When does Making Tax Digital start for you?
MTD for Income Tax is phased in by income. Enter your figures below and get your mandation date and first deadline – free, instant, and nothing is stored. Co-owners get a date each.
- Free to use
- Independent
- Includes free software
- Not affiliated with HMRC
In plain English
- Qualifying income
- – share of rents
- – self-employment
- Threshold band
- First update due
Your start date isn’t decided by income alone
The categories you ticked are deferred to at least April 2027 regardless of qualifying income, so the figures above no longer give you a date. Confirm your position on GOV.UK or with an accountant.
Estimate only, based on the qualifying-income thresholds (over £50k → 2026, over £30k → 2027, over £20k → 2028). Qualifying income is gross rental income plus self-employment turnover, before expenses. Confirm your position on GOV.UK.
Enter your income above to see when MTD starts.
Couldn’t load the threshold data – please refresh the page.
The thresholds
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2026
Over £50k
From 6 Apr 2026 – live
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2027
Over £30k
From 6 Apr 2027
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2028
Over £20k
From 6 Apr 2028
Qualifying income is gross rents (your share) plus self-employment turnover, before expenses. Last verified 29 Jul 2026.
Now find software that fits
Answer a few questions and we’ll show a primary pick, a runner-up and a free alternative – with a shareable link. Works for rental income, self-employment, or both.
Find your MTD software
/ answered
Some people are deferred to at least April 2027 whatever they earn – SA109 filers, trust or estate income, averaging claims, qualifying care income, and visiting performers. Check in the calculator.
Worth knowing for your situation
This result has its own link – copy the address bar to share it, or check your mandation date.
Answer each question to see your primary pick, a runner-up and a free alternative.
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The software, compared
Every HMRC-recognised option that fits landlords and sole traders, with the columns that actually matter.
Independent comparison. These “Visit” links earn us nothing – there are no affiliate relationships in place. How this site is funded.
| Tool | From | Free tier | Joint splits | Features | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero Simple plan HMRC-recognised Visit Xero (opens in a new tab) | £7 / month +VAT | — | Partial |
|
Landlords whose accountant already works in Xero – the most widely used platform in UK practices. |
| QuickBooks Sole Trader plan HMRC-recognised Visit QuickBooks (opens in a new tab) | £10 / month +VAT | — | Partial |
|
Phone-first bookkeeping with strong automation and AI categorisation. |
| FreeAgent Free via NatWest / Mettle HMRC-recognised Visit FreeAgent (opens in a new tab) | £0–£10 / month +VAT | Yes | Built-in |
|
Co-owning couples who bank with NatWest, RBS or Mettle – automatic ownership splitting from one free account. |
| Landlord Studio GO free / Pro HMRC-recognised Visit Landlord Studio (opens in a new tab) | £0–£12 / month +VAT | Yes | Built-in |
|
Self-managing landlords who want property-specific tools and strong iOS/Android apps. |
| RentalBux Free for 1 property HMRC-recognised Visit RentalBux (opens in a new tab) | £0–£4.50 / month +VAT | Yes | Built-in |
|
Co-owning couples who want property and self-employment income handled together in one filing. |
| Hammock Basic plan, 1–3 properties HMRC-recognised Visit Hammock (opens in a new tab) | £8 / month +VAT | — | Built-in |
|
Landlords who want real-time, per-property tracking with an accountant portal – and co-owners who want each owner's share split and filed automatically. |
| ApariPro Whole tax return in one place HMRC-recognised Visit ApariPro (opens in a new tab) | £144 / year | — | Yes |
|
Landlords with messy, multi-source income who want the whole Self Assessment handled in one place – APARI was the first vendor ever to file an MTD Income Tax return to HMRC. |
| Bridging software 123 Sheets / VitalTax – keep your spreadsheet HMRC-recognised Visit Bridging software (opens in a new tab) | £30 / year +VAT | — | Manual |
|
Confident spreadsheet users who want the cheapest compliant route and don't want to learn new software. |
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Xero
Simple plan
£7 / month +VATHMRC-recognised Partial- Bank feeds supported
- Final decl. supported
- Agent supported
- Mobile supported
Landlords whose accountant already works in Xero – the most widely used platform in UK practices.
