Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
MTD for Income Tax (MTD ITSA) is the biggest change to self-employed tax in a generation. From 6 April 2026, many sole traders and landlords must keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates instead of one annual return. This hub pulls together everything you need — in plain English — plus free calculators to work out your dates and numbers.
The essentials at a glance
6 April 2026
MTD ITSA starts for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000.
£30k → £20k
The threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028.
5 a year
Four quarterly updates plus a Final Declaration replace the single annual return.
7 Aug / Nov / Feb / May
The standard quarterly update deadlines once you're in the system.
Start here — the guides
Making Tax Digital 2026: The Complete Guide
Who's affected, what actually changes, the thresholds, and what you need to do before April 2026. The best place to start if MTD is new to you.
Read the guideMTD ITSA Quarterly Checklist
The four 2026/27 deadlines, a six-step workflow for each update, and exactly what HMRC wants in every submission.
Read the checklistMTD ITSA Penalty Rules in Year 1
The soft landing on quarterly updates, what is still penalised from day one, and how late-payment penalties and interest work.
Read the penalty guideSelf Assessment & MTD Deadlines 2026/27
The full tax-year calendar: filing dates, payment dates, and the new MTD quarterly submission dates in one place.
See the calendarWork out your numbers — free calculators
Am I affected? Deadline Checker
Enter your gross income for the relevant years and get your exact join date, every quarterly deadline, and your Final Declaration date.
Open deadline checkerMTD ITSA Quarterly Forecaster
Project your year-end tax bill from quarterly profit figures, with submission deadlines and payments-on-account dates.
Open forecasterWill I Get Fined? Penalty Calculator
Estimate HMRC's late-submission points, late-payment penalty, and interest under the current regime — including the year-one soft landing.
Open penalty calculatorMTD ITSA questions, answered
What is Making Tax Digital for Income Tax?
Who has to use it, and when?
Is the threshold before or after expenses?
How many submissions will I make each year?
What are the quarterly deadlines?
Will I be penalised in the first year?
Do I need special software?
About this hub. Thresholds, dates and rules are based on HMRC's published MTD for Income Tax timetable for the 2026/27 tax year onwards. It's general information, not formal tax advice, and doesn't replace a conversation with your accountant. Spotted something that looks out of date? Email hello@pocketreceipt.co.uk.
Snap a receipt — the data fills itself in
Point your camera at any receipt and PocketReceipt's AI reads the store, amount, VAT and date, then files it under the right HMRC category — ready for your quarterly MTD update.
- No typing — captured in about 10 seconds
- VAT and totals extracted automatically
- Sorted into HMRC categories for you
MTD starts with your records
Quarterly updates are only as easy as your bookkeeping. PocketReceipt scans receipts, captures VAT, logs mileage and categorises everything by HMRC type — so each quarter is a few taps, not a scramble. Free on iOS and Android.