Question 1

What information do you keep to improve SimpleTaxFlow?

Accepted Answer

We record which features you use and any errors you see, including HMRC’s responses, and keep copies of uploaded spreadsheets, so we can fix problems and improve the service. These records are kept for 180 days and aren’t shared with anyone else.

Question 2

Can I keep my spreadsheet and send quarterly updates?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In Tax, open your quarterly update and answer the £90,000 turnover question for that business and tax year. The quarterly update page shows the current figures. If HMRC update periods have not loaded, choose Sync now and open the update again. The Annual allowances status has a Manage allowances button for this business. It does not hold back Submit. Choose Download the template, set “Figures up to” to the last date included in your file, then choose Upload spreadsheet. Selecting or dropping a file imports it immediately and refreshes Check your figures. Upload again before every Submit, even when the figures have not changed. A rejected upload shows the cause in red and keeps Submit blocked until another file is accepted. Earlier accepted figures stay visible. Add income and expenses dated after “Figures up to” in Bookkeeping. Re-import a corrected file to replace the earlier totals while keeping later Bookkeeping records. For jointly owned UK property, each owner uploads their own linked figures from their own account. Residential finance costs always stay separate. GoFile zero lines can stay in the file. Put amounts with thousands commas in quotes or leave out the comma. After acceptance, keep the sent figures if a warning says the local receipt could not be saved. The separate HMRC card shows what HMRC currently holds, including updates from other software. Bookkeeping is free. Sending to HMRC costs £30.00 + VAT a year or £3.50 + VAT a month.

Question 3

Do I need a category for every Bookkeeping record?

Accepted Answer

On Simple, choosing income or expense is enough and a new record is confirmed when you save. Use Income / Expense in Bookkeeping, for one record or several. On Detailed, every record needs a category before sending. Mark residential finance costs separately for UK property on either route. Imported spreadsheet totals are read-only in Bookkeeping: correct the file and import it again in Tax.

Question 4

When do I pay tax if I send quarterly updates?

Accepted Answer

Quarterly updates are not payments. Tax shows quarterly deadlines after HMRC supplies them. Home lists Your year vertically in date order, with each update or payment’s date and status. Select one to open that quarter or Tax. Tax shows your updates beside Payments, with the usual 31 January balancing payment and any first payment on account, and 31 July second payment on account if applicable. Check HMRC for your actual amount and any different deadline. The set-aside figure is an estimate. Your 2025 to 2026 return and payment are separate from 2026 to 2027 updates.

Question 5

What happens if my MTD quarterly update is late?

Accepted Answer

The update must still be sent. HMRC applies no penalty points for 2026 to 2027 quarterly updates. Later mandated quarterly update and tax return misses can add points, with a £200 penalty at four points and for further misses. Voluntary participants do not receive points for late quarterly updates and have separate tax return rules. Read the full HMRC guidance linked from Tax. Earlier Self Assessment returns and payments follow their applicable rules.

Question 6

Can I file an MTD VAT return with SimpleTaxFlow?

Accepted Answer

VAT filing is coming soon and is not part of the current launch. Buying a plan does not enable live VAT filing. The sandbox preview needs an owned Income Tax-discovered business, full plan access and separate VAT authorisation. Check the release status and supported calculations first.

Question 7

How do I set up VAT and connect HMRC?

Accepted Answer

In the enabled preview, open Tax → VAT, discover an eligible owned business, explicitly choose the record sources and enter its VAT number. Authorise VAT separately; an Income Tax connection alone does not authorise VAT.

Question 8

How do I review a VAT return or recover an uncertain outcome?

Accepted Answer

Review records, coverage, nine boxes, adjustments and warnings before the exact declaration and explicit submission. Keep processing or uncertain outcomes protected and use read-only status recovery; do not submit again.

Question 9

What do I do if HMRC is still working out my tax return calculation?

Accepted Answer

Wait a minute, then choose Calculate tax return again. Once HMRC returns the figures, review them before you confirm the declaration. If you see No submissions found when you calculate or submit, check that you have sent your quarterly updates for the tax year.

Question 10

What does a plan cost?

