Voice and visuals made with automated software, including AI.
Countingup charges £5, £12 or £20 a month, by how much is paid into your account, as listed on 17 October 2026 (VAT not stated). Our yearly plan is £350 including VAT, but is not open yet.
The two do different jobs. Countingup is a business bank account with bookkeeping and tax tools built in: you move your business banking to it, it sorts your transactions as you spend, and it files VAT returns. We are not a bank. We work from the bank account you already have, prepare your Making Tax Digital (MTD) quarterly updates and tax return, and send them to HMRC after you confirm the figures. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete. Until then you can join the waitlist, and no payment is taken.
Want your books sorted?
We sort your books and prepare your quarterly figures. You send them to HMRC yourself with free Making Tax Digital software.
Founding offer on Trades Tax (coming later), first 500 trades clients: £5 a month for your first 3 months, then £35 a month. Cancel any time. We’ll remind you before it changes. Prices include VAT. No payment is taken while you wait.
Are you ready for Making Tax Digital? Check your start date and what to sort first. It’s free and takes a minute.
Prices compared
Countingup's prices were checked on its pricing page on 17 October 2026, for accounts opened from 3 August 2026. They apply after a 3-month free trial, and the tier is set by the total paid into your account each month. VAT is not stated, so we have added none. The 12-month figures are our arithmetic, for a whole year on one tier.
| Paid into your account each month | Countingup as listed | Countingup over 12 months | Our yearly plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £750 | £5 a month, VAT not stated | £60 | £350 including VAT |
| £750.01 to £7,500 | £12 a month, VAT not stated | £144 | £350 including VAT |
| Over £7,500 | £20 a month, VAT not stated | £240 | £350 including VAT |
A tradesperson paid a steady £2,500 a month, or £30,000 a year, would be on Countingup's £12 tier. Its pricing page also lists additional fees: transfers in or out and Direct Debits are 3 free a month, then 27p each, and each cash machine withdrawal is £1.
If you pay us monthly, our Trades Tax plan is £35 a month including VAT. The founding offer for the first 500 trades clients is £5 a month for your first 3 months, then £35 a month. Cancel any time. We'll remind you before it changes.
The prices are not like for like. Countingup's fee pays for a bank account and a bookkeeping app. Ours pays for your quarterly updates and tax return being prepared and sent for you.
What each one does
| Countingup | Our service | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Business bank account with bookkeeping and tax tools built in; accounts provided by Griffin Bank Ltd | Bookkeeping from your bank feed or records; not a bank account |
| Your banking | Moves to Countingup | Stays where it is; we work from your bank feed or records |
| Payments outside that account | Entered by hand, per its help centre | Your bank feed or records |
| MTD quarterly updates for Income Tax | Not on GOV.UK's software finder on 17 October 2026; its pages don't say, so ask Countingup | Prepared and sent for you after you confirm the figures |
| Tax return | Its help article says to copy totals from its Profit and Loss report into HMRC's online return yourself | Prepared and sent for you after you confirm the figures |
| CIS | Self-employed CIS account type tracks your CIS statements and deductions; its tax estimate does not cover CIS contractors | Deductions matched to your statements and counted in your tax return |
| VAT returns | Filed from the app, included in the subscription | £10 a month extra, including VAT |
| Invoicing, debit card, tax pot | Included | Not offered |
| Talking to a person | "Help from real people, 7 days a week", per its home page | Automated software, including AI; the company's director is accountable |
| Can you start today | Yes, if you are a sole trader or company director, 18 or over and UK resident | Tax plans: waitlist only, no payment taken |
When Countingup is the better choice
- You want a new business bank account anyway. Countingup puts the account, a debit card, invoicing and bookkeeping in one app.
- You are VAT-registered. Its pricing page says VAT return filing comes at no extra cost.
- You are happy to do your own tax return. Its help centre shows you how to copy its Profit and Loss figures into HMRC's online return.
- You want tax set aside as you are paid. Its tax pots move a percentage you choose each time you are paid, and its home page lists 1.2% AER (variable) interest on them.
- You need to start now. Our tax plans are not open yet.
When our service may suit you better
- You want to keep your own bank. Countingup's bookkeeping is built around its own account.
- MTD starts for you in April 2027. Countingup was not on GOV.UK's software finder on 17 October 2026, so ask how it would send your updates. We prepare and send your updates and tax return after you confirm the figures.
- You are a CIS subcontractor. Countingup's tax estimate article says the app does not currently support estimates for CIS contractors. With us: before you join Making Tax Digital, over-deducted CIS is claimed back through your Self Assessment tax return. Once you are in Making Tax Digital, HMRC adds your CIS deductions to your tax return, and any refund is requested separately through HMRC online services. Either way, the sooner after 5 April the return is filed, the sooner HMRC can repay you.
What this means for you
If your self-employed turnover and rent before expenses came to more than £30,000 in 2025-26, MTD starts for you on 6 April 2027. Your first quarterly update covers 6 April to 5 July 2027 and is due by 7 August 2027. Each missed deadline earns a penalty point, and 4 points means a £200 penalty.
So the question is not only the monthly price, but who sends your updates and tax return. Countingup's pages show you filing the return yourself or sharing your figures with an accountant. With us, you confirm every figure and we send it. We never ask for your HMRC password.
Steps to choose between them
- Use the free MTD check to see whether and when MTD starts for you.
- Decide whether you want to move your business banking to a new account or keep the one you have.
- Ask Countingup whether it sends MTD quarterly updates and the tax return for Income Tax, and check GOV.UK's software finder.
- Ask each provider how your CIS deductions are recorded and how an over-deduction is claimed back.
- Compare prices including VAT, and ask Countingup whether its listed prices include VAT.
- If you would rather hand the work over at a fixed price, see the trades plan and join the waitlist. No payment is taken.
Hold your place on the trades waitlist
We’ll email you when Trades Tax opens, with the founding offer while places last. No payment is taken.
Questions people ask
How much does Countingup cost?
£5, £12 or £20 a month after a 3-month free trial, as listed on 17 October 2026. The tier depends on the total paid into your account each month: up to £750, up to £7,500, or more. Its pricing page doesn't say whether VAT is included. Transfers in or out and Direct Debits are 3 free a month, then 27p each.
Does Countingup send Making Tax Digital quarterly updates for Income Tax?
Its pages describe Making Tax Digital filing for VAT returns. Countingup was not listed in GOV.UK's software finder for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax on 17 October 2026, and its pages don't say it sends Income Tax quarterly updates or the end-of-year return. Ask Countingup.
Does Countingup file my tax return for me?
Its help article on filing a Self Assessment return as a sole trader tells you to copy the income and expense totals from its Profit and Loss report into HMRC's online return yourself. You can also give an accountant access to your figures through its Accountant Hub.
Does Countingup work for CIS subcontractors?
It has a Self-employed CIS business type, which its help centre says ensures the app tracks your CIS statements and tax deductions. Its tax estimate article says the app does not currently support estimates for CIS contractors.
Do I have to move my bank account to use Countingup?
Countingup is the business account. Its bookkeeping works from the payments in and out of that account, and its help centre says business transactions from outside it are entered by hand. We work from the bank account you already have.
Can I use your service now?
Not yet. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete. Until then you can join the waitlist, and no payment is taken.
Sources
- Countingup: Pricing (checked 17 October 2026)
- Countingup: The business bank account with built-in accounting & tax (checked 17 October 2026)
- Countingup: Tax pots (checked 17 October 2026)
- Countingup: Making Tax Digital, what is MTD? (checked 17 October 2026)
- Countingup: Eligibility (checked 17 October 2026)
- Countingup: How do I file my Self Assessment tax return as a sole trader? (checked 17 October 2026)
- Countingup: Which sole trader business type should I choose? (checked 17 October 2026)
- Countingup: How does the app estimate my Self Assessment tax? (checked 17 October 2026)
- Find software that works with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (GOV.UK software finder, checked 17 October 2026)
- Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- What you must do as a CIS subcontractor: Pay tax and claim back deductions (GOV.UK)
- Penalties for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (GOV.UK)
This is general information to help you understand the rules. It isn't tailored to your circumstances, so check your own position before acting on it.
Righto Tax is a trading name of NJG Consultancy Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 16095900. Registered office: Jubilee House, East Beach, Lytham St Annes, FY8 5FT.
What happens next
- Use the free Making Tax Digital checker to see your own start date and deadlines.
- See what Righto Tax for Trades does for you, and join the waitlist.
- Questions about this page? Email hello@rightotax.co.uk.