves — check it before you buy.
Names you already know
The brands landlords search for most, and what the official list says about each.
| Product | Type, per HMRC's filters |
|---|---|
| Xero | records |
| QuickBooks (Intuit) | records |
| FreeAgent | records, free version |
| Sage Sole Trader & Landlord | records, free version available |
| Zoho | records, free version |
| Clear Books | records, free version available |
| 123 Sheets | bridging |
| “untied” | bridging |
| TaxCalc (Acorah Software Products) | bridging |
| VT Software | bridging |
| Coconut | bridging, free version available |
| ANNA Self Assessment | bridging |
| Starling | records, free version |
| Monzo | records, free version |
| Lloyds Bank | records, free version |
| Tide Accounting | records, free version |
The part nobody mentions: the list is closed for 2026/27
HMRC's developer guide, updated 7 August 2026, states: “HMRC is no longer accepting production credential access requests for new 2026–27 quarterly update products, as the market window for these products has now closed.” In plain terms: the 135 products on the list today are the ones you can choose from this tax year. A “coming soon, HMRC approval pending” promise from any new product cannot be met for 2026/27.
So if a page recommends software that is not on the finder, close it — and that includes ours.
How to choose in ten minutes
- Decide spreadsheet or app. If your records already work, filter the finder to bridging and you are choosing from 72 products instead of 135.
- Check it covers all your income. Quarterly updates are per business source — property and self-employment are separate. 76 products also do VAT if you need it.
- Check the price honestly. HMRC warns that “free products are available for those with simple tax affairs but there may be limits on how the product can be used”.
- Check it in the finder before you pay, not on the vendor's own website.
Quick answers
135, filtering the finder as a sole trader or landlord, checked 2 September 2026. 112 are all-in-one record-keeping products and 72 are bridging tools that connect to spreadsheets. For contrast, HMRC's separate MTD for VAT finder lists 465 products — people often assume the Income Tax list is that big.
No. gov.uk says there are “free and paid choices, plus bridging software if you prefer to keep using spreadsheets”. 72 of the 135 recognised products are bridging tools, and 19 of those have a free version. What changes is that the spreadsheet has to be the actual record, kept as you go, and the quarterly figures have to reach HMRC digitally from it.
It depends how simple your affairs are — HMRC's own wording is that free products suit “those with simple tax affairs but there may be limits on how the product can be used”. A single let with one bank account is a different problem from four properties, a joint owner and a self-employment.
Not for 2026/27. HMRC's developer guide, updated 7 August 2026, says it is “no longer accepting production credential access requests for new 2026–27 quarterly update products, as the market window for these products has now closed.” Treat “approval pending” claims accordingly.
No, and it says so: “All software listed has been through HMRC's recognition process. HMRC does not recommend any product or software provider.” Recognition means it can talk to HMRC's systems correctly. It is not a quality rating, a price guarantee or a support promise.