MTD-Ready Software for Landlords

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is already live for landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. From 6 April 2027 it reaches landlords over £30,000, and from 6 April 2028 those over £20,000. MTD is a UK-wide HMRC requirement, so this page applies wherever your properties are.

The hard part of MTD is not the quarterly update. It is keeping clean, dated, categorised records for every property all year, so the update is a two-minute job rather than a weekend of sorting bank statements. That is the job ORBIT does.

What MTD asks landlords to do

Under MTD you must keep digital records of property income and expenses. GOV.UK says each record needs the amount, the date and the category, using the same categories as Self Assessment.

You then send a quarterly update every three months. Each update is a year-to-date summary of totals per income and expense category, not a tax return, and HMRC does not receive individual receipts. After the tax year ends you submit one tax return (often called the final declaration) by 31 January.

For the full rules, read our Making Tax Digital for landlords guide, check whether MTD applies to you, and see the quarterly update deadlines.

Why landlords choose ORBIT for MTD record keeping

• Records by property, not by bank account. Income and expenses sit against the property they belong to, so totals per property are always visible.
• HMRC-style categories from the start. Each entry is categorised as you record it, which is what turns a pile of transactions into a quarterly summary.
• Deadline alerts you don’t have to set up. ORBIT reminds you ahead of each quarterly update deadline.
• Tax records next to compliance records. Gas safety, EICR and EPC dates, tenancy events and certificates sit on the same property timeline.
• Accountant-friendly. If an accountant files for you, they work from organised records rather than chasing you for a shoebox.

What ORBIT does and doesn’t do for MTD

We want you to be clear on this before you sign up, because it matters for how you file.

ORBIT does

• Keep MTD-ready digital records of rental income and expenses.
• Categorise income and expenses by property, with the date and amount HMRC expects.
• Send automated alerts before quarterly update deadlines.
• Show MTD readiness across your portfolio on one dashboard.
• Hold compliance, certificate and tenancy records on the same property timeline.

ORBIT does not

• File quarterly updates or your tax return with HMRC. ORBIT is not HMRC-recognised filing software.
• Give tax advice or decide which expenses are allowable.

To file, you (or your accountant) use HMRC-recognised software. HMRC does not supply software itself and publishes a software finder on GOV.UK. ORBIT works alongside whichever route you choose: it keeps the records straight so filing is quick and accurate.

Spreadsheets and reminders vs ORBIT

Plenty of landlords run their portfolio on a spreadsheet and calendar reminders. That can still work under MTD, with bridging software for the filing step. Here is how the two approaches compare on capability.

Neither route files with HMRC on its own. The difference is how much manual work sits between your bank statement and a correct quarterly summary.

Built for how landlords actually work

Single-property landlords

If one property takes you over the threshold, ORBIT gives you a clean digital record without learning accounting software. Record the rent, the agent’s fees, the repairs, and the totals build themselves.

Portfolio landlords

Quarterly summaries cover all your UK property income together, but you still need to know which property is earning and which is costing. ORBIT’s portfolio dashboard and property health scoring show both.

Joint owners

Your share of jointly owned property income counts towards your qualifying income. GOV.UK also allows joint owners to send income only in quarterly updates and add expenses after the year ends. Clear per-property records make either approach easier.

Landlords with an accountant

Your accountant keeps filing. ORBIT means they receive organised, categorised records each quarter instead of a year-end scramble.

Get MTD-ready in four steps

1. Check you are in scope. Add up gross rent and any self-employment turnover for 2025 to 2026. Over £30,000 means MTD from 6 April 2027.
2. Set up your properties in ORBIT. Add each property so income and expenses have somewhere to land.
3. Record as you go. Enter income and expenses with date, amount and category through the year.
4. Choose your filing route. Pick HMRC-recognised software or agree with your accountant how they will file from your records.

Every tool in every membership tier

TLA membership is annual: Landlord £149 a year, Plus £199 a year, Premium £299 a year. ORBIT, AI Document Studio and the RRA Compliance Checker are included in all three. Tiers differ in level of service – see the plans for details. Moving from NRLA Portfolio? Read our NRLA Portfolio alternative comparison.

That means your MTD records, your tenancy documents from AI Document Studio and your Renters’ Rights audit from the RRA Compliance Checker all live in one connected system, for 86,000+ landlords, agents and tenants who rely on TLA.