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Simplify MTD for Income Tax Record-keeping through Outsourcing

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD IT) is changing how self-employed individuals and landlords maintain their financial records. While the move to digital reporting aims to provide more accurate and timely information, many accountants are struggling to find resources to deliver the regular bookkeeping and accounting work needed to achieve this.
Outsourcing offers a practical way to complete digital record-keeping accurately and on time without stretching internal teams.

The Digital Record-Keeping Challenge

MTD IT requires affected taxpayers to:
  • Maintain digital records
  • Submit quarterly updates to HMRC
  • Use compatible software at all times.
For accountants looking to maintain records on clients’ behalf, this means:
  • Contacting clients throughout the tax year to ensure the accuracy and completeness of data
  • Supporting clients who are historically hard to reach
  • Absorbing the additional costs of maintaining records.
As the scope of MTD IT is widened in future years, accountants relying on in-house resources will struggle to maintain records effectively.

What Are Outsourced Record-Keeping Systems?

Outsourced record-keeping systems involve:
  • Collecting transactional data and supporting information each month using an offshore resource
  • An offshore resource maintaining cloud accounting software using secure logins on behalf of a client
  • Dedicated offshore bookkeepers and accountants to deliver MTD IT work
  • Standardised workflows aligned with MTD IT requirements – the offshore team can design these
  • Resolving any inconsistencies or missing data with clients.
Onshore accountants remain responsible for MTD compliance, review of work, and client relationships. The offshore accountant takes on the resource intensive tasks required by MTD IT.

How Outsourcing Simplifies MTD IT Record-Keeping

1. Consistent, MTD-Ready Information

Outsourced teams work to agreed turnround times and quality standards to ensure:
  • Transactions are correctly recorded on compatible, cloud-based software
  • Digital records are complete, accurate and fully reconciled
  • Quarterly submissions to HMRC are made on time and based on reliable data.
By offshoring record keeping tasks to a dedicated resource, the scope for errors is reduced and compliance is assured.

2. Less Pressure on Internal Teams

Rather than stretching existing staff to take on responsibilities to obtain data from clients and update records, outsourcing:
  • Frees up accountants to undertake work to support clients and generate additional fees
  • Eliminates the costs of recruitment and training 
  • Smooths workloads as quarterly deadlines approach.
When structured correctly, outsourcing works as an extension of the onshore team – aligned to existing processes, software, and quality standards without the risks of a permanent appointment.

3. Improved Client Experience

Many clients struggle with ongoing digital record-keeping. Outsourced systems:
  • Reduce the pressure on in-house teams to contact clients for missing data
  • Ensure digital records are maintained accurately and on time
  • Help clients stay compliant.
As accountants shift resources away from recurring tasks they have more time to focus on client relationships, tax advice, and business development.

4. Scalable Support as MTD Expands

From April 2028, any individual with self-employed or landlord income above £20,000 will need to meet MTD IT requirements. To meet the projected demand for record keeping services, accountants will need to:
  • Scale capacity quickly as client numbers grow
  • Support quarterly peaks of work
  • Update processes as HMRC requirements evolve.
Outsourcing offers a scalable, flexible solution that allows accountants to quickly increase capacity without the overheads and administrative burden of full-time or temporary appointments. Outsourcing work enables accountants to stay agile, efficient, and competitive throughout the year and has advantages over the maintenance of records in-house:
In-House Outsourced Advantage
High costs of employment for permanent staff Flexible, scalable support – pay for the resources needed
Ongoing training and supervision needs Pre-trained specialists focused on record keeping tasks
Internal capacity limits growth Access to a deep pool of resources to scale quickly
Cost of developing and maintaining systems Streamlined, standardised processes

Is Outsourcing Record-Keeping Right for Your Firm?

By working with a specialist outsourcing partner, accountants can:
  • Access resources immediately: Offshore accountants are proficient in commercial accounting software and are ready to start immediately
  • Avoid recruitment costs and HR management: The outsource provider handles contracts, salaries, and employee benefits
  • Leverage expertise: Offshore professionals are up to date on the detailed requirements of MTD IT and required records
  • Scale flexibly: Add capacity as demand grows without the risk of recruitment delays. Where demand falls, services can be scaled down without any exit costs.
Outsourced systems are particularly effective for accountants:
  • Supporting sole traders or landlord clients
  • Looking to scale and expand MTD IT services
  • Looking to protect margins while remaining competitive
  • Struggling to support clients with high volumes of transactions.

