Making Tax Digital: your first year of quarterly updates
By
Priya Raman
18 September 2026
5 min read
Sole traders and landlords over £50,000 now send quarterly updates to HMRC. The dates, the software and what an update actually contains.
Since 6 April 2026, sole traders and landlords whose income from self-employment and property is over £50,000 keep digital records and send HMRC an update every quarter. From April 2027 the threshold drops to £30,000.
The dates
Quarterly updates are due by 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May. After the tax year you confirm the figures and add any other income in a final declaration, by 31 January as before.
What an update contains
Totals of income and expenses for the quarter, by category, sent from compatible software. An update is not a tax return and does not create a payment; it is a running record that HMRC can see during the year.
How to make it easy
Keep one bank account for the business, upload receipts as they come in and let the software match them. With records kept monthly, each update takes minutes rather than an afternoon.
We send the updates for our clients and tell you in October what your January bill is likely to be.
General information, correct at the date of publication. It is not advice for your situation; talk to us before you act on it.
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