Each year, the UK’s 4.4 million self-employed workers* must navigate a tax system that is complex, jargon-heavy, and constantly changing. Frequent policy updates make it hard to stay on top of what’s required, and getting support from HMRC can be time-consuming. Rather than offer meaningful support, existing online tools tend to prioritise form completion and box ticking.
As a result, many self-employed workers remain confused and are left unsure of what to do. This uncertainty not only causes stress – it can also result in costly compliance issues. Nearly one in five people are still unaware of the UK governments’ forthcoming Making Tax Digital (MTD) requirements, which will mandate quarterly digital tax submissions and real-time record-keeping from 2026. Those who miss filing deadlines face penalties starting at £100, plus £10 for each additional day after three months.
Untied, the company behind the AUTOTAX project outcome – EarnrAI, has found a way to help self-employed people avoid these pitfalls and navigate the tax system with greater confidence. Drawing on deep experience in tax infrastructure and digital filing, the team set out to create a personal tax platform combining accessible technology with trusted guidance and years of experience in the accountancy profession.
We built EarnrAI to make tax guidance more accessible, so people can make confident decisions about their money.
Kevin Sefton, CEO of Untied
The tool is designed to respond to everyday language and uses structured decision-tree logic to provide clear, relevant guidance on self-assessment questions and tax returns. By designing the system around this approach, the team has reduced the need for complex prompt engineering (which is the process of carefully wording questions to get useful results).
Support from Innovate UK has been instrumental in accelerating the development of the EarnrAI platform. With the funding, the team has been able to start works earlier than planned, has invested in decision-tree modelling, and has explored new approaches to AI reasoning in the tax space.
The project is contributing to modernising the personal tax experience, aligning with HMRC’s digital transformation goals and demonstrating how AI can enhance efficiency and accessibility within the accountancy sector.
This project has been supported by Innovate UK and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Filmed in late summer of 2024. All data and events mentioned are accurate as of that time.
*Source: Statista https://www.statista.com/statistics/318234/united-kingdom-self-employed