Critical factual note: Landlord Vision's own MTD FAQ page states: "Sign up with Landlord Vision to be notified when our MTD tools are ready to use." Third-party sources list it as HMRC-recognised, and Landlord Vision has published a step-by-step MTD guide on its blog. Readers must verify the current live submission status directly with Landlord Vision and on the HMRC compatible software register at tax.service.gov.uk before treating it as a confirmed live MTD filing platform.
QuickBooks and Landlord Vision are frequently cited alongside each other as options for UK landlords preparing for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. In practice, they are built on very different foundations. QuickBooks is a general cloud accounting platform with HMRC-recognised MTD capability across multiple income types. Landlord Vision is a property management platform with deep landlord-specific tools, whose MTD submission status requires direct verification before a compliance decision is made.
This article draws exclusively on each provider's own published pages, third-party industry sources, and HMRC's published guidance, all verified as at June 2026. Prices are stated exclusive of VAT unless noted otherwise.
Internal working document. This article does not constitute formal tax or financial advice. MTD ITSA matters must be flagged to a manager or partner before any client-facing use.
The MTD for Income Tax mandate: The Essentials
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax became mandatory on 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with combined qualifying gross income above £50,000 in the 2024 to 2025 tax year. The mandate extends to those with qualifying income above £30,000 from April 2027, and above £20,000 from April 2028.
Qualifying taxpayers must keep digital records, submit four quarterly updates due by 7 August, 7 November, 7 February, and 7 May each year, and file a Final Declaration by 31 January following the end of each tax year. HMRC has paused penalty points for late quarterly submissions during 2026 to 2027. Financial penalties for late Final Declarations apply from April 2026.
QuickBooks and MTD
HMRC Recognition and Plan Structure
QuickBooks Online is HMRC-recognised for both MTD for VAT and MTD for Income Tax. The UK range as at June 2026 consists of five cloud-only plans: Sole Trader Plus (£10/month), Simple Start (£16/month), Essentials, Plus, and Advanced. Every paid plan supports the full MTD ITSA workflow.
Sole Trader Plus is explicitly designed for sole traders and single-property landlords, with trading income generally under £90,000, per Intuit's own product description. For landlords with more than one property or with VAT registration, Simple Start at £16 per month is the appropriate plan.
What QuickBooks Covers for Landlords
QuickBooks covers UK property income, self-employment income, and foreign property income within a single subscription. Quarterly updates and the Final Declaration are submitted directly to HMRC via the API. Bank feeds via Open Banking, AI-powered receipt capture, and real-time tax estimates are included. Intuit Intelligence AI features are available on Simple Start and above, not on Sole Trader Plus.
Important: QuickBooks requires a separate account for each income source. A landlord who also has self-employment income must maintain two QuickBooks accounts and submit quarterly updates from each separately.
Accountant and Practice Tools
QuickBooks Online Accountant provides a centralised multi-client dashboard for practices, with agent-level filing capability. Accountants managing client billing receive a 50% discount on Sole Trader Plus subscriptions. A 30-day free trial is available for new users.
What QuickBooks Does Not Offer Landlords
QuickBooks is a general accounting platform. It has no tenancy management, compliance tracking, document management, tenant portal, HMO-specific rent schedules, capital gains report, or mortgage and loan tracking. Landlords who need these tools alongside MTD accounting must use a second platform.
Landlord Vision and MTD
MTD status: What Is and Is Not Confirmed
Landlord Vision's MTD FAQ page as of 1 July 2026 states, "We are updating our all-in-one landlord software to include user-friendly tools... Sign up with Landlord Visionn to be notified when our MTD tools are ready to use." Landlord Vision has published a step-by-step MTD guide on its blog. Readers must berify current live submission status directly with Landlord Vision before relying on it as a confirmed quarterly filing solution.
Property management depth
Where Landlord Vision clearly distinguishes itself from QuickBooks is the breadth of landlord-specific tools included across all plans, including full tenancy lifecycle management, compliance reminders, document management with e-signatures (Standard and above), a tenant portal and service desk (Standard and above), capital gains reporting, HMO support with per-room and per-tenant rent schedules, and mortgage and loan tracking. None of these features are available in QuickBooks at any tier.
