Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: quarterly updates explained
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is being phased in for sole traders and landlords. It replaces a single yearly return with quarterly updates and a final declaration. Check the dates against GOV.UK, because they are set by HMRC and can change.
Last checked October 2026. General information, not tax or accounting advice.
Who it applies to
It applies by qualifying income, which is your gross self-employment and property income before expenses. The thresholds GOV.UK gives are: over £50,000 from April 2026, over £30,000 from April 2027, and over £20,000 from April 2028. Which tax year's income counts depends on the phase, so read the GOV.UK page for your case.
The quarterly deadlines
Under the standard periods, the four quarterly updates for a tax year ending 5 April are due on 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May. There is a final declaration after the end of the tax year. You can choose calendar quarters instead, which end a few days earlier, and your software will tell you the dates.
What you need to do
- Keep digital records of income and expenses.
- Use MTD-compatible software to send each quarterly update. HMRC does not provide the software itself.
- Send the final declaration after the end of the tax year.
Preparing the figures
Before you enter anything in software, it helps to have your income and expenses totalled for each quarter. Our self-assessment helper splits a year of transactions into the standard quarters. It prepares figures only. It does not send anything to HMRC.
Want figures by quarter?
Try the self-assessment helper →