What are MTD quarterly updates, and when are they due?
Short answer
A quarterly update is a summary of your income and expenses by category that your software sends to HMRC every three months. Each one covers the tax year so far, from 6 April. The deadlines are 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May.
Update periods and deadlines
| Standard period | Calendar period | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| 6 April to 5 July | 1 April to 30 June | 7 August |
| 6 April to 5 October | 1 April to 30 September | 7 November |
| 6 April to 5 January | 1 April to 31 December | 7 February |
| 6 April to 5 April | 1 April to 31 March | 7 May |
Standard periods are the default. Calendar periods suit accounts that run 1 April to 31 March; you must choose them before your first update and cannot switch for the rest of that tax year (GOV.UK).
What goes in, and what does not
- Totals per income and expense category, for each self-employment and each property business.
- Not individual receipts or invoices; HMRC does not receive them.
- No accounting or tax adjustments are needed before you send.
- A period with no income or expenses still needs an update.
Because each update is cumulative, a mistake in one quarter is put right in the next. After an update you can see an estimate of your tax bill in your software or your HMRC online account.
When can I send?
Any time after the period ends, up to the deadline. You may send up to 10 days before the period ends if you expect no more transactions. You can also send more often, as long as each update starts at 6 April. You may need to resend the fourth update to fix errors, add expenses of a jointly let property or record Rent-a-Room income.
Late updates and penalty points
For the 2026 to 2027 tax year HMRC gives no penalty points for late quarterly updates; late tax returns still get points. After that, each missed update deadline is one point, and 4 points bring a £200 penalty. More on MTD penalties.
Who prepares the update
Your software builds it from your digital records. Octobooks keeps the books of UK sole traders and landlords and sorts every entry into the categories of the self-employment pages (SA103F) and the UK property pages (SA105). Its Making Tax Digital for Income Tax connection is built and runs end to end against HMRC's test service (the sandbox). Octobooks is not on HMRC's list of compatible software yet; we are working towards recognition. Until it is listed, send your updates and your return through a product that is on the list.
More questions
- Which accounting software works for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax?
- What are the penalties for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax?
- Under MTD, what happens to my tax return and the final declaration?