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Making Tax Digital deadline fast approaching

ended 23. July 2026

More than 864,000 sole traders and landlords signed up to Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax have just two weeks left before the deadline to submit their first quarterly update, HM Revenue & Customs announced today. The update covers income and expenses for the first three months of the tax year. The deadline for submitting it to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is 7 August 2026.

More details below. Any thoughts on MTD, as well as how many people might miss the deadline or be unaware of it, send them across ASAP.

The quarterly update is not a tax return. It is a short summary sent directly to HMRC through recognised software and takes minutes to complete.

Some software includes digital support tool HMRC Assist, which gives tailored feedback to help customers spot potential errors before submission. Customers remain responsible for ensuring their return is accurate.

After each update, users can see an estimate of their tax bill, helping them to plan ahead.

Craig Ogilvie, HMRC’s Director of Making Tax Digital, said: "This is a landmark moment for the tax system. Hundreds of thousands of sole traders and landlords are now keeping digital records and will be sending their first quarterly update in the coming weeks.

“For those already using software, this should be straightforward and take minutes. If you haven’t signed up yet, there is still time - visit GOV.UK and search ‘Making Tax Digital for Income Tax’ to get started.”

Making Tax Digital is now a legal requirement and customers in scope should check now that they are signed up, that their software is compatible and submit their update before the deadline.

It will extend to those earning more than £30,000 from April 2027, and to those earning more than £20,000 from April 2028.

The tax return deadline remains 31 January. Quarterly updates do not replace the tax return – customers will still need to submit their return and pay any taxed owed by the 31 January 2027.

1 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Harvey Dhillon
Founder & CEO at Zmartly
More than 864,000 sole traders and landlords have two weeks to send HMRC something most have never sent before. A quarterly update is not a tax return and no bill comes with it. It is a short summary of three months of income and costs. The update is the easy part: the bookkeeping behind it is the real job. Some will scramble before 7 August, but a late update earns no penalty points this first year: the points system, with its £200 fine, starts in April 2027. The people I worry about never signed up at all: the landlord letting a former home, the sole trader whose sales top £50,000 on slim profits. The test is income before expenses, so plenty are caught without knowing it. If your rent and sales together beat £50,000, check GOV.UK today, pick software and put this quarter's figures in. From April 2027 the net widens to incomes over £30,000. The number to watch is not the 864,000 who signed up. It is the unknown number who never did.