Kontala basics
What is Kontala?
Kontala is UK accounting software with Making Tax Digital VAT filing built in. It covers the day-to-day of running a small business - estimates and invoices, supplier bills, expenses and mileage, bank reconciliation, payroll and financial reports - and files your VAT returns straight to HMRC. It also includes Tala, an AI assistant that answers questions about your own books.
Who is Kontala for?
Kontala is built for UK sole traders, landlords and small limited companies, and for the accountants and bookkeepers who work with them. It suits a business that has outgrown spreadsheets and wants its VAT position to be right without extra effort.
Can I use Kontala outside the UK?
No. Kontala is built around UK rules and files to HMRC, so it is available to UK businesses only. You can invoice customers abroad and in other currencies, but the business itself needs to be UK-based.
Is there a mobile app?
No. Kontala runs in your web browser at app.kontala.com, so there is nothing to install and it works on a phone, tablet or computer.
Do I need an accountant to use Kontala?
No. Kontala is designed to be used by business owners without accounting training. It is not a substitute for professional advice, though, and anything with filing consequences is worth having an accountant check.
Making Tax Digital and VAT
Is Kontala Making Tax Digital compatible?
Yes. Kontala keeps your VAT records digitally and submits VAT returns directly to HMRC through the Making Tax Digital APIs. You connect your HMRC account once, and Kontala files the nine boxes from the invoices, bills, expenses and bank transactions you have already recorded.
Who has to follow Making Tax Digital for VAT?
All VAT-registered businesses must keep digital VAT records and file their returns using compatible software. This has applied to every VAT-registered business regardless of turnover since April 2022, unless HMRC has granted an exemption.
When do I have to register for VAT?
You must register when your total taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, the current VAT registration threshold. You can also register voluntarily below it. Thresholds change, so check the current figure with HMRC before acting on it.
When is my VAT return due?
For most businesses the deadline to submit the return and have payment reach HMRC is one calendar month and 7 days after the end of the VAT period. Kontala works your periods out from your registration details and shows each one with its due date.
Which VAT schemes does Kontala support?
You can record VAT on either an invoice basis or a cash basis, and Kontala supports the Flat Rate Scheme with your own flat rate percentage. It also handles non-standard VAT rates, reverse charge purchases from overseas suppliers, and pre-registration expenses on your first return.
Can I check my VAT return before I file it?
Yes. Every return has a preview of the nine boxes and a full report you can drill into, so you can trace any figure back to the documents behind it. Nothing goes to HMRC until you have read the declaration and confirmed it.
What happens if HMRC rejects my VAT return?
The rejection message from HMRC is shown in full and nothing is recorded as filed, so you can fix the problem and submit again.
Features and modules
What can I do in Kontala?
Kontala covers estimates and invoices, credit notes, purchase orders, supplier bills, expenses and mileage claims, products and services with tracked stock, projects, contacts, bank reconciliation, payroll with RTI, VAT returns, year end accounts and Corporation Tax, and a full set of reports including Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, Trial Balance, aged debtors and creditors, and an audit trail.
Does Kontala do payroll?
Yes. You can run monthly pay runs, produce payslips, and send Real Time Information submissions to HMRC, including the Employer Payment Summary and Employment Allowance.
Does Kontala handle year end accounts and Corporation Tax?
For limited companies Kontala prepares micro-entity (FRS 105) Final Accounts, the Corporation Tax computations and the CT600, and tracks your Companies House and HMRC deadlines. You approve and sign the accounts in Kontala, then file them yourself or through your accountant: Kontala does not submit year end accounts or the CT600 for you.
Does Kontala handle Self Assessment?
Kontala has Self Assessment settings for unincorporated businesses such as sole traders and partnerships. Year end accounts and Corporation Tax apply to limited companies instead, and Kontala shows whichever suits your company type.
Can I invoice in foreign currencies?
Yes. Choose the currency on the invoice and Kontala converts it at the daily exchange rate, showing the sterling equivalent and carrying the exchange differences through to your reports.
Can Kontala track stock?
Yes. Products and services can be marked as tracked inventory, valued on a first-in, first-out basis, and stock moves on its own as you invoice, buy and credit.
What is Tala?
Tala is Kontala's AI assistant and the first page you see when you sign in. You can ask questions about your own books in plain English. Tala's own access is read-only: it can draft an expense, or the approval of one, as a card for you to confirm, and nothing else changes unless you do it yourself.
Can I run more than one company in Kontala?
Yes. One sign-in can belong to more than one organisation, and the account menu includes a switcher to move between them.
Bank accounts and importing data
Does Kontala connect to my bank automatically?
Not yet, but soon. Live bank feeds through Open Banking are coming, and they are not switched on yet. Until they launch, transactions come in by importing statement exports from your online banking, or by entering them by hand. Re-importing overlapping files is safe, because Kontala skips anything it has already imported.
Which bank statement formats can I import?
CSV and OFX exports. Kontala detects the columns for you, shows what it found before anything is saved, and skips duplicate rows.
Can I import my data from Xero, QuickBooks or FreeAgent?
There is no automated migration importer. Moving over means picking a start date, entering your bank opening balances, importing statements from that date, and re-creating any invoices and bills still unpaid. Your old records stay where they are for reference.
Pricing, trial and billing
How much does Kontala cost?
There are three plans: Starter at £0 a month for sole traders getting started, Growth at £19 a month for growing businesses that want the full picture in real time, and Pro at £49 a month for accountancy firms managing several clients.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The trial is currently 30 days with no card required, and one trial is available per account holder. At the end of it you need an active subscription to carry on, and you are not charged automatically unless you have given payment details and chosen to subscribe.
Can I cancel at any time?
Yes. You can cancel whenever you like, and there is no minimum term.
Security and your data
Is my data secure?
Everything between your browser and Kontala travels over HTTPS. Your password itself is never stored, only a one-way hash of it. The access tokens for your HMRC connection are encrypted with AES-256, and the key is held outside the database, so a copy of the database alone is not enough to read them.
Does Kontala support two-factor authentication?
Yes. You can turn on two-step verification from your own profile using any authenticator app. Kontala gives you recovery codes to store somewhere safe, and you can trust a device for 30 days so you are not asked for a code every time. Trusted devices can be revoked whenever you want.
Where is my data stored?
Kontala runs on Google Cloud, in the EU. Files you attach, such as receipts, are held in a private storage bucket and downloaded through time-limited links.
Can I get my data out, or have it deleted?
Yes. You can download document PDFs and CSV exports of your reports yourself at any time, and support can prepare a full copy of your data or delete your account on request.
Accountants, teams and permissions
Can my accountant work in Kontala with me?
Yes. Add them as a user with the Accountant role and they can see your reports, VAT returns and payroll without being able to change anything. If you want them to file on your behalf rather than only review, they need a role that can write, such as Admin.
Can I control what my staff can see?
Yes. Every user sits on a permission level from 0 to 8, and the levels are cumulative. Someone on the lowest working level sees only their own expenses, mileage, salary and payslips, while higher levels add contacts, invoices, bills, banking, reports and settings.
Getting help
How do I get help with Kontala?
The help centre covers every part of the app step by step. If you cannot find an answer there, email support@kontala.com and we reply within one business day.
Sources
VAT thresholds, deadlines and Making Tax Digital rules come from HMRC:
Tax rules and figures change. Kontala formats and files your figures; it does not give tax advice. Check anything with filing consequences against current HMRC guidance or with your accountant.
Last updated: 27 July 2026