Making Tax Digital · Sole traders
Considering a move from FreeAgent or Pie Tax to Avona
ONLY£15A MONTHChanging tax software should solve a defined problem: cost, workflow, missing functionality or the kind of support you need.
Changing tax software should solve a defined problem: cost, workflow, missing functionality or the kind of support you need. Compare the complete service and plan the record transfer before cancelling the existing product. A claim that everyone is switching is less useful than a test using your own records.
Compare the current products fairly
Check the official information for FreeAgent, Pie Tax and Avona. Prices, banking offers, plan features and support arrangements can differ. A free banking-linked subscription, where eligible, changes the comparison materially.
List the work required: transaction records, invoicing, VAT, quarterly updates, corrections and annual tax information. Check whether any additional service is needed. Avona's entry-level £15/month is a starting software price, not evidence that every possible feature and professional task is included.
Plan continuity before migration
Export records and supporting documents, confirm the tax-year position and preserve submission acknowledgements. Test imports with a small sample containing refunds, transfers and mixed private costs. Check for duplication where historical imports overlap a new feed.
Establish the supported process for changing software during the reporting year. Avoid sending conflicting updates from two products without understanding which records and cumulative totals are current.
Worked comparison: an eligible free subscription
A user receives an eligible banking-linked FreeAgent subscription at no additional software charge. Moving to Avona therefore cannot honestly be described as an automatic software-price saving for that user.
The user may still prefer Avona's workflow or separately scoped support. The decision should explain that benefit and the total new cost, rather than relying on a headline comparison that excludes the existing offer.
Choose software by the work it needs to do
Start with your actual income sources and records. A sole trade, a UK property business and foreign property can involve different requirements. A product suitable for one set of circumstances is not automatically suitable for every annual-return item you might have.
HMRC's software guidance allows different approaches, including software connected to existing spreadsheets. Check the complete workflow: importing or recording transactions, reviewing the quarterly summary, submitting it, making corrections and completing the annual return.
Try a representative sample that includes a refund, a private transaction, a cash item and an awkward bank description. Ask how the system handles a missing period and how you export records if you leave. These questions are more informative than a long feature list.
Software support and professional tax advice are different services. Confirm who answers each kind of question, when help is available and what the quoted fee covers. Avona.app's entry-level self-service price is £15/month; professional services and additional product capabilities should be checked against the current scope rather than assumed to be included.
A review that checks more than the total
Start with coverage: the correct person, business and period, plus all relevant accounts and cash records. Then look at completeness. A feed can be connected today while still missing an earlier week. Confirm the earliest and latest transactions against the source.
Next, inspect unusual items. Large transfers, loan receipts, refunds, net settlements and private purchases often need more context than a bank description provides. Check for duplicate imports where a statement overlaps a live feed. An automatic warning is useful evidence to investigate, not proof that the entry must be removed.
Finally, review category totals. A category unexpectedly showing zero, a large increase or a negative amount deserves an explanation. You do not have to make every annual tax adjustment at this stage, but you should understand the records behind the summary you approve.
HMRC explains what quarterly updates contain. Keep the approved version and the resulting acknowledgement together. If something later changes, correct the source record and use the software's supported update process so you can explain which figures are current.
Keep the evidence connected to the figures
Your digital record should explain the amount, date and nature of the transaction. Keep the invoice, receipt, statement or other evidence that supports it. A photograph can make a paper document easier to retain, but a folder of photographs alone does not create complete transaction records.
For sole traders, HMRC normally requires business records to be kept for at least five years after the relevant 31 January filing deadline. Keep them longer where the rules for a late return, enquiry or other circumstances require it. Check the record-retention guidance.
Make the records usable by your future self. Include a short explanation where a bank description is vague, retain the calculation behind a business-use split and make corrections traceable. For a missing receipt, try the supplier account, email confirmation or a replacement invoice before relying on incomplete evidence.
At review time, compare your records with the bank or payment account and investigate differences. Equal totals are useful, but two errors can cancel each other out. A sample of individual transactions can reveal a duplicated purchase or an omitted customer receipt that a totals-only check misses.
Decide after a practical trial
Reconcile a representative period, check the needed income sources and confirm export access. Record the total annual cost and migration work. Choose the option that meets the actual requirements and leave a clear handover record for any adviser involved.
Take the next step
Avona.app offers a self-service route from £15/month. Bring your records together, review the figures and choose a workflow that fits your business. For professional help, discuss the scope and total price of Avona Concierge, managed by chartered accountants, before choosing a service.