Your MTD for Income Tax readiness checklist
Written by Akhtar Rana, FAIA · Last reviewed
Work through these steps to get ready for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Tick them off on screen, or use the button below to print it or save it as a PDF. Prefer to hand the whole thing over? That’s what we’re here for.
Figures are correct at the date of review. Always check GOV.UK for the latest.
1. Work out if (and when) MTD applies to you
- Add up your gross self-employment income (turnover, before expenses).
- Add up your gross property income (rents received, before expenses).
- Combine the two: that’s your “qualifying income”.
- Over £50,000? You join from 6 April 2026. Over £30,000? From April 2027. Over £20,000? From April 2028.
- Check which Self Assessment return HMRC will use to decide (usually your most recent one).
2. Get your records digital
- Move off paper and stand-alone spreadsheets for your income and expenses.
- Choose MTD-compatible software that can file directly with HMRC.
- Keep business and property bookkeeping separate and up to date.
- Connect your business bank account so transactions flow in automatically.
3. Understand what you’ll actually file
- Learn the four quarterly update periods across the tax year.
- Note that each quarterly update is a summary of income and expenses.
- Remember the final declaration replaces your annual Self Assessment return.
- Plan to report other income (employment, dividends) in the final declaration.
4. Plan ahead so there’s no scramble
- Diarise every quarterly deadline and the final declaration date.
- Set aside time each quarter, or hand the filing to your accountant.
- Set money aside for tax through the year, not just in January.
- Check whether payments on account still apply to you.
5. Get it off your plate
- Talk to an accountant about a fixed monthly fee that covers MTD end to end.
- Ask them to confirm your start date and set up your software for you.
Figures reviewed July 2026 and correct at the date of review. Always check GOV.UK for the latest. This checklist is general guidance, not personal advice.
Akhtar Rana, FAIA
Akhtar is the founder of Xpert Tax Accountants and a Fellow of the Association of International Accountants, holding an AIA practising certificate. He works with business owners across Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK.
Verify his membership on the AIA register →
Xpert Tax Accountants is regulated by the AIA. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and do not give investment, pension or insurance advice.
Xpert Tax Accountants is regulated by the Association of International Accountants. We are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and we do not give investment, pension or insurance advice, or arrange financial products. Our content is general information about UK tax, not advice for your circumstances, and no responsibility is accepted to any person acting on the basis of it.
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