Under MTD, what happens to my tax return and the final declaration?
Short answer
You still send a tax return for each tax year, by 31 January after it ends, but through your MTD compatible software. Many guides and products call this year end step the final declaration. You add any other income, make adjustments and submit.
The year under MTD
- Four quarterly updates, the last due 7 May.
- Any other income: employment, savings, dividends, pensions, a partnership share. These need no digital records, but you report them through your software (GOV.UK).
- Adjustments and allowances.
- The tax return, submitted through the software, and the tax paid, both by 31 January (GOV.UK).
For someone who started on 6 April 2026, that return is due by 31 January 2028.
Final declaration and EOPS
You will meet older terms in guides and software. Final declaration is the name many products use for submitting the year's return. Older guides also mention an End of Period Statement (EOPS) for each business. HMRC's current guide names neither as a separate step: quarterly updates, then the tax return (GOV.UK).
The year before you start
You still send your normal Self Assessment return for the tax year before you join (GOV.UK). If you start on 6 April 2027, your 2026 to 2027 return goes the usual way, by 31 January 2028.
Who presses send
You, or your agent. 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
- What is Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD ITSA)?
- What are MTD quarterly updates, and when are they due?
- What are the penalties for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax?