FreeAgent’s Stewart Hurd on why MTD must spark deeper change
On the sidelines of Accountex Summit Manchester, Accountancy Age spoke with Stewart Hurd, Chief Sales Officer at FreeAgent, about how firms are responding to the fast-approaching Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment deadline.
For Hurd, the challenge is not only technical but strategic. He argued that MTD should be seen as a turning point for practices, forcing decisions on pricing, education and efficiency that will shape the profession for years to come.
A shifting market focus
FreeAgent has built its reputation on intuitive design for small business users. That positioning is now broadening.
Hurd explained that the company has “strategically pivoted to build for larger accountancy firms,” with the roadmap focused on practice-level efficiency and cross-client workflows while retaining the end-user simplicity of its earlier design.
That pivot is gaining recognition. For Hurd, the result reflects a growing alignment between FreeAgent’s roadmap and the needs of practices preparing for digital compliance.
Readiness remains uneven
As April 2026 approaches, preparedness varies widely. Some firms have chosen their software, trained staff and drawn up implementation plans, yet even the most advanced still debate pricing and packaging strategies.
Others are only beginning to evaluate vendors or are limiting their planning to the near-term threshold, leaving future phases until later.
Hurd sees this as a risk. “The most pressing gap is not technical but strategic. Firms need to decide how they will price services, how they will communicate with clients, and what level of support they are prepared to offer.”
The small practice challenge
Smaller firms and their micro-business clients face particular strain. Without dedicated marketing or content teams, many lack the resources to educate customers at scale. Hurd believes this is where vendors should do more.
“The software is there, but the real support comes from helping practices communicate. That might mean repurposing existing materials or co-creating new ones to remove some of the burden.”
Clients themselves are often unaware of the changes or assume they can continue as before. Hurd stressed that accountants cannot rely on clients to self-educate.
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“Most small business owners do not want to know every detail. They want to know their accountant has it under control.”
Compliance as catalyst
Hurd urged firms to treat MTD as a catalyst for change rather than a compliance hurdle. Legislative change, he said, creates opportunities to repackage services, win unrepresented taxpayers and design new support models.
He pointed to cloud technology as an enabler but warned against partial adoption.
“Meeting the mandate is not enough. If firms use only a fraction of their software’s functionality, they will add cost without creating efficiency.”
The education question
Clarity in client communication is essential. Hurd advised against overloading customers with technical explanations.
The most effective approach is a clear recommendation, a defined deadline and confidence that the transition is managed.
He also called for vendors to sharpen their own messaging. “Accountants are bombarded with overlapping updates on MTD. What practices need is a clear separation between regulatory updates and product information. Otherwise, the noise creates confusion rather than clarity.”
Beyond the mandate
For Hurd, the bigger challenge lies beyond April 2026. Deeper digital adoption, he argued, must follow the initial compliance push. He pointed to bank feeds as an example.
“Three quarters of FreeAgent customers already use them, which saves hours of reconciliation. Across the wider market, adoption is often much lower. Without embracing those tools, firms risk being stuck in a cycle of regulatory change without gaining efficiency.”
Hurd closed with a reminder that practices should reassess their technology choices. “If you have not looked at FreeAgent for a while, you may be surprised at how much has changed,” he said.
More broadly, he suggested that firms which use MTD as a platform for modernisation, rather than just compliance, will be better placed to serve clients and grow.
