Balance automatically
Every entry posts twice, so your books balance by construction — no plug figures, no reconciling by hand.
Free Xero migration — on every plan, forever
Real double-entry accounting.
Filed straight to HMRC.
AccountLayer is a proper ledger for UK small businesses — invoicing, bank reconciliation, and VAT and Income Tax returns submitted directly through Making Tax Digital. Bring your history in from Xero in minutes.
No card required. MTD-ready from day one.
INV-1042
Bob Ltd
£1,200.00
PAID
INV-1043
Castle Joinery
£3,540.00
DUE SOON
BILL-0087
Instant Print Co
£640.00
OVERDUE
VAT · Q1
Box 5 · net VAT to pay
£3,540.00
READY TO FILE
The nine boxes build themselves as you invoice, bill and bank — review and submit straight to HMRC.
Included on every plan, from Sole Trader upwards
Invoicing & quotes
Bank reconciliation
P&L & balance sheet
Real double-entry ledger
Multi-business
Add VAT any time
What AccountLayer does
Four jobs, done properly
Not a spreadsheet with a UI bolted on. A ledger that arrives with sensible defaults and keeps itself honest.
Show the whole picture
Cash, profit and VAT due on one screen, refreshed as you invoice, bill and reconcile the bank.
File on time
Nine-box VAT returns and quarterly Income Tax updates, built from the ledger and submitted straight to HMRC's Making Tax Digital service.
Fit the business
Sole traders, VAT-registered companies and accountants with several clients — one login, the plan that matches.
The double-entry ledger
Every entry has to agree with itself
A spreadsheet lets you type any number into any cell. A ledger doesn't: every invoice, bill and payment posts as a matched pair — a debit and a credit that must net to zero before it's recorded.
That's what makes your reports trustworthy. Profit & loss and the balance sheet aren't maintained by hand alongside the transactions — they're pulled from the same ledger, so they can't quietly drift apart.
- Money in and money out post as matched debit/credit pairs
- Reports are pulled from the ledger, never maintained by hand
- Once a period is reconciled it can be locked, so history doesn't move
Invoice INV-1044 · Delta Studio
Posted to the ledger
DR · Debtors control
CR · Sales
£640.00 debit£640.00 credit
£640.00TOTAL DEBITS
always equals
£0.00NET DIFFERENCE
Multi-business
Switch business without switching login
Sole traders adding a second trade, agencies running several clients, accountants managing a portfolio — AccountLayer keeps every business's books completely separate under one login.
Every additional business you run is 25% off, automatically, for as long as you run it. No forms to fill in, no sales call to book.
See how the discount works
OW
OwnerFull access to every business on the account
EVERY PLAN
AC
Accountant / bookkeeperSwitches between client businesses from one login
EVERY PLAN
TM
Team memberInvoices, bills and reconciles with a scoped role
PRO PLAN
API
Connected appReads and writes invoices through the API, with only the access you approve
PRO PLAN
£7
Starting price, per month, for non-VAT sole traders.
25% off
Automatically, on every business beyond your first.
9 boxes
Built from the ledger, not a bridging spreadsheet.
0
Spreadsheets needed to file with HMRC.
The full list
One tidy place for the whole cycle
From the first quote to the VAT return — recorded once, balanced automatically, and ready for HMRC.
Invoicing & quotes
Raise quotes and invoices, send them, and watch them post to the ledger on approval.
Bills & expenses
Record supplier bills and expenses with the VAT split handled for you.
Bank import & reconcile
Import CSV or OFX statements, match transactions, and apply rules.
VAT returns & MTD
Nine-box returns built from the ledger and filed straight to HMRC.
Income Tax MTD (ITSA)
Quarterly updates, annual adjustments and the final declaration for Income Tax Self Assessment, submitted straight to HMRC.
Stock & inventory
Weighted-average (AVCO) stock valuation, movements and a stock report reconciled to the ledger.
Reports that balance
Profit & loss, balance sheet, trial balance and aged debtors — always reconciled.
Fixed assets
An asset register with straight-line and reducing-balance depreciation.
Multi-business
Switch between businesses under one login — built for accountants.
Open API
A REST API so your other tools can read and write invoices, customers and payments.
Recurring invoices
Set the schedule once and AccountLayer raises and sends them for you.
Two-factor security
Two-factor sign-in with an authenticator app on every account, and an activity log for each business showing who changed what.
Pricing
Simple plans, no surprises
Every plan includes the full double-entry ledger and free Xero migration. One business per subscription — every extra business you run is 25% off, automatically. Prices exclude VAT.
Sole Trader
For sole traders not yet VAT registered.
£7
/mo per business
- Sales invoices & quotes
- Expenses & bank reconciliation
- Profit & loss and balance sheet
- Add VAT the day you register
RECOMMENDED
Starter
For VAT-registered small businesses.
£14
/mo per business
- Everything in Sole Trader
- VAT returns filed to HMRC (MTD)
- Fixed assets & depreciation
Pro
For accountants & growing teams.
£29
/mo per business
- Everything in Starter
- Team users & roles
- Open REST API access
- Priority support
Already use CalloutWMS? Connect it to AccountLayer and your subscription drops by 25% — applied automatically for as long as you're connected. How it works →
Prefer annual billing? Pay for 10 months, use it for 12 — switch anytime from account settings.
Compare
How we compare
Entry-level plans and prices from each provider's UK pricing page.
| AccountLayerSole Trader, from £7/mo | XeroIgnite, from £18/mo | QuickBooksSimple Start, from £16/mo* | FreeAgentSole Trader, from £19/mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Making Tax Digital | ||||
| VAT MTD filing on the entry-level plan | Starter plan, £14/mo | Included | Simple Start and above — not on Sole Trader Plus | Included |
| Bank reconciliation | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Pricing | ||||
| Every extra business, 25% off | Included | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
Prices and plan details checked 15 September 2026. *QuickBooks price from independent UK price trackers. Prices change, so check each provider's website before you decide.
Questions
Frequently asked
Yes. AccountLayer keeps digital VAT records and submits returns directly through HMRC's MTD for VAT API, on either a cash or accrual basis.
Yes — connect your Xero organisation and we import your chart of accounts, contacts, invoices, bank transactions and opening balances. Running the import again never creates duplicates.
Yes. People only see the businesses they belong to and can only do what their role allows. The connections to HMRC and Xero are stored encrypted, and every account must sign in with two-factor authentication.
Yes. Quarterly updates, year-end adjustments, losses and the final declaration are all built from your ledger and submitted straight to HMRC.
Yes. Switch between businesses under a single login — built for owners with several entities and for accountants with many clients. Each subscription covers one business, and every additional business you run is 25% off automatically.
No. Sole traders who aren't VAT registered can start on the Sole Trader plan without VAT or MTD. The day you register for VAT, move up to Starter and file straight to HMRC.
Yes. A REST API with secure OAuth2 sign-in lets apps you approve read and write invoices, customers and payments. See the API reference.
Plans start at £7/mo for non-VAT sole traders, £14/mo with VAT & MTD filing, and £29/mo for teams. Every extra business is 25% off, and connecting CalloutWMS saves a further 25%. No card required to start.
Start keeping clean books today
Set up your business, raise your first invoice, and see your VAT return build itself. No card required.