VitalTax vs 123 Sheets vs AbraTax: Which Bridging Tool for MTD? (2026)

Updated 2026-06-11 · MTD Survival Kit team

If you're keeping your spreadsheet under MTD (which you're allowed to), you need a bridging tool to carry your totals to HMRC. These three are the names that come up most. The honest comparison:

Who should pick which

Pick AbraTax if cost is the priority and you don't mind an upload step. Free and HMRC-recognised is hard to argue with; total compliance cost can be £0/year.

Pick VitalTax if you live in desktop Excel and want submission to be a button inside the spreadsheet you already have open. The one-time cell-mapping is exactly the kind of fiddly job you do once and forget.

Pick 123 Sheets if you'd rather adopt their ready-made template than maintain your own — accepting that your records then live in their structure.

Pick none of them if you'd genuinely prefer no spreadsheet at all — Clear Books Free does records and submission in one app.

The thing all three assume

Each of these is a delivery mechanism. None of them tells you whether that van repair is "Car, van and travel" or "Repairs and maintenance", whether your records are complete, or how the cumulative quarters work. They assume a well-structured, correctly categorised spreadsheet already exists.

That's the layer the MTD Survival Kit (£19) provides: a records spreadsheet with HMRC's categories as dropdowns and a quarterly summary matching the exact boxes every one of these tools asks for — plus a plain-English guide. Kit for the records, any of the above for the pipe. Together: compliant for £19–£55 a year, versus £500+ for an accountant.

Before paying for anything, confirm the tool on HMRC's "find compatible software" list at gov.uk — it's the only authority on what's recognised.

Educational content, not advice or endorsement; no affiliation with any vendor. Prices as advertised June 2026 — verify before buying.