29/03/2026
MTD for income tax. What is is and what does it mean for you❓️
MTD for Income Tax essentials for UK sole traders and landlords
MTD for Income Tax applies if someone is a sole trader or landlord registered for Self Assessment, has income from self‑employment and/or property, and their qualifying income exceeds the threshold for the relevant tax year.
The rollout dates (as set out by HM Revenue & Customs) are:
From 6 April 2026 if qualifying income is over £50,000 for the 2024–25 tax year
From 6 April 2027 if qualifying income is over £30,000 for the 2025–26 tax year
From 6 April 2028 if qualifying income is over £20,000 for the 2026–27 tax year
What actually changes in plain English:
People must keep digital records of their self‑employment and property income/expenses, and submit quarterly updates (totals by category) through compatible commercial software.
Quarterly updates are not a full tax return: no accounting/tax adjustments are needed before sending the update, and HMRC receives category totals rather than each individual transaction.
Quarterly deadlines (standard update periods) are 7 Aug, 7 Nov, 7 Feb, 7 May, sent within one month after each update period ends.
Even if there is no income/expense for the period, a quarterly update must still be sent (effectively “nil” reporting).
For those required to start from 6 April 2026, HMRC says it will not apply penalty points for late quarterly updates for the first 12 months / 2026–27 tax year, but penalties still apply for late tax returns and late payment.