Accepted Answer

Bookkeeping, importing a CSV, connecting HMRC and preparing updates are free. Sending quarterly updates or your tax return costs £30.00 + VAT a year or £3.50 + VAT a month, billed on Stripe. A ready filing shows Unlock and submit with the annual price. It opens Stripe Checkout in the same tab. After payment, wait for confirmation on your filing, tick the declarations and press Submit yourself. Payment never sends the filing automatically. If confirmation takes longer, refresh in a moment. Cancelling payment sends nothing to HMRC. In Account, choose Manage billing in the Subscription card to cancel renewal. Your bookkeeping remains editable when the subscription ends.

Question 11

What happens to my records if I cancel?

Accepted Answer

Your plan stops renewing. Bookkeeping stays free, so you can keep adding, correcting and exporting records. Renew when you next send to HMRC. Use Account if you want to request deletion.

Question 12

How can I control and protect my data?

Accepted Answer

SimpleTaxFlow uses secure sign-in and UK-hosted infrastructure, and separates owner and accountant permissions. You can export your records and use Account to manage notifications, connections and deletion requests. Never share HMRC or payment credentials in a support message.

Question 13

What is MTD bridging software?

Accepted Answer

Bridging software connects the records you already keep, such as a spreadsheet, to HMRC. With SimpleTaxFlow you upload your figures as a CSV file, check them and send your quarterly update. You do not need to move your records into new software.

Question 14

Can I keep using my spreadsheet?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your spreadsheet is your digital record when it records each income and expense. Link our free template to it with formulas, save the template as CSV and upload it each quarter, so nothing is retyped. Prefer not to use a spreadsheet? Add your records in Bookkeeping for free.

Question 15

Is my tax return included?

Accepted Answer

Yes. One plan, £30.00 + VAT a year or £3.50 + VAT a month, covers your quarterly updates, your year-end adjustments and your tax return. You can also add employment, CIS, savings and dividends to your tax return.

Question 16

Is SimpleTaxFlow recognised by HMRC?

Accepted Answer

Yes. SimpleTaxFlow is on HMRC’s list of software for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and connects to HMRC through its official APIs.

Question 17

What goes in my spreadsheet?

Accepted Answer

Your totals for the tax year so far, one line for each type of income and expense. Under £90,000 turnover, one total for expenses is enough. At £90,000 or more, split expenses into HMRC’s categories. Landlords keep residential finance costs on their own line.

Question 18

Who needs Making Tax Digital?

Accepted Answer

Sole traders and landlords whose combined income from self-employment and property is more than £50,000 from 6 April 2026, more than £30,000 from 6 April 2027, more than £20,000 from 6 April 2028. It is based on income before expenses. Some people are exempt. Use HMRC’s checker for your own position.

Question 19

What if I make a mistake after submitting?

Accepted Answer

Correct your figures and send the update again. Each quarterly update holds your figures for the tax year so far, so the next one replaces the earlier figures. You can also correct a submitted tax return within HMRC’s time limit.

Question 20

Where is my data stored?

Accepted Answer

Your records are stored in the UK, encrypted in transit and at rest, with strict access controls. You can export your records at any time.

Question 21

Do I upload my spreadsheet again before every Submit?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In SimpleTaxFlow, upload your spreadsheet before every Submit, even if the figures have not changed. A rejected upload leaves the earlier figures visible but keeps Submit blocked until another file is accepted. If HMRC rejects a send, or its outcome is uncertain, upload again before trying another send. If we cannot confirm your upload, reload to check which figures were accepted before trying again. This is SimpleTaxFlow’s upload process, not an extra HMRC filing rule.

Question 22

Does a spreadsheet count as a digital record for MTD?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when you use it with software that sends your quarterly updates. Keep a record of each transaction in your spreadsheet. Link totals with formulas and upload the file, rather than retyping figures.

Question 23

Do I need to connect my bank account?

Accepted Answer

No. SimpleTaxFlow does not need a bank connection. Keep a record of each income and expense in your own spreadsheet and upload it, or add them in Bookkeeping. HMRC requires digital records and digital links, not a bank feed.

Question 24

Where do I download the MTD spreadsheet template?

Accepted Answer

Open Tax and choose Check update on your quarter. In Add your figures, choose Download the template. It matches the business, so self-employment and UK property get their own lines.

Question 25

What happens if my turnover reaches £90,000 during the year?

