Under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, quarterly updates are due by 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May on the standard quarters. If you joined MTD on 6 April 2026, your next update, covering 6 July to 5 October 2026, is due by 7 November 2026.
A quarterly update is not a tax return and it is not a payment. It is a summary of your business income and expenses for the quarter, sent from compatible software. This guide explains exactly what to send, the full-year timetable, and how to make each update a short routine rather than a quarterly scramble.
Key takeaways
- Standard quarterly update deadlines are 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May.
- Each update summarises income and expenses; no tax is paid with it.
- A final declaration by 31 January replaces the Self Assessment return.
- Each self-employment and each property business needs its own update.
- Late updates can attract penalty points under a points-based system.
What a quarterly update is
A quarterly update is a digital submission to HMRC, made from MTD-compatible software, that summarises the income and expenses of one business for a three-month period. The totals come from the digital records you keep through the quarter, grouped into HMRC's standard categories.
HMRC uses the updates to show you an estimate of your tax as the year goes on, but the estimate is not a bill. Your tax is only finalised when you submit the final declaration after the year ends. HMRC's overview is on GOV.UK's using MTD for Income Tax guidance.
Who has to send them
MTD for Income Tax is phased in by qualifying income, meaning gross income from self-employment and property. It applies from 6 April 2026 if your qualifying income for 2024/25 was over £50,000; from 6 April 2027 if your 2025/26 qualifying income was over £30,000; and from 6 April 2028 if your 2026/27 qualifying income was over £20,000. Our guide are you in, and from when walks through the test in detail.
The 2026/27 timetable at a glance
| Submission | Period covered | Deadline | Pays tax? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterly update 1 | 6 April to 5 July 2026 | 7 August 2026 | No |
| Quarterly update 2 | 6 July to 5 October 2026 | 7 November 2026 | No |
| Quarterly update 3 | 6 October 2026 to 5 January 2027 | 7 February 2027 | No |
| Quarterly update 4 | 6 January to 5 April 2027 | 7 May 2027 | No |
| Final declaration | Whole tax year 2026/27 | 31 January 2028 | Balancing payment due the same day |
Some people can choose to use calendar quarters, ending on the last day of June, September, December and March, instead of the standard quarters. The submission deadlines work out the same, but your records must be cut off on different dates. Check how the election works on GOV.UK before relying on it.
What you actually send
Each update contains totals, not individual transactions. For a self-employment that means income and expenses grouped into categories such as cost of goods, travel, premises and so on. For a property business, rental income and property expenses. Very small businesses may be able to send a single total for expenses — check the current rules.
What sits behind those totals is the part that matters. You must keep digital records of each transaction through the quarter, in software or a spreadsheet connected by digital links. HMRC publishes a list of software compatible with MTD for Income Tax.
Step by step: a quarterly routine that works
- Every week or month, record income and expenses as they happen, with receipts captured digitally.
- On the 6th after the quarter ends, check every bank line for the quarter is recorded.
- Within two weeks, review categories and fix anything coded to the wrong heading.
- Separate each business, so rental and trading figures do not mix.
- By the end of the month after the quarter, review the totals and submit, leaving a week of margin.
- Glance at HMRC's estimate and start setting money aside if it is higher than expected.
- After quarter four, make year-end adjustments and submit the final declaration by 31 January.
Worked example (illustrative example)
"Dara", an invented illustrative example, is a self-employed kitchen fitter who also lets one flat. Dara's qualifying income for 2024/25 was over £50,000, so Dara joined MTD on 6 April 2026.
Each quarter Dara sends two updates: one for the fitting business and one for the flat. The first pair, for 6 April to 5 July, went in on 30 July, a week inside the 7 August deadline. For the current quarter, 6 July to 5 October, Dara has blocked out an afternoon in mid-October to review both sets of records, aiming to submit by the end of October rather than on 7 November.
Dara's tax payments do not change: the balancing payment and any payment on account are still due on the usual Self Assessment dates. The quarterly figures simply mean fewer surprises when the final declaration is done. Dara is invented to illustrate the timetable, not a real client.
Common mistakes
- Treating an update as a tax payment. Nothing is paid with it; payment dates are unchanged.
- Sending one update for two businesses. Each self-employment and property business is reported separately.
- Leaving records until the quarter ends. The update is only as good as the records kept during the quarter.
- Assuming mistakes cannot be fixed. Errors can generally be corrected in a later update or at the final declaration.
- Forgetting the final declaration. Four updates are not the end of the year; the declaration by 31 January is.
Getting it handled
Our MTD compliance service starts from £49 per month and covers quarterly updates and the final declaration. If you are budgeting for help, our guide to what an MTD accountant costs explains what to compare. Company directors should also read MTD software for limited companies, because MTD for Income Tax reaches directors through personal income rather than through the company.
Next deadline 7 November? Talk to us or see our pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are MTD for Income Tax quarterly updates due?
On the standard quarters, updates are due by 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May, each covering the three months ending on the 5th of the previous month. For someone who joined on 6 April 2026, the next update, covering 6 July to 5 October 2026, is due by 7 November 2026.
Do I pay tax with each quarterly update?
No. A quarterly update is a summary of income and expenses, not a tax return and not a payment. Your payment dates stay the same as under Self Assessment, with the balancing payment due by 31 January and any payments on account on 31 January and 31 July.
Do I still file a tax return under MTD?
You submit a final declaration instead, by 31 January after the end of the tax year. It confirms your total taxable income, including income from outside MTD such as employment or savings, and replaces the old Self Assessment return for people in MTD.
What if I have more than one business?
Each self-employment and each property business needs its own quarterly update. A sole trader who also lets a flat, for example, sends two updates each quarter. They can be sent from the same software, but they are separate submissions.
What happens if a quarterly update is late?
MTD for Income Tax uses a points-based system for late submissions: each late update can earn a point, and a financial penalty applies once you reach the threshold. Points can expire with good compliance. Check the current rules and any first-year easements on GOV.UK.
Related reading
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Schedule a consultation →Written by the Berber Accounts & Tax team, 124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX, United Kingdom.
Last reviewed: 21 September 2026.
This article is general information, not personal tax advice. Speak to a qualified accountant about your own circumstances before acting on it.