From April 2026, HMRC will only accept quarterly updates and final declarations from software that meets the Making Tax Digital specification. Ovaro is built around that spec from day one — digital records, HMRC expense categories, VAT support and quarterly summaries, all in one app you can actually use on a job site.
What HMRC requires
HMRC says
Every income and expense item kept in digital form.
Ovaro does
Every invoice, receipt, mileage trip and payment is digital the moment it's captured — voice, photo or tap.
HMRC says
Records tagged to HMRC's Self Assessment categories.
Ovaro does
Built-in HMRC categories on every expense, with smart suggestions so nothing ends up in 'misc'.
HMRC says
Income and expense totals submitted to HMRC every quarter.
Ovaro does
Quarterly summaries roll up automatically — ready to review and submit before the deadline.
HMRC says
An end-of-year declaration replacing Self Assessment.
Ovaro does
Year-end position calculated continuously, with a clean export your accountant (or you) can file.
HMRC says
MTD for VAT for VAT-registered businesses.
Ovaro does
VAT at 0%, 5% and 20% on invoices and expenses, plus VAT-period summaries.
HMRC says
Records preserved for at least 5 years after the 31 January deadline.
Ovaro does
Encrypted cloud storage with full edit history on every record — no lost receipts, no rebuilds.
Invoice Ovaro Ltd · Companies House 15979982 · registered in England & Wales.
Built end-to-end against HMRC's published Making Tax Digital for Income Tax spec.
Clean CSV export, HMRC categories, full audit trail — your accountant will thank you.
FAQ
HMRC publishes a list of software products that meet its technical specification for Making Tax Digital (MTD). Recognised software keeps digital records, applies the correct categories, and supports the quarterly update and final declaration workflow HMRC requires from April 2026.
Ovaro is built to HMRC's Making Tax Digital for Income Tax specification and is going through HMRC's recognition programme for the April 2026 rollout. The underlying records, categories and quarterly summaries already match what HMRC expects — so the data you capture today carries straight into MTD when it's live.
From the April 2026 MTD for Income Tax rollout, Ovaro will support quarterly updates and the final declaration directly with HMRC for sole traders inside the threshold. Until then, your accountant can use Ovaro's clean exports to file your Self Assessment with zero rebuild.
Once you're inside the MTD for Income Tax threshold (£50,000 from April 2026, £30,000 from 2027, £20,000 from 2028), yes — HMRC will only accept quarterly updates and final declarations from software on its recognised list, or from bridging software linked to spreadsheets.
MTD for VAT is already mandatory for all VAT-registered businesses. Ovaro tracks VAT at 0%, 5% and 20% on invoices and expenses, and produces VAT-period summaries ready for filing.
Yes. Ovaro exports clean CSV at any point, organised by HMRC's expense categories, so your accountant can review, reconcile and file without rebuilding your books from receipts.
Start now, capture every job and expense the HMRC way, and walk into April 2026 with quarterly updates already done.