London, 11 March 2026 – Sage (FTSE: SGE), the leader in accounting, financial, HR and, payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses, today expanded AccountsPrep within Sage for Accountants, helping firms standardise and scale pre-accounting as Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax rolls out across the UK - with trust, accuracy and control at the core.
With up to 2.9 million sole traders and landlords expected to move into digital reporting in the coming years, accountancy practices are preparing for a significant increase in client volume. Many will require hands-on support with record keeping, data preparation and submissions, particularly where digital processes are not yet part of daily operations.
Now available on a client-based model within Sage for Accountants, AccountsPrep helps practices manage end-to-end accounting for clients who still rely on paper records, PDFs or fragmented information. By standardising data collection and preparation, firms can improve consistency, reduce manual handling and maintain quality as demand grows.
“For millions of small businesses, MTD will change how they report, but not necessarily how they work,” said Lisa Ewans, SVP Product, Small Business & Accountants, Sage. “That places accountants at the centre of supporting compliance at scale. From the launch of our MTD AI Agent to strengthening pre-accounting capabilities such as AccountsPrep, our focus is on helping firms manage increasing volumes while maintaining quality and control in workflows where ‘nearly right’ isn’t good enough.”
Supporting scalable workflows as demand increases
AccountsPrep forms part of Sage’s broader support for accountants preparing for Making Tax Digital. Through Sage for Accountants, tools such as Sage Accounting and the MTD Income Tax Agent support clients who already keep digital records, while AccountsPrep helps firms manage pre-accounting work for clients who rely on their accountant to maintain those records.
As client numbers grow, many firms are finding that spreadsheet-led and manual pre-accounting processes can quickly become difficult to sustain. What works for a few hundred clients can become increasingly complex at scale, creating pressure on consistency, turnaround times and compliance oversight.
“MTD has prompted us to review how we operate as a firm,” said Sarah Bedford, Director, HMB Accountants. “Processes that were manageable at 200 clients can become challenging at 2,000. Standardising pre-accounting has become critical, not just for efficiency, but to maintain quality and control when you are responsible for the full client journey.”
Visit Sage for Accountants to find out more.
About Sage
Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of Small and Mid Sized Businesses served by us, our partners and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitalising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our AI-powered platform connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.
Notes to editors
What has Sage announced?
Sage has announced further investment in support for accountants as Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax expands. This includes updates designed to help firms manage growing volumes of client work, particularly where accountants are providing hands-on support with record-keeping, preparation and submission.
Why is this support needed now?
MTD for Income Tax is expected to bring up to 2.9 million additional sole traders and landlords into digital reporting over the coming years. Many of these businesses are not yet ready to manage digital records independently, increasing the level of involvement required from accountants. As client numbers grow, existing manual and spreadsheet-led processes are becoming harder to sustain at scale.
What is AccountsPrep?
A solution designed for practices that want to deliver a complete, end-to-end service for non-digital clients. AccountsPrep transforms source documents into accurate trial balances in minutes, reducing manual effort and streamlining year-end and compliance processes. With intelligent data extraction, automated journal adjustments, and seamless progression to HMRC-ready submissions, it helps firms prepare accounts faster, with confidence and consistency.
How does AccountsPrep support accountants in practice?
Built for Sage for Accountants, AccountsPrep fits into existing workflows, scales across an accountant’s practice, and enables full control, accuracy, and efficiency—allowing accountants to manage everything for non-digital clients without complexity.
How is AccountsPrep priced?
Available on a per-client basis, at £3.00 per client/per month, AccountsPrep gives practices greater flexibility and transparency as client numbers grow. Each plan includes credits to help with automating client data into a structured format ready for HMRC submissions. With an initial 750 fixed free credit allowance per client plan for early adopters, available between now and 30th April 2026 and then 50 free credit allowance for any purchases made after 30th April 2026.
Who is this support aimed at?
The updates are aimed at UK accountancy firms supporting sole traders particularly where clients require hands-on assistance with digital record-keeping and compliance as MTD requirements expand.
