MTD for Income Tax starts 6 April 2026.
That is 8 days from today.
If you are a sole trader or landlord earning over £50k, this is not optional. HMRC will expect quarterly digital submissions from software — not a once-a-year tax return.
Most people have not started. Most will not start until they get a penalty notice.
Do not be most people.
The Sunday checklist
1. Check if you actually need to comply
The April 2026 phase is for people with gross income over £50,000 from self-employment or property. If you are under that, you have until April 2027 (if over £30k) or April 2028 (if over £20k).
But "gross" catches people out. If you earned £40k freelancing and £15k from a rental property, that is £55k gross. You are in scope.
CIS subcontractors: HMRC uses your gross payments, not net. £50k of gross CIS payments (before deduction) counts, even if your net income was £38k.
2. Choose your MTD-compatible software
HMRC has a list of recognised software. The main options:
- FreeAgent — good for freelancers with bank feeds already set up
- QuickBooks — familiar to many, full MTD support
- Xero — overkill for most sole traders but works
- Hammock — built specifically for landlords
- Coconut — banking + accounting built for freelancers
Free tools exist too. HMRC's own bridging software list has some low-cost options.
3. Authorise your software to connect to HMRC
This takes 10 minutes and requires your Government Gateway login. Most software has a guided flow. Do it this weekend while you have time — not at 11pm on April 5th.
4. Understand what quarterly updates actually mean
Four times a year, you submit a summary of income and expenses. It is not a full tax return — just totals per category. Most software populates it automatically from your bank feed.
End of year, you do a final declaration (replacing the self-assessment return).
5. Sort your record-keeping
MTD requires digital records — meaning your income and expenses must be stored in software, not a shoebox. Bank feeds handle income automatically. Expenses need receipts and categories.
If you have been keeping paper records or a spreadsheet, this weekend is the time to start migrating.
The mistake that will cost you
The biggest MTD penalty trap is not submitting on time — even if you owe nothing.
Quarterly submissions have deadlines. Missing them generates automatic penalty points. Four points = £200 fine. Points accumulate.
The solution is simple: set a calendar reminder for the 5th of August, November, February, and May. That is your quarterly submission window.
If you want a faster path through this
I put together an MTD Readiness Toolkit specifically for UK sole traders and landlords. It covers:
- Step-by-step compliance checklist
- Software comparison for different business types
- Record-keeping templates ready for digital use
- Common mistakes that trigger penalties (and how to avoid them)
- Quarterly submission calendar with reminder prompts
Price is £14. One-time download. No subscription.
There is also a free MTD readiness checker if you just want to know where you stand.
Eight days is tight but not impossible. The people who sort this today will not be scrambling on April 5th.
Sort it today.
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