MTD Quarterly Updates: Deadlines and What to Submit

MTD quarterly update deadlines are 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May. Each update is a year-to-date summary of property income and expenses by category, sent through HMRC-recognised software. The year-end tax return (final declaration) follows by 31 January. For 2026 to 2027, late quarterly updates do not earn penalty points.

Last updated: 2 November 2026. Applies across the UK.

MTD for Income Tax is a UK-wide HMRC rule. This guide covers the update periods, exact deadlines for the current and next tax year, what goes in an update, and how to send one without stress.

Standard and calendar update periods

Every update covers the tax year so far, not just the latest three months. You choose between two sets of periods.

Calendar periods suit landlords who prefer to work in calendar months. You must choose before sending your first update, and once you have sent one you cannot change for the rest of that tax year.

Deadline dates for 2026 to 2027 and 2027 to 2028

If you joined in April 2026, your next update is due on 7 November 2026, covering 6 April to 5 October 2026. If you join in April 2027, your first update is due 7 August 2027. Not sure which group you are in? See are you in scope?

What goes in a quarterly update

Your software adds up your digital records into totals for each income and expense category, for each property business and self-employment. That is all HMRC receives.

• Totals, not transactions. HMRC does not receive individual receipts or invoices.
• No tax adjustments. You don’t make accounting or tax adjustments before sending. Those come at year end.
• Year to date. Each update runs from the start of the tax year to the end of the period.
• Nil returns still count. If you had no income or expenses in a period, you must still send an update.

The records behind it

Each digital record needs the amount, the date the income was received or the expense incurred, and the category, using the same categories as Self Assessment. If your records are complete and categorised, the update builds itself.

Jointly owned property

For jointly let property you can include income and expenses, or income only. If you leave out expenses, you add them after the year ends by resending your fourth update before submitting your tax return. Any property you own solely needs both income and expenses. See our joint property guide.

How to send a quarterly update

1. Bring records up to date. Record all income and expenses for the period with date, amount and category.
2. Check the property split. Make sure each entry sits against the right property business, and decide how you are treating joint property.
3. Review the totals. Compare category totals with your bank statements and letting agent statements.
4. Send through HMRC-recognised software. You or your accountant submit the summary. If you keep records in a spreadsheet, you need bridging software.
5. Send on time. You can send any time after the period ends up to the deadline, or up to 10 days early if you won’t record further transactions.
6. Fix errors in the next update. Correct your records and the change flows into the next year-to-date update.

After the fourth update: the tax return

The fourth update is due by 7 May after the tax year ends. You may need to resend it to correct records, add joint property expenses or record Rent-a-Room income.

You then check and adjust the figures, add other income such as savings or dividends, claim reliefs and allowances, and submit one tax return through your software. This is the step widely known as the final declaration. The deadline is 31 January after the tax year ends, and you pay any tax due.

Penalties for late updates

At 4 points you get a £200 penalty, and another £200 for each further missed deadline. Only one point applies per deadline, even if you have several businesses. Below the threshold, points expire 24 months after the missed deadline.

Once at the threshold, points only reset after 12 months of on-time submissions plus clearing any outstanding updates and returns from the previous 24 months. Even in 2026 to 2027, you must still send all four updates before filing your return. More in our MTD penalties guide.

If your accountant sends your updates

Agents can sign clients up for MTD and many landlords will leave the quarterly submission to their accountant. The deadlines and penalty points are still yours, so agree a timetable in writing.

A practical routine is to have records complete within a week of each period ending (5 July, 5 October, 5 January and 5 April). That leaves your accountant around four weeks to review totals and send the update before the 7th of the following month.

The cleaner your records, the less time your accountant spends querying them. Income and expenses already split by property and category are far quicker to review than a bank statement export.

Preparing for your first update

If you join on 6 April 2027, your digital records must start on that date (or 1 April 2027 if you choose calendar periods). Set up your property records and your filing route before then, not in the week before 7 August.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating the update as quarterly only. It is cumulative from 6 April (or 1 April).
• Skipping a nil period. An empty quarter still needs an update.
• Mixing properties. Uncategorised or misallocated entries make the year-end return harder.
• Leaving joint expenses out and forgetting them. Diarise resending the fourth update.
• Changing periods mid-year. Once you have sent an update, the choice is fixed for that tax year.

For the wider rules, see our Making Tax Digital for landlords guide. For what ORBIT does and doesn’t do, see MTD-ready software for landlords.

This guide is general information, not tax advice.