Accepted Answer

Once recorded turnover for a business reaches £90,000, Detailed applies for that tax year and the next. Upload your spreadsheet again with the expense categories and give uncategorised Bookkeeping records a category.

Question 26

Can I automatically repeat monthly income or expenses?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Choose Repeat every month in Single Income / Expense for a business without a spreadsheet upload for that year. Each due record appears in To confirm. Confirm, correct or remove it. For days 29 to 31, shorter months use their last day. Choose Stop under Repeating records in Bookkeeping to end future records. Repeats are not available for company books.

Question 27

Can I use a spreadsheet and Bookkeeping in the same year?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your spreadsheet covers the tax year up to its Figures up to date. Add later income and expenses in Bookkeeping from the following day. Your quarterly update includes both.

Question 28

How do joint owners of UK property use SimpleTaxFlow, and do we each pay?

Accepted Answer

Each owner who sends updates through SimpleTaxFlow uses their own account, connects their own HMRC sign-in and sends their own share of the rent and costs. Each owner who sends to HMRC needs their own plan at £30.00 + VAT a year or £3.50 + VAT a month. Keeping records is free.

Question 29

Do I send a separate quarterly update for each business?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each self-employment business sends its own quarterly update. All your UK property counts as one property business with its own update. In Tax, each business lists its own quarters with HMRC’s dates. Foreign property updates are not supported yet.

Question 30

Do I still send a quarterly update if I had no income?

Accepted Answer

Yes. HMRC expects an update for each quarter it lists for your business. Each update covers the tax year so far, so a quiet quarter still sends your totals to date. If you have no income or expenses at all for the tax year yet, Checks shows £0 update and you can still send it.

Question 31

How do I check what HMRC has received from my quarterly updates?

Accepted Answer

In Tax, choose What HMRC has on file beside a sent quarter. It shows the year-to-date totals HMRC holds for that business, including anything sent from other software. Sent quarters show the reference HMRC returned. If an accepted update has no required HMRC reference, the receipt shows a warning that this has been logged for investigation. Each send, including unchanged figures, has its own saved receipt. A quarter shows Awaiting HMRC confirmation until HMRC marks it met. Open More, then Submission history, for each receipt.

Question 32

Why is HMRC’s tax calculation different from the SimpleTaxFlow estimate?

Accepted Answer

They show different things. Current is HMRC’s calculation exactly as HMRC returns it, based on what HMRC holds. Estimate is our own figure. It starts from HMRC’s calculation and adds our estimate of the tax on records you have not sent yet. Our estimated change covers self-employment and property only. It does not estimate changes to dividends, pensions or savings interest. Neither is your final bill.

Question 33

When does HMRC update my tax calculation?

Accepted Answer

After HMRC accepts a change to your income, expenses or claims, SimpleTaxFlow asks HMRC for a new calculation. Home and Tax fetch the latest result when you open them. HMRC can take a moment, so you may see Pending. Use the refresh icon, Refresh HMRC calculation, to request another. A calculation problem does not undo an accepted update.

Question 34

Can I claim capital allowances with MTD software?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In SimpleTaxFlow, open Annual allowances in Tax, choose the business and enter amounts such as the annual investment allowance. Choose Save to HMRC. HMRC uses them when you submit your tax return.

Question 35

Can I carry back a loss under Making Tax Digital?

Accepted Answer

Yes, from the 2026 to 2027 tax year, after the year ends. Enter it in Losses and claims and choose Save with HMRC. The tax saved by carrying a loss back is not sent to HMRC yet, so ask an accountant or HMRC how to claim it.

Question 36

How long do I have to correct my MTD tax return?

Accepted Answer

Usually 12 months from the 31 January deadline. For a 2026 to 2027 return that is 31 January 2029. Open your tax return, choose Start amendment and follow the steps.

Question 37

I have a PAYE job too. Does it go on my MTD tax return?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your tax return covers all your income. In SimpleTaxFlow you can check the employment HMRC holds, add one that is missing and enter your pay and tax from your P60.

Question 38

What if I have income SimpleTaxFlow cannot submit?

Accepted Answer

The year-end steps tell you. Examples are capital gains, foreign income other than dividends and State Pension. You then need other MTD software to submit your tax return.

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