Making Tax Digital checker UK
Put in what you earn from self-employment and property and see whether Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to you, the date it starts and when each quarterly update is due.
HMRC tests 2024/25 against £50,000, 2025/26 against £30,000 and 2026/27 against £20,000.
Gross takings before expenses. Leave at 0 if you have none.
Gross rent before expenses. For a joint property, your share only.
Standard quarters end on the 5th. Calendar quarters end on the last day of the month.
Your dates
£0.00
Scenarios side by side
The four updates in your first MTD year
Dates and limits checked against GOV.UK on 21 October 2026. Sources
Who Making Tax Digital for Income Tax covers
If your gross self-employment turnover and property income together are over a limit, you keep digital records and send HMRC an update every quarter, then a final return. The limit comes down in steps, and it is your Self Assessment return for the earlier tax year that decides which step you are on.
| Income over | Tested on the return for | Starts |
|---|---|---|
| £50,000 | 2024/25 | 6 April 2026 |
| £30,000 | 2025/26 (due 31 January 2027) | 6 April 2027 |
| £20,000 | 2026/27 | 6 April 2028 |
| Standard quarter ends | Calendar quarter ends | Update due by |
|---|---|---|
| 5 July | 30 June | 7 August |
| 5 October | 30 September | 7 November |
| 5 January | 31 December | 7 February |
| 5 April | 31 March | 7 May |
Property income counts gross, before expenses, and for a joint property only your share counts. PAYE pay, dividends, pensions and partnership profit don't count towards the limit.
Dates and limits checked against GOV.UK on 21 October 2026.
Who has to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, and when?
Sole traders and landlords whose qualifying income is over £50,000 for 2024/25 started on 6 April 2026. Over £30,000 for 2025/26 starts on 6 April 2027, and over £20,000 for 2026/27 starts on 6 April 2028. The 2025/26 Self Assessment return, due 31 January 2027, is the one that decides the £30,000 group.
What counts towards the limit?
Gross self-employment turnover and gross property income, added together, before any expenses. A salary taxed through PAYE, dividends, pensions and partnership profit don't count. For property you own jointly, only your share counts.
When are the quarterly updates due?
By 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May. Standard quarters end on 5 July, 5 October, 5 January and 5 April. If you choose calendar quarters they end on 30 June, 30 September, 31 December and 31 March, and the deadlines stay the same.
What do I send in a quarterly update?
Totals of your income and expenses by category for the year so far. Each update is a running total, not just the latest quarter.
Do I need special software?
Quarterly updates have to be sent through software that HMRC recognises. A spreadsheet can hold your records, but only if it's linked to that software, usually through bridging software. GOV.UK lists the products that work; we don't recommend one.
Are SortedDesk spreadsheets Making Tax Digital software?
No. They're records spreadsheets: they keep the amount, date and category of each income and expense tidy, on the UK tax year. They don't connect to HMRC and aren't HMRC-recognised software. This checker is a free guide to the dates, not a way to file.
What records do I have to keep?
For each income and expense: the amount, the date and the category. Keep them for five years after the 31 January deadline for that tax year's return.
Does this tell me what I owe?
No. It only checks the limits and the dates. For the tax itself, use the self-employed tax calculator.
Keep tidy records, whatever software you choose
The quarterly updates are built from your records: the amount, date and category of everything in and out. The SortedDesk spreadsheets keep those in order on the UK tax year, in Excel and Google Sheets. They are records spreadsheets, not HMRC-recognised software, and they don't send anything to HMRC.
An estimate to help you plan, not financial or tax advice. It doesn't file or send anything to HMRC, and it can't know everything about your situation. Check your own position on GOV.UK or with an accountant.
The Making Tax Digital limits and dates are the same across the UK. This checker only tests the limits and gives the dates. It isn't HMRC software and doesn't send anything to HMRC.