Clear Books is UK accounting software with MTD VAT and Income Tax filing, invoicing and CIS. Free MTD plans, paid plans from £5/month plus VAT.
Researched and fact-checked by Bartu Cavusoglu · Updated October 26, 2026
Clear Books is cloud accounting software made in the UK for sole traders, landlords, small businesses and accountants. The company says it has built one focused product since 2008, started by founder Tim Fouracre, and that it is registered in England and Wales with a team based in London.
It is on HMRC's list of MTD-compatible software for both VAT and Income Tax Self Assessment. That makes it a practical option for UK businesses that need digital records and direct filing as well as invoicing and reports.
You sign up for a plan matched to your business type, connect a bank feed and start recording income and expenses. Paid plans can scan bills and receipts from photos and PDFs and record transactions automatically from the bank feed, so less data entry is left to do by hand.
Tax filing runs from the same account. A quarterly update wizard walks sole traders and landlords through MTD for Income Tax, a deadline tracker sits on the dashboard, and VAT-registered users submit returns directly to HMRC.
Invoicing covers branded templates, recurring invoices and automatic reminders for late payers, with Stripe and GoCardless built in. Reporting includes real-time profit and loss, aged debtors and creditors, VAT liability tracking, trial balance and management reports.
Higher plans add depth: MTD VAT submissions, purchase orders and CIS reporting on Medium, then project accounting, multi-currency, employee expense claims and fixed assets on Large. Accountant tools include journals, lock date ranges and an audit log, and users can export data to CSV or PDF.
Clear Books is UK cloud accounting software for sole traders, landlords, small businesses and accountants. It handles invoicing, bank feeds, reporting, VAT, CIS, payroll and Making Tax Digital filing. The company says it has been building the product since 2008.
Sole Trader, Property and Foreign Property plans cost £5/month plus VAT, and Sole Trader Plus is £15/month. Small, Medium and Large cost £16, £34 and £44 per month on monthly billing. Yearly billing saves 10% and two-year billing saves 20% on those three plans.
Yes. Sole Trader Free, Property Free and Foreign Property Free are forever-free plans covering MTD Income Tax quarterly updates and year-end filing. They have no transaction limits and let you invite your accountant.
Yes, there is a 30-day free trial with full access to your chosen paid plan. The site says you can cancel any time. New subscriptions also get 50% off the first three months if bought within 30 days of registration.
Yes. Clear Books states that it is on HMRC's official list of MTD-compatible software for both VAT and Income Tax Self Assessment. It supports direct VAT submissions and MTD for Income Tax quarterly updates.
Stripe and GoCardless are built in for taking invoice payments, and the Instant Bank Payments add-on uses open banking. The software connects to bank feeds and HMRC. The Small plan and above include integrations and API access.
Yes. You can add your accountant as a user with read-only or full access, and the free plans let you invite your accountant. Paid plans include accountant tools such as journals, lock date ranges and an audit log.
Free plans get help articles, video guides and read access to the community forum. The £5 plans add email support, and the £15 plan adds phone support. Support is provided by a UK team Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.