Best Farm Accounting Software UK for MTD

Quick answer

There is no single best. Check any product against HMRC's software finder rather than the supplier's badge, then match it to your farm. As of October 2026, Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Landmark each say they are HMRC-recognised, in their own words, and TELUS says it complies with HMRC and Making Tax Digital requirements. Figured is a farm budgeting layer that sits on Xero. Sum-It sells PC software for a one-off fee. None of the pages we read names the Agricultural Flat Rate Scheme, so ask for a demo. FarmHQ is in beta and does not file to HMRC until 2027. Check whether you are caught in our Making Tax Digital thresholds guide.

What is the best farm accounting software in the UK for MTD?

There is no single best, and a list that names a winner without asking about your farm is selling something. You can narrow the choice with five questions. Is the software on HMRC's list for the kind of Making Tax Digital that applies to you? Does it bring in your bank transactions? Does it cope with livestock, stock at year end and an enterprise split? Does it handle the way you do VAT, including the Agricultural Flat Rate Scheme if you are on it? And can your accountant work in it?

This guide compares what each option says on its own pages as of October 2026. We have not tested any of them, and each claim links to the page it came from. Where a page does not say something, we say so. A missing line on a supplier's page is a question to ask, not proof either way.

The options fall into three groups. General cloud accounting, such as Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent, was built for any small business. Farm accounts, such as TELUS Farm Accounting, Landmark's KEY range and Sum-It's TOTAL2, were built for farms. Figured is a farm planning layer that sits on top of Xero rather than replacing it. FarmHQ is a fourth kind of thing, covered at the end, and it is in beta.

What does Making Tax Digital readiness mean for a farm?

There are two separate requirements. Making Tax Digital for VAT applies to VAT-registered businesses. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax means quarterly updates and a final declaration. GOV.UK keeps a finder tool for each, and says HMRC does not recommend any product and that all software listed has been through its recognition process. The VAT equivalent is HMRC's software search for VAT.

So check the name yourself. A supplier saying ready or compatible is not the same as being on the list. Ask in writing which of the two requirements the product covers on the plan you would buy, because a package can cover one before the other.

Who is caught, and when, is set out in our Making Tax Digital thresholds guide and the steps are in our sign-up and quarterly updates guide, so we do not repeat the figures here. GOV.UK says partnerships will also need to use the Income Tax service in future, with no timeline set yet. Many farms are partnerships, so ask now how a package will handle one.

A farmer on the Agricultural Flat Rate Scheme is different again. GOV.UK says flat rate farmers are not VAT registered and do not submit VAT returns. MTD for VAT software is then not your issue. Income Tax and the invoices that carry the flat rate addition are. Our flat rate scheme guide explains the scheme.

What do Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent say?

These three are general small-business accounting. None of the pages we read for them mentions farming. All prices below are before VAT and are what each supplier's page shows as of October 2026.

Xero. The pricing page lists Ignite at £18, Grow at £39, Comprehensive at £55 and Ultimate at £70 a month. New customers are shown 90% off for six months, which is an offer, not the price. Ignite is capped at 20 invoices. Its Making Tax Digital page says all plans are MTD ready, calls the software HMRC-recognised, and says MTD for general partnerships is yet to be confirmed.
QuickBooks. The Making Tax Digital page says the software is recognised by HMRC. Its pricing page lists five plans: Sole Trader Plus, Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced, with one to 25 users. It shows MTD for Income Tax ready on all five, but VAT submission to HMRC is not available on Sole Trader Plus. The page loads its prices live and we could not read them, so check the current figures.
FreeAgent. The pricing page lists sole trader at £19, partnership or LLP at £27 and limited company at £33 a month, with 50% off for the first six months and a 30-day trial. It says the software is on HMRC's list for MTD for VAT and for Income Tax. The partnership plan lists MTD-compatible VAT returns, but its list does not include MTD for Income Tax.

What do the farm-specific options say?

These were built with farm accounts in mind. Again, this is what each supplier says as of October 2026.

TELUS Farm Accounting (formerly Farmplan Business Cloud). Its product page lists automated bank feeds, multi-user access, recurring transactions, P&L budgeting, combining VAT support and enterprise tagging. It says it complies with HMRC and Making Tax Digital requirements. We found no price, only a demo booking and a phone number. Our Farmplan and TELUS comparison has the history.
Landmark Systems. Its accounting and payroll page says its accounting products are HMRC recognised and compatible with Making Tax Digital, and mentions VAT returns. The KEYPrime Accounts and KEYinfinity pages each say HMRC recognised for MTD for IT. KEYinfinity is cloud-based. No prices are listed, only a sales contact. Livestock is a separate Landmark product.
Sum-It TOTAL2 Accounts. The product page lists Starter at £495 plus VAT and Standard at £895 plus VAT, both one-off, with three months of support included. It runs on Windows, with an optional cloud package. It says MTD compliant with online VAT submission. For Income Tax it only links a support article.
Figured. It is planning, budgeting and reporting rather than bookkeeping. Its pricing page lists Farm Manager at £40 a month, and Multi Farm at £40 plus £40 for each extra farm, excluding tax. The Xero App Store listing says it syncs with a Xero file. Detail is in our Figured and Xero comparison.

Which farm features should you test before you buy?

Bank feeds. Xero says direct bank feeds are free for most customers, though some UK banks pass on fees. QuickBooks lists automated bank feeds on all five plans and FreeAgent on every plan. Landmark's KEYinfinity says you can link bank accounts and bring in transactions, and TELUS lists automated bank feeds. Sum-It lists multi-bank reconciliation, with auto-reconcile to bank statement files on Standard, and does not describe live feeds. Landmark's KEYPrime Accounts page does not describe bank feeds. Livestock and stock. With traditional accounting you value livestock at year end, and with cash basis you do not. Our cash basis and traditional accounting guide explains the difference. Only the farm products' pages touch it. TELUS's page lists enterprise tagging and P&L budgeting but does not describe livestock stock valuation. Sum-It lists enterprise costings, down to cost per animal on Standard. Landmark's accounting pages point to livestock as a separate product. Ask any supplier to enter a livestock sale and a closing stock figure in front of you. Flat rate VAT. On the pages we read, none names the Agricultural Flat Rate Scheme. QuickBooks lists a Flat Rate scheme without saying which one. GOV.UK says a flat rate farmer's invoice must show the flat rate certificate number, the price before the addition, and the rate and amount of the addition. Ask to see that invoice produced. Herd basis and scheme payments. None of the pages we read mentions either. That is a gap in what they say, not proof they cannot do it. Our herd basis guide and scheme payments accounting guide explain why they matter. Put both to your accountant.

Self-prepared or accountant-led: which suits which?

If you or your spouse keep the books and file yourselves, you want something you can learn at the kitchen table, with a bank feed, a clear price and support you can reach. In our judgement the general cloud products fit that best on price, and FreeAgent's trial and Xero's published plans make them easy to test. Sum-It suits someone who would rather own PC software once than rent it.

If your accountant prepares the accounts, the best software is usually the one they already work in. They will have your VAT scheme, opening balances and stock set up there. Ask which package they use before you ask anything else. QuickBooks says each plan includes accountant access. Landmark's KEYPrime Accounts page says it offers licences for accountants and consultants to see client data.

If you borrow, run several enterprises or need cost of production per head, per tonne or per litre, a farm layer such as Figured on top of Xero, or a farm package such as TELUS or Landmark, may earn its place. Add up the whole bill. Xero Grow plus Figured Farm Manager is £79 a month at list price before VAT, and the cheapest package on paper is not cheapest if your accountant charges more to work in it. Our seven-point bookkeeping software checklist lists the questions to put to every supplier.

Where does FarmHQ fit, and when would you choose something else?

FarmHQ is our own app, so weigh this section accordingly. It is in beta. It joins livestock compliance (births, movements, deaths, the medicine book and Red Tractor records) and the money (receipts, invoicing and timesheets) in one app, so a vet invoice photographed once can become a medicine-book entry and a VAT-coded expense. Ask Farmer Joe drafts and you confirm. Plans are in our pricing and run from £29.99 to £69.99 a month by herd size and invoice volume.

It is not a filing tool today. Making Tax Digital filing to HMRC follows in 2027, and FarmHQ is not on HMRC's software finder. It has no budgeting or forecasting like Figured, and no crop records. If you must file VAT or quarterly Income Tax updates this year, use a recognised product from this guide.

The sensible pairing for now is a recognised accounts package for the tax, and FarmHQ for the livestock side and the receipts. That means two systems until our filing work lands, which is the double entry we want to remove. Choose something else outright if you need filing now, grow crops, or your accountant insists on their own package. The market structure paper explains why compliance and books are usually split, and the cost of two logins is what that costs in practice. For livestock recording alternatives, see our Herdwatch alternatives guide.

What do farmers actually ask?

What is the best farm accounting software in the UK?

There is no single best. As of October 2026 the main choices are general cloud accounting (Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent), farm accounts (TELUS Farm Accounting, Landmark, Sum-It) and Figured as a budgeting layer on Xero. Pick by your accountant's package, your VAT scheme, whether you need Making Tax Digital for VAT or Income Tax, and how much you want livestock and enterprise reporting.

Which farm accounting software is HMRC-recognised for Making Tax Digital?

Only HMRC's own software finder on GOV.UK settles it, because HMRC says it does not recommend products and lists only software that has been through its recognition process. As of October 2026 Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Landmark each say they are recognised, and TELUS says it complies with HMRC and Making Tax Digital requirements. Check the name for VAT and for Income Tax separately, on the plan you would buy.

Do farm accounting packages handle the Agricultural Flat Rate Scheme?

On the supplier pages we read as of October 2026, none names the Agricultural Flat Rate Scheme. QuickBooks lists a Flat Rate scheme without saying which. Flat rate farmers are not VAT registered, so ask each supplier to show a flat rate sale and an invoice carrying your certificate number and the addition before you commit.

How much does farm accounting software cost in the UK?

As of October 2026, before VAT: Xero from £18 to £70 a month, FreeAgent £19 to £33 a month by business type, Figured Farm Manager £40 a month on top of Xero, and Sum-It TOTAL2 Accounts £495 or £895 once. TELUS and Landmark list no prices. QuickBooks prices load live on its page. Introductory offers end, so ask for the full price.

Can FarmHQ file my Making Tax Digital returns?

Not today. FarmHQ is in beta, is not on HMRC's software finder, and Making Tax Digital filing to HMRC follows in 2027. It joins livestock compliance and the books in one app, so it suits the livestock side and receipts now. If you must file this year, keep a recognised accounts package and use FarmHQ beside it.

How do Figured, Landmark and TELUS differ?

As of October 2026, Figured is farm planning, budgeting and reporting that syncs with a Xero file, at £40 a month for one farm. TELUS Farm Accounting and Landmark's KEY range are farm accounts packages. Landmark says its products are HMRC recognised, TELUS says it complies with HMRC and Making Tax Digital requirements, and neither lists a price. Landmark also sells separate livestock, crop and payroll products.