On the HMRC website it states Easy MTD VAT is free yet I must pay to submit a VAT return

Easy MTD is listed as "free" on the HMRC Find Software web page because the first VAT return can be submitted for free. The software is also free to use up to the point of submission - you can add/modify businesses, connect with HMRC, view your VAT data, and view previously submitted VAT returns and their submission receipts without cost. We also do not charge for a software licence.

When you sign up for an Easy MTD account, you are gifted a token that enables the first VAT return to be submitted for free. After that, we charge a small fee per token. The cost of a single token is just £5.99 +VAT which is extremely competitive compared to other MTD bridging solutions. Buying larger quantities of tokens significantly reduces the cost per token.

Charging a small fee for tokens enables us to continue updating Easy MTD and allows us to provide first class support and customer service. These benefits may not be available when using a completely "free" MTD solution - after all, how would the developer be able to finance them without an income? Other MTD solutions that claim to be "free" may be free for a short period but you are then forced to make payment or upgrade to a full accounting solution (both of which are sometimes not made apparent in the marketing of the solution). Some MTD solution providers also use your contact information to upsell products such such as credit cards and bank accounts. Here at Fly Software we do none of that.

We are completely transparent about our costs and we hope you appreciate the reason why we charge a small fee to submit VAT returns after the first free submission.