-
QuickBooks
Sole Trader plan
£10 / month +VATHMRC-recognised Partial- Bank feeds supported
- Final decl. supported
- Agent supported
- Mobile supported
Phone-first bookkeeping with strong automation and AI categorisation.
-
FreeAgent
Free via NatWest / Mettle
£0–£10 / month +VATHMRC-recognised Free tier Built-in- Bank feeds supported
- Final decl. supported
- Agent supported
- Mobile supported
Co-owning couples who bank with NatWest, RBS or Mettle – automatic ownership splitting from one free account.
-
Landlord Studio
GO free / Pro
£0–£12 / month +VATHMRC-recognised Free tier Built-in- Bank feeds supported
- Final decl. supported
- Agent not supported
- Mobile supported
Self-managing landlords who want property-specific tools and strong iOS/Android apps.
-
RentalBux
Free for 1 property
£0–£4.50 / month +VATHMRC-recognised Free tier Built-in- Bank feeds supported
- Final decl. supported
- Agent supported
- Mobile supported
Co-owning couples who want property and self-employment income handled together in one filing.
-
Hammock
Basic plan, 1–3 properties
£8 / month +VATHMRC-recognised Built-in- Bank feeds supported
- Final decl. supported
- Agent supported
- Mobile supported
Landlords who want real-time, per-property tracking with an accountant portal – and co-owners who want each owner's share split and filed automatically.
-
ApariPro
Whole tax return in one place
£144 / yearHMRC-recognised Yes- Bank feeds supported
- Final decl. supported
- Agent supported
- Mobile not supported
Landlords with messy, multi-source income who want the whole Self Assessment handled in one place – APARI was the first vendor ever to file an MTD Income Tax return to HMRC.
-
Bridging software
123 Sheets / VitalTax – keep your spreadsheet
£30 / year +VATHMRC-recognised Manual- Bank feeds not supported
- Final decl. not supported
- Agent supported
- Mobile not supported
Confident spreadsheet users who want the cheapest compliant route and don't want to learn new software.
Every tool listed submits quarterly updates. Prices are “from” figures and exclude VAT unless noted; free tiers and prices change often – always reconfirm on the provider’s site. Joint-split ratings: Built-in / Yes handle co-owners, Partial / Manual need more work. Last verified 29 July 2026.
Jointly owned property changes everything
One jointly owned property doesn’t mean one tax return. Under MTD the property is split into each owner’s share, and each of you becomes a separate taxpayer – with your own digital records, your own four quarterly updates, and your own year-end final declaration. There is no joint submission.
For married couples and civil partners the split defaults to 50/50, unless a Form 17 election reflects genuinely unequal beneficial ownership – and the real ownership has to change first; you can’t pick a split just to save tax. Because the threshold is tested per person, the two of you can be mandated in different years. That’s normal.
One easement helps: jointly-let owners can report income only each quarter and add expenses at the year end. You still have to keep digital records of those expenses as you go.
Two taxpayers · two sets of records · two sets of deadlines
Which tools handle the split properly
Verified to record each owner’s share and let each co-owner file separately from one account.
FreeAgent
Built-inSet ownership splits per property and FreeAgent divides income and expenditure automatically. FreeAgent states joint owners can each manage their own separate MTD submission within a single shared account.
Landlord Studio
Built-inSet up multiple owners on a property and allocate income and expenses by ownership share; Landlord Studio states you can submit separate MTD returns for each owner from a single account, and lists joint ownership among the structures it supports.
RentalBux
Built-inBuilt around co-owning couples: calculates each owner's share automatically across every transaction according to their beneficial interest – equal, or unequal under a Form 17 – and generates a separate submission for each owner.
