IRIS Personal Tax review

IRIS Personal Tax is a tax filing solution that has been tailored to suit users in the UK who have to file tax returns to HMRC. The software service has recently been adapted to make it fully compatible with the Making Tax Digital vision. 

The professional-level service allows you to complete self-assessment tax returns and file everything online, which is useful in these times of coronavirus. Its primary use is aimed at accountancy practices and tax agents who have to deal with client tax affairs on a daily basis. 

IRIS Personal Tax lets you collect data from your clients via a secure online service and works in tandem with data pulled from HMRC, which aims to make for a faster and more efficient filing process. IRIS Personal Tax forms just one part of several other products in the company portfolio.

Competitor products include the likes of FreshBooks, QuickBooks, Sage Business Cloud Accounting, Kashoo, Zoho Books, ABC Self Assessment, Xero and Kashflow to name but a few.

• Want to try IRIS Personal Tax? Check out the website here

Pricing

Unlike many conventional accountancy and tax filing products aimed at the general public, you don't really buy IRIS Personal Tax off-the-shelf as such. If you’re a professional working within the tax and accountancy marketplace you’ll first need to phone IRIS for a chat, to discuss your requirements and they’ll work out a subsequent plan specifically tailored towards your needs. 

Although it can be used by small, medium and large businesses, IRIS has a range of other products that could turn out to be better suited to your requirements. Or, they might be able to advise of additional packages that will work in tandem with IRIS Personal Tax for a more complete solution for your existing clients and potential new customers.

Features

The fact that IRIS Personal Tax has been designed to work hand-in-hand with HMRC tax filing guidelines is perhaps the key strength of this particular service. In fact, you’ll find it listed within the HMRC guidance on self-assessment commercial software suppliers list, alongside numerous others, which effectively tells you that they’ve given it a nod of approval. 

However, as this listing entry also underlines, it’s solely meant for use by agents, rather than individuals, so don't sign up for IRIS Personal Tax thinking it’s a personal solution, despite the product name that perhaps suggests otherwise. 

If you are a tax professional though then it will enable you to complete self-assessment tax returns and P11D forms relatively easily and comprehensively online. Indeed, IRIS Personal Tax can also help you complete and submit other forms including the P9D, P11D (b) and P46 (car) documents, plus there’s a P11D module that comes as part of the package and is included in the pricing. 

IRIS Personal Tax also automatically carries out tax calculations based on data you’ve entered, thus eradicating the need for separate tools or manual calculations.

Performance

Users will be able to expect a sprightly delivery from this online tax filing solution that allows much speedier workflow thanks to a lot of automated features. Complex tax computations and checklists add extra muscle to the way that IRIS Personal Tax ticks, although this will only be of any real value to tax and accountancy professionals who will operate it. 

That said, speedier returns might mean that your accountant can get the job done that little bit faster, which may, or may not result in less time being charged for work completed.

Ease of use

Being a software solution aimed at the professional market means that the work area within IRIS Personal Tax is pretty dry and workmanlike, which isn't really a negative if you’re an accountant who just wants to get the job done. The good thing with IRIS Personal Tax is that it will almost certainly speed up workflow, thanks to its easy integration with HMRC and also the Making Tax Digital campaign. 

Many calculations along the way can be automated too, meaning that you should theoretically spend less time inputting data and more time getting to accurate finalized figures for your client base to approve. IRIS Personal Tax has been engineered so that professionals who have to visit their clients and work in situ can still import and export data remotely.

Support

Due to the fact that IRIS Personal Tax is aimed at professionals in the accountancy field then the support offered comes as part of an overall package. IRIS explains that it offers not only a dedicated and comprehensive support section on its website, but it also has live chat and a dedicated support phone line for customers to interact with should they need additional assistance. 

They offer a free demo option for anyone wanting to investigate the features and functionality, prior to signing up for a subscription to the service.

Final verdict

IRIS Personal Tax forms just one part of a whole raft of products and services from the company, with something to suit small, medium and large businesses. If you’re an accountancy professional or run a business that employs other tax experts then IRIS Personal Tax will prove useful, particularly if you need to deal with multiple clients in the UK. 

With its workmanlike interface, close integration with online filing to HMRC and scalable nature, IRIS Personal Tax looks to be a good bet, particularly for those who wish to be fully Making Tax Digital ready over the coming months and years.

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