Making Tax Digital · Accountants
Comparing accountants' fees for quarterly MTD support
ONLY£15A MONTHAn accountancy fee should be compared with the work it covers, the complexity of the client and the responsibility accepted.
An accountancy fee should be compared with the work it covers, the complexity of the client and the responsibility accepted. A low quote for a limited check is different from a managed bookkeeping and tax service. Location alone does not establish whether a practice is expensive or good value.
Ask what the recurring fee includes
Clarify record preparation, reconciliations, transaction limits, queries, review, quarterly submission and annual-return work. Ask how additional income sources, corrections and unusual transactions are priced. Software may be included or charged separately.
Distinguish product support from professional tax advice. A service that helps reconnect a bank feed does not necessarily review whether an expense is allowable. The engagement should make those boundaries clear before a problem occurs.
Compare complete annual costs
Include onboarding, software, routine retainers and separately charged annual work. Identify VAT consistently. Do not compare one firm's all-in service against another firm's software-only price.
Avona publishes separate software and Concierge charges. Those figures can be part of a comparison, but they do not prove that other accountants charge too much or that every client needs the same level of support.
Worked comparison: two illustrative quotes
Quote A is £80 per month plus a separate £300 annual service, giving £1,260 a year before VAT. Quote B is £110 per month including the specified annual work, giving £1,320 before VAT.
The apparent £30 monthly difference becomes £60 across the stated annual scope. The client still needs to compare service limits and quality; the arithmetic alone does not establish which engagement is better.
Make responsibility visible at each stage
An effective practice process identifies who supplies the records, who resolves queries, who reviews the figures and who submits. Record those responsibilities in the engagement and workflow. Do not rely on the assumption that somebody else has completed the final step.
Agent authorisation is also separate from client consent to a commercial service. Use HMRC's correct MTD authorisation process and the agent's own access. A client should not hand over their Government Gateway password simply to make the process more convenient. HMRC explains how to authorise an agent.
Track each relevant business and period. A green client-level indicator can hide an outstanding property update if the sole-trade update has been completed. Store the approved figures and acknowledgement against the correct record.
For recurring work, use a short exception list rather than sending the client every transaction again. Give each question a reference, amount and clear request. Access controls and a secure reply route matter, especially where the same practice handles several family members or businesses. Good workflow design reduces repeated questions without replacing professional judgement.
Choose software by the work it needs to do
Start with your actual income sources and records. A sole trade, a UK property business and foreign property can involve different requirements. A product suitable for one set of circumstances is not automatically suitable for every annual-return item you might have.
HMRC's software guidance allows different approaches, including software connected to existing spreadsheets. Check the complete workflow: importing or recording transactions, reviewing the quarterly summary, submitting it, making corrections and completing the annual return.
Try a representative sample that includes a refund, a private transaction, a cash item and an awkward bank description. Ask how the system handles a missing period and how you export records if you leave. These questions are more informative than a long feature list.
Software support and professional tax advice are different services. Confirm who answers each kind of question, when help is available and what the quoted fee covers. Avona.app's entry-level self-service price is £15/month; professional services and additional product capabilities should be checked against the current scope rather than assumed to be included.
A review that checks more than the total
Start with coverage: the correct person, business and period, plus all relevant accounts and cash records. Then look at completeness. A feed can be connected today while still missing an earlier week. Confirm the earliest and latest transactions against the source.
Next, inspect unusual items. Large transfers, loan receipts, refunds, net settlements and private purchases often need more context than a bank description provides. Check for duplicate imports where a statement overlaps a live feed. An automatic warning is useful evidence to investigate, not proof that the entry must be removed.
Finally, review category totals. A category unexpectedly showing zero, a large increase or a negative amount deserves an explanation. You do not have to make every annual tax adjustment at this stage, but you should understand the records behind the summary you approve.
HMRC explains what quarterly updates contain. Keep the approved version and the resulting acknowledgement together. If something later changes, correct the source record and use the software's supported update process so you can explain which figures are current.
Choose the service you can explain
Write down the tasks covered, tasks retained, response arrangements and total fee. Ask about exit and record access. A transparent scope makes the price assessable and reduces surprises when the quarterly routine reaches the annual return.
Take the next step
Avona.app offers a self-service route from £15/month. Bring your records together, review the figures and choose a workflow that fits your business. For professional help, discuss the scope and total price of Avona Concierge, managed by chartered accountants, before choosing a service.