Built for tradespeople, not head office accounts teams.
Otis reads the spreadsheet you already use to track jobs and CIS deductions, and sends it to HMRC. No rebuilding your records from scratch.
Do sole trader builders and tradespeople need MTD software?
Yes, if your income is above the threshold, whether you're a builder, electrician, plumber, tiler, or work under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). But "software" doesn't mean accounting software. It doesn't mean giving up the spreadsheet you already use to track jobs, materials, and invoices.
From April 2026, instead of one Self Assessment return a year, you'll send HMRC four smaller updates. That's the change. Your records, and CIS itself, stay exactly as they are.
There are two ways to meet this requirement. Move everything into a full accounting package, or keep your spreadsheet and add bridging software, which connects it to HMRC. Neither is wrong. Otis is built for the second option, for anyone who tracks jobs on a spreadsheet and doesn't want to learn new software between sites.
Got a letter from HMRC?
A letter about MTD isn't a warning. It means your last tax return put your qualifying income above the threshold, and HMRC is giving you time to get ready before April 2026.
What You Should Do:
- Don't ignore the letter, HMRC won't automatically register you
- Check your qualifying income against your gross invoiced amount, not what lands in your bank after CIS deductions
- Start researching MTD-compatible software options like Otis
- Consider signing up early to avoid the last-minute rush
- Speak to your accountant or bookkeeper if you have one
Who This Actually Affects
You're in scope once your total qualifying income from self-employment and/or property crosses these thresholds:
From 6 April 2026
You're affected if your qualifying income is over £50,000.
From 6 April 2027
You're affected if your qualifying income is over £30,000.
From 6 April 2028
You're affected if your qualifying income is over £20,000.
Important Notes:
- • Qualifying income means gross income before expenses, and before CIS deductions
- • If you have both trading and rental income, you must combine them
- • HMRC will check your previous tax returns to determine if you're in scope
- • Below £20,000? You can still voluntarily sign up for MTD if you wish
What Actually Changes Under Making Tax Digital
Stays the same: your job tracker, your materials log, your spreadsheet. CIS deductions still work exactly as they do now, your contractor still deducts tax at source and pays it to HMRC. Otis doesn't touch any of it.
Changes: how your figures reach HMRC. Instead of one submission a year, you send four smaller updates. Otis reads your spreadsheet and sends the figures straight to HMRC.
MTD doesn't force you to abandon your current system and adopt accounting software built for office-based businesses. That's why Otis works alongside your existing methods rather than replacing them.
How CIS Fits Into This
MTD doesn't replace CIS. Your contractor still deducts tax before paying you, still sends CIS returns to HMRC, and you still reconcile everything at year-end. MTD only changes how often you report your own figures.
The one thing worth checking now: your qualifying income is your gross invoiced amount, before your contractor takes off the 20% CIS deduction. If you invoice £55,000 and receive £44,000 after deductions, your qualifying income is £55,000, not £44,000. A lot of subcontractors are closer to the threshold than they think.
If you split labour and materials on your invoices, which most CIS paperwork already requires, that same breakdown works fine in your spreadsheet and in Otis. Nothing about how you record CIS work needs to change.
Why Otis Exists
We kept hearing the same thing from sole trader builders and tradespeople: my spreadsheet already works. They didn't need accounting software. They needed a bridge to HMRC. So that's what we built.
Otis doesn't ask you to change how you track jobs, materials, or CIS deductions. It reads your spreadsheet, checks the categorisation, and submits it to HMRC. Four times a year, a few minutes each time.
Download our free spreadsheet template, or read our software guide to see how it works.
Common Questions
Is there sole trader tiler software for MTD?
You don't need trade-specific software. Whether you're a tiler, plumber, electrician, or general builder, bridging software like Otis works the same way for any sole trader tracking jobs in a spreadsheet.
Can I still use Excel for MTD?
Yes. Excel isn't recognised by HMRC on its own, but paired with bridging software, it meets the requirement in full.
Does MTD change how CIS deductions work?
No. Contractors still deduct tax at source and report it to HMRC exactly as before. MTD only changes how often you report your own income and expenses.
Is my qualifying income based on what I invoice or what I actually receive?
What you invoice. Qualifying income is your gross amount before CIS deductions are taken off, so it's usually higher than what lands in your bank.
Is bridging software recognised by HMRC?
Yes. It's listed in HMRC's own guidance as a valid way to meet MTD requirements, and it appears on HMRC's official software finder tool.
Finding Otis Through the HMRC Software Finder
HMRC provides a software finder tool to help self-employed individuals find solutions that meet MTD requirements. While we'd love for you to choose Otis, here's how to navigate the tool and explore your options. Tap a step to expand it.
This filters the tool to show software designed for individual tax reporting rather than corporate solutions.
This narrows results to software designed for sole traders and self-employed individuals. If you also have rental income, you can select both options.
Select whether you follow the standard tax year (6 April to 5 April) or use a custom accounting period. Otis works with both options.
Consider whether you need to also report any dividends, interest, or pension contributions to HMRC.
Look for bridging software like Otis that connects your existing records to HMRC without requiring you to learn complex accounting software.
Ready to Get Started?
If you want to get ahead of the April 2026 deadline, get early access to Otis today.