MTD Migration Services – Move to Making Tax Digital Software Smoothly

Moving to Making Tax Digital Starts With Migration

For many businesses, the biggest hurdle in preparing for Making Tax Digital isn’t understanding the rules — it’s moving their existing financial data into a compliant system.

You may already have years of accounting history stored somewhere.

But that “somewhere” often looks like:

• Excel spreadsheets
  • Desktop accounting software
  • Paper records
  • Legacy bookkeeping systems

And while those methods may have worked historically, they don’t meet MTD digital reporting requirements without migration.

If you’ve been searching:

• Migrate to MTD software
  • Accounting software migration UK
  • Excel to Xero migration

You’re likely trying to understand how to move your records without losing data, accuracy, or compliance continuity.

That’s exactly what our migration service is built for.

Why Migration Is Essential for MTD Compliance

Making Tax Digital requires businesses to maintain structured digital records within HMRC-compatible software.

This means your historical bookkeeping must exist in a format that supports:

• Digital VAT reporting
  • Income tax submissions
  • Audit trails
  • Real-time reconciliations

If your records sit outside compliant systems, submissions may still be possible — but reporting accuracy and continuity become compromised.

Migration ensures your past and present financial data live within one compliant environment.

Excel to Cloud Accounting Migration

One of the most common transitions we handle is moving businesses from spreadsheets into cloud accounting platforms.

Spreadsheets are flexible — but they lack automation, submission capability, and digital linking required under MTD.

Excel to Xero migration (or QuickBooks / Sage equivalents) involves structured data transfer.

We migrate:

• Sales records
  • Expense histories
  • VAT balances
  • Customer lists
  • Supplier accounts
  • Opening trial balances

Once migrated, your data becomes fully operational within cloud software — ready for live reporting and submissions.

Desktop to Online Accounting Migration

Many established businesses operate on legacy desktop systems.

While these platforms may still function internally, they often lack:

• Real-time collaboration
  • Bank feed integration
  • Automated updates
  • Seamless MTD submission capability

Desktop to online migration involves transferring financial environments into cloud-based platforms.

This enables:

• Remote access
  • Automated backups
  • Live reporting
  • Integrated submissions

We preserve financial structures while modernising reporting infrastructure.

Data Cleansing — Fixing Issues Before Migration

Migration isn’t just about moving data — it’s about improving it.

We frequently find inconsistencies within historical bookkeeping records.

Common issues include:

• Duplicate transactions
  • Incorrect VAT coding
  • Misclassified expenses
  • Unreconciled balances
  • Missing supplier data

Migrating inaccurate data simply transfers problems into new systems.

That’s why data cleansing is a core part of our migration process.

We review, correct, and standardise records before upload.

Historical Data Uploads — Maintaining Financial Continuity

A major concern businesses have when migrating is losing historical financial visibility.

We ensure continuity by uploading historical accounting data into your new system.

This may include:

• Current financial year transactions
  • Prior year balances
  • VAT return histories
  • Customer payment records
  • Supplier account balances

Maintaining historical visibility ensures reporting, forecasting, and compliance reviews remain accurate.

Why Historical Accuracy Matters Under MTD

MTD reporting relies on cumulative financial data.

Incorrect opening balances or VAT positions can distort:

• VAT liabilities
  • Income tax reporting
  • Profit calculations

Accurate historical uploads ensure your digital reporting starts from the correct financial position.

Migration Planning — Minimising Business Disruption

Many businesses worry migration will interrupt operations.

In reality, structured planning allows migration to occur with minimal disruption.

We schedule transitions around:

• VAT quarters
  • Financial year ends
  • Reporting deadlines

This ensures submissions and bookkeeping continue smoothly during system changes.

Tailored Migration for Different Business Types

Migration needs vary depending on business structure.

We tailor processes for:

• Sole traders
  • Landlords
  • Limited companies
  • Partnerships
  • eCommerce businesses

Each has different reporting frameworks, VAT treatments, and transaction complexities.

eCommerce & Multi-Platform Migration

Online sellers often require complex migrations due to multiple revenue streams.

We migrate data from:

• Shopify
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • Etsy
  • WooCommerce

Ensuring platform transactions integrate into accounting systems accurately.

Property Income Migration for Landlords

Landlords migrating into MTD systems often require property-specific structuring.

We migrate:

• Rental income records
  • Property expense histories
  • Mortgage interest allocations
  • Joint ownership splits

Ensuring landlord reporting aligns with MTD income tax frameworks.

The MTD Migration Process — From Legacy Records to Digital Compliance

Migrating your accounting data into Making Tax Digital software isn’t a one-click transfer.

It’s a structured, multi-stage process designed to ensure financial accuracy, compliance continuity, and reporting functionality.

We begin with a full system review — analysing where your financial records currently sit.

