Sage Unveils Period Review to Help Accountants Manage Growing Making Tax Digital Workloads

Sage has introduced Period Review, a new capability within Sage for Accountants designed to help accountants and bookkeepers reduce the manual work involved in checking, correcting and preparing client transaction records for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax. Announced at Accountex Manchester on 15 September 2026, the capability addresses the growing administrative demands associated with more frequent digital record-keeping and reporting in the UK.

A Unified Workflow for Client Transaction Reviews

Period Review brings transaction data from supported client experiences into a single, period-by-period review workflow. It supports records maintained through Sage Sole Trader and supported banking applications, including Tide Accounting through early access at the time of the announcement.

Within Sage for Accountants, users can search and sort transactions, correct categorisations, create adjustments and journals, apply bulk actions, and submit updates without repeatedly switching between different tools. The aim is to make client records easier to review and prepare while allowing accounting professionals to focus on transactions that require their expertise.

Growing MTD Workload Creates Pressure on Accounting Practices

The launch comes as HMRC begins enrolling sole traders and landlords who must comply with MTD for the 2026/27 tax year but have not yet registered. The additional workload is a concern for accounting practices managing larger client portfolios and more frequent reporting requirements.

Sage cites research indicating that 86% of accounting and tax professionals expected additional tasks to support clients with MTD compliance. Separately, Sage’s survey of 500 UK sole traders found that 70% did not feel confident about the steps needed to remain MTD-compliant. These findings highlight the need for simpler digital workflows for both accounting professionals and their clients.

Supporting Accountants Without Replacing Professional Judgement

Period Review is intended to reduce repetitive administrative work, not replace the expertise of accountants and bookkeepers. By helping practitioners identify missing transactions, correct categorisations and prepare records throughout the year, the capability aims to reduce last-minute record clean-up and unnecessary communication with clients.

The approach also reflects a broader accounting software trend: connecting client-facing bookkeeping tools with professional practice workflows so accountants can manage information from different supported platforms in one place.

Sage has indicated that additional financial management integrations are expected as MTD adoption expands. The range of supported integrations will depend on platform availability and implementation.

Key Takeaways

• New capability: Sage Period Review consolidates supported client transactions into a single review workflow.
• Bulk transaction management: Accountants can search, sort, correct categorisations, create adjustments and journals, and apply bulk actions.
• MTD readiness: The capability supports preparation of client records for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
• Growing compliance workload: Research cited by Sage indicates that 86% of accounting and tax professionals anticipated additional MTD-related tasks.
• Client confidence gap: Sage found that 70% of surveyed sole traders lacked confidence about the steps needed for MTD compliance.
• Professional oversight remains essential: Accountants continue to apply judgement when reviewing records, making adjustments and advising clients