Simple MTD vs spreadsheets & bridging software
Bridging software is the cheapest way to meet MTD's submission requirement without changing how you keep records. Here's exactly what you're trading off for that lower price.
| Feature | Simple MTD | Bridging software |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £79/year (landlords), £99/year (sole traders) | ~£30–£90/year |
| Categorisation | Suggested automatically, you just confirm | Manual: you sort every line yourself |
| Where records live | One place, built for this | Your existing spreadsheet |
| Quarter summary before submitting | Plain-English review screen | Whatever your spreadsheet shows you |
| Learning curve | None: same spreadsheet habits, less manual work | None if you already use the spreadsheet |
What bridging software actually does
It reads figures from your spreadsheet and sends them to HMRC in the right format. Nothing more. You're still the one keeping the spreadsheet accurate, categorising every transaction, and checking your totals before submitting. See our full explainer on bridging software.
Where bridging software makes sense
If your spreadsheet system already works well for you and the only gap is the HMRC submission step, bridging software is a genuinely cheaper way to close that gap.
Where Simple MTD makes sense
If you'd rather not manually categorise every transaction every quarter, or you want a clear plain-English summary before anything is sent, Simple MTD does the categorisation and review step for you. The price difference is mostly that work being done automatically instead of by hand.
Pricing shown is approximate at time of writing and changes, check individual bridging software providers for current figures.