Accounting capability
Landlord Vision includes accruals-basis accounting across all plans, with a full reporting suite covering profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance, nominal ledger, cash flow, and income tax reports. VAT support is available on the Enterprise plan only.
Pricing
Landlord Vision's Starter plan is £21.97 per month for up to four active tenancies. Standard starts at £34.97 per month for up to 10 tenancies, with additional tenancies at £1.10 per tenancy per month. Premium is £44.97 per month for up to 15 tenancies. Enterprise is £84.97 per month for up to 25 tenancies and adds Xero integration, VAT support, and an AI task assistant. A 14-day free trial is available.
Agent access
Landlord Vision does not offer a dedicated agent practice portal. Accountants access the platform by logging in to the landlord's account. There is no centralised multi-client dashboard for external accountants.
Side-by-Side Comparison
The table below reflects information current as at June 2026. Always verify directly with each provider before making compliance decisions.
Feature | QuickBooks | Landlord Vision |
|---|---|---|
HMRC MTD ITSA recognition | Yes, confirmed on HMRC register; all paid plans | Listed on third-party sources; own FAQ (June 2026) still advises sign up to be notified |
MTD live submission status | Live and confirmed | Verify directly with Landlord Vision before relying as live filing platform |
Product category | General cloud accounting platform | Property management platform with accounting features |
Audience | Sole traders, single-property landlords, VAT businesses | UK landlords across all property types |
Self-employment income | Yes, all paid plans | No |
UK property income | Yes, all paid plans | Yes, core use case |
Foreign property income | Yes (UK-resident landlords) | Not confirmed on published pages |
VAT submission | Yes, Simple Start and above | Enterprise plan only |
Tenancy management | No | Yes, all plans |
Document management and e-signing | No | Yes, Standard and above |
Compliance reminders | No | Yes, all plans |
Capital gains reporting | No | Yes, all plans |
HMO support | No | Yes, per-room/per-tenant |
Mortgage and loan tracking | No | Yes, all plans |
Bank feeds | Yes, all plans | Yes, all plans |
Receipt capture | Yes, AI extraction | Yes, data extraction |
Agent / accountant portal | Yes, QuickBooks Online Accountant | No dedicated portal |
Accounting depth | Full double-entry (Simple Start+); cash and accruals | Accruals; nominal ledger, trial balance, balance sheet |
FCA registration | No | Yes, FCA Reg. No. 918962 |
Entry-level price | £10 + VAT/month (Sole Trader Plus) | £21.97 + VAT/month (Starter, 4 tenancies) |
Free trial | 30-day | 14-day |
Prices exclude VAT. Always verify current pricing and live MTD submission status directly with each provider before advising clients.
Which Platform Is Right for Your Client?
Choose QuickBooks if your client:
Needs a confirmed, live MTD quarterly submission platform now
Has both self-employment and property income in one account
Is VAT-registered and needs MTD for VAT included
Works with a practice using QuickBooks Online Accountant
Does not need property management or tenancy tools
Choose Landlord Vision if your client:
Has a property-only portfolio with four or more tenancies
Needs tenancy management, compliance, and document management in one platform
Wants accruals-basis accounting, capital gains reporting, and a full nominal ledger
Has HMO properties requiring per-room, per-tenant rent schedules
Has confirmed directly with Landlord Vision that live MTD API submissions are operational
Conclusion
QuickBooks is the clearer choice where confirmed, live MTD quarterly submission is the immediate priority, particularly for landlords with self-employment income alongside property, for VAT-registered clients, and for accountancy practices that want a centralised agent-level filing dashboard.
Landlord Vision is the stronger choice for landlords who need structured property management, tenancy lifecycle tools, compliance reminders, and formal accounting output in a single platform, provided they have confirmed directly with Landlord Vision that live quarterly MTD API submissions are operational for their account.
For clients currently in scope for mandatory MTD filing from April 2026, the live submission status of any platform must be confirmed before commitment. QuickBooks Sole Trader Plus and Simple Start are confirmed live. For Landlord Vision, direct verification remains the responsible step.