This may include:

• Excel spreadsheets
  • Desktop accounting systems
  • Paper-based bookkeeping
  • Mixed record environments

Understanding your starting point allows us to design the safest and most efficient migration pathway.

Data Mapping — Structuring Information Before Transfer

Before migration begins, your financial data must be mapped into the structure of the new accounting system.

This ensures information flows correctly once transferred.

Data mapping includes aligning:

• Income categories
  • Expense classifications
  • VAT codes
  • Customer accounts
  • Supplier records
  • Chart of accounts structures

Without proper mapping, migrated data may appear incomplete or miscategorised — affecting reporting accuracy.

Data Cleansing & Validation

Once mapped, data undergoes cleansing and validation checks.

This stage corrects issues such as:

• Duplicate entries
  • Incorrect VAT treatments
  • Missing transaction references
  • Unreconciled bank balances
  • Outdated supplier records

By cleaning data before upload, we ensure your new system starts from a reliable financial position.

Historical Transaction Uploads

Depending on reporting requirements, we upload historical transactions into your new MTD-compatible platform.

This may include:

• Current financial year activity
  • Prior year closing balances
  • VAT return histories
  • Customer receivables
  • Supplier payables

Maintaining historical depth allows businesses to run comparative reports, forecasts, and compliance checks seamlessly.

Opening Balance Reconciliation

One of the most critical migration steps is ensuring opening balances match across systems.

We reconcile:

• Bank balances
  • VAT control accounts
  • Debtors and creditors
  • Equity positions
  • Retained earnings

If opening balances are incorrect, future VAT returns and income reports will also be inaccurate.

This reconciliation safeguards financial continuity.

VAT Position Alignment

For VAT-registered businesses, migration must align with previous VAT filings.

We review:

• Submitted VAT returns
  • Payment histories
  • VAT liabilities
  • VAT reclaim balances

This ensures future MTD VAT submissions continue accurately from your historical position.

Software Environment Testing

Once data is uploaded, we test the system environment to ensure functionality.

This includes verifying:

• Financial reports
  • VAT calculations
  • Submission pathways
  • Bank reconciliations
  • Income statements

Testing confirms your system is not just migrated — but fully operational.

Risks of Poor or DIY Migration

Businesses sometimes attempt migration independently — often to save cost.

However, incorrect migration can create long-term financial and compliance issues.

Common risks include:

• Lost historical transactions
  • Incorrect VAT carryovers
  • Misclassified expenses
  • Broken financial reports
  • Submission errors

Fixing poor migrations later often costs more than structured migration from the start.

Compliance Impact of Incorrect Migration

Because MTD relies on digital records, inaccurate migration can directly affect tax reporting.

This may result in:

• Incorrect VAT returns
  • Overstated income
  • Underreported expenses
  • HMRC enquiries
  • Financial penalties

Professional migration ensures compliance begins from a stable digital foundation.

How We Help Businesses Migrate to MTD Software

Our migration service is fully managed — designed to remove technical stress from your transition into Making Tax Digital.

We support:

• Excel to cloud accounting migration
  • Desktop to online system migration
  • Legacy software transitions
  • Multi-entity migrations
  • eCommerce platform integrations
  • Landlord income migrations

Every migration is structured, validated, and tested before going live.

Minimising Operational Disruption

We understand businesses can’t pause operations for system changes.

That’s why we plan migrations around:

• VAT quarters
  • Financial year ends
  • Reporting deadlines

This ensures bookkeeping and submissions continue without interruption.

Support Beyond Migration

Many clients continue working with us after migration for ongoing compliance support.

This may include:

• Bookkeeping reviews
  • VAT submissions
  • Income reporting
  • Software optimisation
  • Financial reporting assistance

Migration becomes the starting point of long-term digital compliance — not the end.

Frequently Asked Questions — MTD Migration

Can you migrate data from Excel?
Yes — including full Excel to Xero migration and other platforms.

Do you migrate from desktop accounting software?
Absolutely — we handle legacy to cloud transitions.

Will I lose historical data?
No — we upload historical records where required.

How long does migration take?
It depends on data volume and system complexity.

Can you migrate landlord or eCommerce records?
Yes — we tailor migrations by industry.

Do you clean data before uploading?
Yes — data cleansing is part of our process.

Will VAT records transfer correctly?
Yes — VAT reconciliation is completed before go-live.

Ready to Migrate to MTD Software?

If your financial records are still sitting in spreadsheets, desktop systems, or disconnected platforms, now is the time to move into a compliant digital environment.

Audit Consulting Group will:

• Review your current systems
  • Clean and structure your data
  • Migrate financial records
  • Upload historical transactions
  • Reconcile balances
  • Activate MTD-ready reporting

You get a fully operational digital accounting system — without the risk of data loss or compliance errors.

Speak with our team today and get your MTD migration handled professionally.