As of 13 August 2026, AI can choose Making Tax Digital compatible VAT software.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 1 hour until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open the GOV.UK page listing software compatible with Making Tax Digital for VAT and note the products that match your preferred accounting and VAT workflow.
   2. Gather your VAT scheme, sales channels, approximate transaction types, existing bookkeeping system, bank and payment integrations, users, invoicing or stock needs, support requirements and budget.
   3. Open the supplier pages for the products you are considering and copy their relevant compatibility, feature, integration, support and contract information into the chatbot prompt.
   4. Paste the completed prompt into a chatbot and ask it to produce the evidence-based shortlist, including unknowns and supplier questions.
   5. Compare the shortlist against the GOV.UK software list and each supplier page, removing any candidate where MTD compatibility or a required integration is not confirmed.
   6. Ask the preferred suppliers to confirm your VAT scheme, integrations, migration route, contract terms and test or trial process, then choose the product that passes those checks.

   Prompt

   Help me choose Making Tax Digital compatible VAT software for my UK business. Do not invent product features, prices, HMRC approval, integrations or legal requirements. Use only the GOV.UK information and supplier pages or product details that I paste below, and clearly mark anything that is missing or unverified.
   
   My business details:
   - Business type and sector: [describe]
   - VAT scheme: [standard, cash accounting, flat rate, annual accounting, or not sure]
   - Number of VAT registrations: [number]
   - Approximate transactions and invoices: [describe]
   - Sales channels and payment providers: [describe]
   - Existing bookkeeping or accounting software: [name or none]
   - Bank feeds and integrations needed: [describe]
   - Number of people who will use the software: [number]
   - Need for stock, projects, payroll, expenses or invoicing: [describe]
   - Accessibility, language or support requirements: [describe]
   - Budget and preferred contract terms: [describe]
   - Any accountant or bookkeeper requirements: [describe]
   
   For each candidate, check and report: whether it is shown as compatible with Making Tax Digital for VAT in the GOV.UK information provided, what records and VAT tasks it supports, integrations, migration requirements, support, contract terms and any stated limitations. Separate confirmed facts from supplier claims and unknowns.
   
   Produce a shortlist of up to three candidates in a table. Score each candidate against my stated requirements, explain the main trade-offs, list questions I should ask the supplier, and recommend one only if the evidence supports it. If the information is insufficient, say what I must verify before choosing. Do not give tax advice or tell me which VAT scheme to use.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.