How much does an accountant charge for Making Tax Digital for landlords?

Listed prices checked on 18 October 2026 included £199 plus VAT for a tax return with one let property and £499 a year including VAT for managed quarterly updates and the return. More properties and messier records cost more.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD) adds four quarterly updates a year to the tax return a landlord already sends. It applies if your qualifying income, which is your rent plus any self-employed turnover before expenses, was over £50,000 on your 2024-25 return (from 6 April 2026), over £30,000 on your 2025-26 return (from 6 April 2027) or over £20,000 on your 2026-27 return (from 6 April 2028). If you own a property jointly, only your share of the rent counts.

Listed landlord prices, 18 October 2026

Each price is as the firm showed it on its own website on 18 October 2026, with VAT exactly as listed. Prices change often, so check before you buy.

Accotax's package page does not mention quarterly updates, so in our reading it covers the tax return only. Gorilla's table does not say whether MTD updates are included, though the page lists "Full Making Tax Digital Compliance" among its selling points. Two fee guides, both from firms that sell these services, give the wider picture: Accotax (17 August 2026) puts a landlord return at £200 to £600 or more, plus VAT, and Sleek (updated 11 September 2026) says multiple properties add £50 to £100 per property.

What drives a landlord's fee

• Number of properties. Accotax goes from £199 for one property to £399 for up to five, plus VAT. Gorilla's band moves from £62 a month for 1 to 3 properties to £82 for 5, plus VAT.
• Joint ownership. Each owner is taxed on, and tested on, their own share. Accotax lists joint ownership and mortgage interest as fee drivers. GOV.UK lets joint owners send income-only quarterly updates and add the expenses after the year end, which in our reading can make each quarter lighter.
• The state of your books. Accotax lists £49.99 plus VAT for up to 250 transactions a year of bookkeeping, rising to £249 plus VAT for up to 1,000.
• Quarterly updates or year end only. Provestor's tiers show the gap: £99 a year inc VAT if you send the updates yourself, £249 if they review them, £499 if they do everything.

Can you claim the fee against your rent?

Partly. GOV.UK lists accountant's fees among the expenses a landlord can deduct. HMRC's Property Income Manual (PIM2120) says fees for preparing accounts and normal recurring fees for agreeing the property business tax liability can be deducted. It also says this does not extend to "personal fees", such as preparing a tax return or working out Capital Gains Tax. In our reading, the part of a fee for preparing your property accounts can be claimed, while under PIM2120 the part for preparing the tax return itself cannot, so ask the firm to split its invoice.

What this means for you

Turn every price into a yearly figure including VAT. Taxfix's £39.99 a month is £479.88 a year at the full price, before its 3 free months. As a plain comparison: Provestor's full-service MTD plan was £499 a year including VAT on 18 October 2026. Our Landlord Tax plan is £150 a year including VAT for 1 to 2 properties, or £200 for 3 to 4, in England, with the updates and the tax return built from your rent account. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete. Until then you can join the waitlist, and no payment is taken.

Another provider fits better if you want to start today, have more than 4 properties (Provestor's plan covers up to 10), have property outside England, or want a named accountant for tax planning.

There are no penalty points for missed quarterly updates in 2026-27. After that, each missed deadline earns a point, and 4 points brings a £200 penalty, so check who is responsible for the dates.

Steps to get a fair price

1. Use the free MTD check to confirm your qualifying income and start date. If your whole property business started or stopped part-way through the year, GOV.UK's qualifying income guidance says to annualise it first; empty months or one new let do not count. If every source has stopped, tell HMRC before the next tax year instead.
2. List your properties, which are jointly owned and your share, any mortgage, and any self-employed income.
3. Decide whether you want the books kept for you or will send organised records.
4. Ask at least two firms for a written yearly price, including VAT, that covers all four quarterly updates and the tax return.
5. For joint property, ask whether the price covers one owner or both.
6. Check the firm has an HMRC agent services account. HMRC says anyone paid to deal with it about someone else's tax needs one, with the rule brought in in stages.
7. Never share your HMRC sign-in details. Authorise the firm through HMRC.

More guides for your lets are in the landlord section.