Unison Globus UK : Your Offshore Accounting Partner

Outsourcing MTD IT work to Unison Globus UK offers many benefits to UK accountants through:
  • Helping clients comply with HMRC requirements.
  • Reduced risk of penalties for late/missing submissions
  • Reduced costs and overheads
  • Access to talent and resources
  • Increased quality and consistency of work
  • Better turnaround times
  • Improved client experience
  • Data security assurance.

Free trial offer

If you want to learn more about how outsourcing can simplify MTD IT, explore our Making Tax Digital for Income Tax hub and book a free 10-hour trial with Unison Globus UK. We promise to turn your trial work around within 72 hours. You can book a video call with one of our expert advisors using this link or send an email to [email protected]
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Deliver MTD for Income Tax without Increasing Headcount: The Advantages of Outsourcing

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD IT) is reshaping how UK accountants deliver services for their self-employed and landlord clients. With regular digital record-keeping, quarterly submissions to HMRC and increased client expectations, many accountants are facing increased demand for accounting services.
While any increase in demand is welcome, some accountants are struggling to find resources to deliver these services effectively.
This is where outsourcing work can offer a powerful strategic advantage.

Why MTD for Income Tax Is Creating Additional Pressure For Accountants

MTD IT is not just a simple compliance operation to be delivered by accountants. For affected landlords and self-employed clients, it introduces significant responsibilities for the first time, including:
  • Digital record-keeping
  • Quarterly submissions to HMRC 
  • Mandatory MTD-compatible software 
  • Higher volumes of data 
  • Greater uncertainty and support needs.
For many Practices, this means more work for bookkeepers and accountants, and investment in enhanced IT systems, workflows, and support functions. Hiring additional resources to cope with this additional work may seem logical, but it’s rarely the most efficient solution and can create additional risks.

Additional costs and risks of hiring resources

In a hot recruitment market and with increasing costs of employment, taking on new staff can create additional risks for any accountant. For smaller Practices without dedicated HR teams, managing recruitment, performance reviews, payroll, leave, and employee disputes can be a major drain on time.
Recruiting new staff is expensive and time-consuming. Specialist recruitment fees can reach up to 25% of a new employee’s salary, with onboarding costs adding further strain. The elapsed time between advertising a role and filling it with a suitable candidate can be protracted, creating backlogs of work before a post is filled. When appointed, new staff require onboarding and investment in continuing professional development. In-house employees also come with pensions, paid holidays, and other benefits that can exceed 20% of base salary.

As MTD IT client numbers grow, these factors can quickly affect the efficient operation of a Practice.

Outsourcing: A Smarter Way to Deliver MTD IT

Outsourcing allows accountants to deliver MTD IT services without the risk and expense of recruitment while securing many advantages.

1. Instant Access to MTD IT Expertise

Outsourcing provides specialists in bookkeeping and accounting who are fully trained and understand:
  • HMRC MTD IT requirements
  • How to operate MTD-compatible software and bridging tools
  • API integrations and digital record keeping
  • UK data security and compliance standards.
Outsourcing opens the door to expertise worldwide, bridging skills gaps quickly without long training periods. Accountants can leverage digital bookkeeping, personal tax calculations, and efficient accounts preparation while client-facing staff deliver personalised services.

2. Scalable Support

MTD IT work is recurring and predictable by nature. By outsourcing, accountants can:

  • Scale support up when deadlines are looming
  • Scale down during quieter periods
  • Pay only for the work required.
Outsourcing converts the rising costs of employment into predictable, fixed expenses, helping accountants plan cash flow with confidence.

3. Reduced Operational Costs

Compared to employing in-house staff, outsourcing typically offers:
  • Fixed monthly or pay as you go pricing
  • No recruitment fees or employment overheads
  • Clear budgeting and cost control.
Outsourcing provides access to highly skilled accountants at typically 50% lower costs than UK rates. This means accountants can improve productivity and service quality without inflating their payroll.

4. Better Client Experience

Some clients will remain resistant to their new MTD IT responsibilities and are hard to reach by nature. These clients will need additional support with:
  • Software setup and onboarding
  • Maintaining digital records
  • Correcting submission errors
  • Understanding quarterly reporting obligations.
Outsourced helpdesks and support teams ensure faster responses, smoother processes a better client experience overall.

5. Accountants Stay Focused on Advisory Work

When MTD IT workflows are handled externally, the onshore team can focus on:

  • Client advice
  • Tax planning
  • Business growth.

Outsourcing routine tasks such as bookkeeping and quarterly submissions allows in-house accountants to focus on supporting clients. This reduces stress, prevents burnout, and increases job satisfaction. Outsourcing also offers a cost-effective way for accountants to communicate with clients while making the best use of any direct, human contact needed.

