MTD software for landlords who are also sole traders

Written by the Quidtrail team · Facts last checked 18 October 2026

The short answer: if you're self-employed and you also let property, your self-employment and your property income are separate income sources in Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Your software sends quarterly updates for each one (GOV.UK), and your year-end tax return brings all your income together (GOV.UK). Some products cover both in one account. Others need a separate account (and sometimes a separate subscription) for each source. HMRC also lets you use different products for each source (GOV.UK).

General information, not tax advice. Check with an accountant or HMRC for your situation.

This is not a review or a ranking, and we haven't tested these products.

What HMRC says about two income sources

Both count towards the threshold. Your qualifying income is your gross self-employment income plus your gross property income (GOV.UK).
Separate records and updates. Your software works out quarterly totals for each business you have (GOV.UK). If you have more than one sole trader business, each needs separate records and separate quarterly updates (GOV.UK).
More than one product is fine. HMRC's example is "a builder and a landlord" using different products for each business. What you can't do is use two products for the same submission (GOV.UK).
Make sure they work together. If you use more than one product, they need to meet all your MTD requirements between them, including the tax return (GOV.UK).
Simpler categorisation is tested for each income source: you can only use it for both if each one's turnover is below £90,000 (GOV.UK).

How providers handle self-employment plus property

Alphabetical. "Finder" shows what HMRC's software finder listed in the sole trader or landlord view on 18 October 2026. The rest is the provider's own statement on that date. In the finder on that date, 116 of 159 products listed both sole trader and UK property income, and 74 listed sole trader, UK property and foreign property.

Product	Finder: income sources	One account or separate? (provider says)	Source
FreeAgent	Sole trader, UK property	Separate accounts: a sole trader account and an unincorporated landlord account. You can't record property income in a sole trader account, or business income in a landlord account	FreeAgent FAQ
Landlord Vision Visit Landlord Vision	Sole trader, UK property, foreign property	Supports "self-employed portfolios" for sole trade income alongside property portfolios. A sole trade needs its own self-employed portfolio. Also says you can file property through Landlord Vision and self-employment through other software	Landlord Vision FAQ
My Tax Digital	Sole trader, UK property, foreign property	Covers self-employment, UK property and foreign property. How it structures accounts for more than one source: not stated on the pages we checked	mytaxdigital.co.uk
QuickBooks (UK) Visit QuickBooks	Sole trader, UK property	Separate accounts: each QuickBooks account connects to one income source (self-employment or UK property), so you need a separate account for each	QuickBooks help
Sage Sole Trader Visit Sage	Sole trader, UK property	Separate business per income source. One can be on the free plan; others need the paid plan (£7 a month + VAT)	Sage help, sage.com
VitalTax	Sole trader, UK property, foreign property	Excel add-in priced per person (National Insurance number), covering all that person's income sources	vitaltax.co.uk
Xero (UK) Visit Xero	Sole trader, UK property, foreign property	Connect up to 5 businesses to one Xero organisation for MTD for Income Tax	Xero Central

Property-only products. Some landlord products don't list self-employment on HMRC's finder, so you'd use a second product for your business. For example, on 18 October 2026 the finder listed Hammock for UK and foreign property, and Landlord Studio and Provestor for Landlords for UK property only. Provestor's help says you can use it for property and "another MTD product for self-employment" (Provestor help). See MTD software for landlords.

Two products or one: things to weigh

Cost. Two subscriptions, or a second paid business inside one product, can cost more than one product covering both. Check each provider's current pricing. See what MTD software costs.
The tax return. Only one product can submit it. Make sure at least one of your products submits the tax return, and that it can see the figures from both sources (GOV.UK).
Your accountant. If they file for you, ask which products they support for each income source.
Bank accounts. If your business and lettings share one bank account, a single product with both sources may mean less splitting of transactions. If they're separate, two products may be simpler. That's a practical choice, not an HMRC rule.

Last checked against GOV.UK, HMRC's software finder and providers' sites on 18 October 2026. Not tax advice.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use one product for my business and another for my rentals?

Yes. HMRC allows a separate product for each income source, as long as you don't use two products for the same submission (GOV.UK).

Do I send one set of quarterly updates or two?

One for each income source, so a sole trader who's also a landlord sends updates for the business and for the property income each quarter (GOV.UK). See MTD quarterly deadlines.

Does my rental income count towards the £50,000 threshold with my business income?

Yes. Qualifying income is your gross self-employment and property income added together (GOV.UK). See MTD qualifying income.

How many tax returns do I submit?

One. Your MTD tax return covers all your income sources for the year, not just the ones you send quarterly updates for (GOV.UK). See the MTD tax return.

Sources

Facts last checked: 18 October 2026.