MTD IT Services to Outsource

Accountants usually seek to outsource recurring bookkeeping and accounting work, including:

Benefits of Outsourcing MTD IT Work

Outsourcing MTD IT work to Unison Globus offers many benefits to UK accountants through:
  • Helping clients comply with HMRC requirements.
  • Reduced risk of penalties for late/missing submissions
  • Reduced costs and overheads
  • Access to talent and resources
  • Increased quality and consistency of work
  • Better turnaround times
  • improved client experience
  • Data security assurance.

Free trial offer

If you want to learn more about how outsourcing can simplify MTD IT, explore our Making Tax Digital for Income Tax hub and book a free 10-hour trial with Unison Globus UK. We promise to turn your trial work around within 72 hours. You can book a video call with a Unison Globus expert advisors using this link or send an email to [email protected].

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Use Outsourcing to Deliver Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Services

The implementation of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD IT) is reshaping how many UK accountants deliver services from April 2026. With regular digital record keeping and fully online quarterly submissions to HMRC now mandated, and increased contact with clients essential, accountants need to find additional capacity at a time when resources are already stretched.
For many UK accountants, outsourcing bookkeeping and accounting work provides the perfect solution to deliver effective MTD IT services without increasing the permanent establishment of a Practice.

The Resource Challenge

For accountants with self-employed and landlord clients, MTD IT presents an immediate challenge to deliver higher volumes of work every month. For each qualifying business or income source, clients will need to maintain complete, digital records of income and expenses and submit a summary online each quarter to HMRC. While some clients may feel comfortable maintaining their own digital records, many will expect their accountant to deliver these services while minimising any increase in fees.
Compared to the annual Self-Assessment process, accountants must now ensure clients:
  • Maintain complete digital bookkeeping records throughout the year
  • Submit an accurate statement of income and expenses online to HMRC at the end of each quarter using commercial software
  • Finalise the year-end position of each affected business
  • Submit a full self-assessment tax return to HMRC covering all sources of income and allowances by 31 January.
Hiring additional resources may seem like the obvious response to support clients. However, for many UK accountants, the current recruitment market presents a number of challenges, including:
  • Skills shortages: Qualified bookkeepers and accountants are in high demand, and many accountants find it difficult to attract the right candidates
  • Rising recruitment costs: Advertising roles, preparing a candidate shortlist, undertaking interviews, and using agencies all incur costs quickly
  • Training and development: When appointed, new staff require onboarding and continuing professional development
  • Employment risks: From compliance with UK employment law to managing contracts, employee benefits, and HR issues, firms carry the full responsibility
  • Staff turnover: If a team member leaves, the entire cycle starts again, incurring more costs and reducing productivity.
As MTD IT client numbers grow, these factors can quickly affect the profitability and effective operation of a Practice.

Outsourcing: A Scalable Alternative to Recruitment

Outsourcing gives UK accountants access to a broad range of qualified professionals without the risks of a permanent appointment. Most end-to-end accounting tasks – such as digital bookkeeping, VAT returns, year-end accounts, company tax, and personal tax – can be outsourced easily to trusted providers.
When structured correctly, outsourcing works as an extension of the onshore team – aligned to existing processes, software, systems, and quality standards. By working with a specialist outsourcing partner, accountants can:
  • Access talent immediately: Offshore accountants are already professionally qualified, proficient in commercial accounting software and are ready to start immediately
  • Avoid recruitment costs and HR management: The outsource provider handles contracts, salaries, and employee benefits
  • Leverage UK accounting expertise: Offshore professionals are trained in UK accounting, tax, and compliance requirements and will be up to date on the detailed requirements of MTD IT
  • Scale flexibly: Add capacity as demand grows without the risk of recruitment delays. Where demand falls, services can be scaled down without any exit costs.

Which Services Can Be Outsourced Under MTD IT?

Accountants usually seek to outsource recurring bookkeeping and accounting work, including:
Outsourcing offers a cost-effective way for accountants to support clients while making the most effective use of any direct contact needed by the onshore team.
Key Benefits of Outsourcing MTD IT Tasks
Outsourcing MTD IT work to Unison Globus UK offers many benefits to UK accountants through:
  • Helping clients comply with HMRC requirements.
  • Reduced risk of penalties for late/missing submissions
  • Reduced costs and overheads
  • Access to talent and resources
  • Increased quality and consistency of work
  • Better turnaround times
  • improved client experience
  • Data security assurance.

Free trial offer

If you want to learn more about how outsourcing can simplify MTD IT, explore our Making Tax Digital for Income Tax hub and book a free 10-hour trial with Unison Globus UK. We promise to turn your trial work around within 72 hours. You can book a video call with one of our expert advisors using this link or send an email to [email protected].