Hammock
Built-inAllocates rental income and expenses to each owner automatically by ownership percentage, showing figures in full and pro rata per owner, and supports each owner meeting their own MTD obligation. Hammock states joint ownership is handled natively.
ApariPro
YesAPARI's own help centre documents joint properties: a rental property owned by two clients where one (the "Sharer") enters the transactions once and they appear automatically for the other, so each files their own return without duplicate bookkeeping. Documented per-owner percentage splitting isn't spelled out, so confirm the exact split treatment if your shares are unequal.
Free routes, honestly
Plenty of landlords and sole traders won’t need to pay anything. Here are the genuinely free paths, who each one fits, and, just as importantly, who it doesn’t. Recommending these is exactly why the paid picks are worth trusting.
HMRC's software finder
£0 options listed- Good for
- Good for: Finding every HMRC-recognised product with a free version, filtered to your situation. This is the authoritative list and it stays current.
- Skip if
- Skip if: You want a recommendation – HMRC deliberately doesn't rank or endorse products.
Free landlord tiers (Landlord Studio GO, RentalBux)
£0- Good for
- Good for: One to three properties with light bookkeeping; both handle ownership splits.
- Skip if
- Skip if: You want automatic bank feeds – RentalBux's free plan imports statements manually, and Landlord Studio GO charges about £5 per MTD submission.
Free with your bank (FreeAgent)
£0- Good for
- Good for: FreeAgent is free for as long as you hold a NatWest, RBS or Ulster business account, or a free Mettle account with at least one transaction a month. Several other banks bundle MTD tools with business accounts – check HMRC's software finder for the current list.
- Skip if
- Skip if: You don't want to move or open a bank account to get it.
Other free tiers
£0 (with limits)- Good for
- Good for: Several providers offer a free tier for simple affairs, usually capped by transaction volume or turnover. HMRC's software finder lists the ones with a free version.
- Skip if
- Skip if: You have multiple income sources or need accountant collaboration – free tiers rarely cover either. Always confirm the current limits on the provider's own site.
Free tiers and their conditions change frequently. Always confirm current terms on the provider’s own site. Last verified 29 July 2026.
MTD questions people actually ask
When does Making Tax Digital for Income Tax actually start?
It is phased by qualifying income. If your qualifying income is over £50,000 you are mandated from 6 April 2026; over £30,000 from 6 April 2027; and over £20,000 from 6 April 2028. At £20,000 or less there is no confirmed start date yet.
How is the income threshold measured?
Qualifying income is your gross income before expenses, and it combines rental income with any self-employment turnover. HMRC reads it from your latest Self Assessment return. For jointly owned property it is your individual share that counts, not the whole property total.
Which year’s income decides my start date?
HMRC tests the qualifying income on your most recent finalised Self Assessment return. Explicitly: your 2024/25 return decides the 6 April 2026 start, your 2025/26 return the 6 April 2027 start, and your 2026/27 return the 6 April 2028 start. HMRC reads the return as filed, so a late or amended return that pushes your qualifying income over a threshold can bring you into scope after the fact.
We own our property jointly. Do we file one joint return?
No. There is no joint submission. Each co-owner keeps their own digital records and files their own quarterly updates and final declaration for their share, with their own deadlines. Because the threshold applies per person, two co-owners can be mandated in different tax years.
When are the quarterly deadlines?
Standard quarters end on 5 July, 5 October, 5 January and 5 April, with each update due one month and seven days later: 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May. The first-ever quarterly deadline, for the April 2026 cohort, is 7 August 2026.
Is there a penalty grace period in the first year?
For the first year of mandation, late quarterly updates do not attract penalty points. That relief covers the quarterly updates only: you must still file all four, because HMRC will not accept your final declaration until they are in, and the final declaration itself carries the normal late-filing penalties. Interest still runs on any tax paid late. Always confirm the current penalty detail on GOV.UK.
Can I keep using my spreadsheet?
Yes, but only if the spreadsheet is digitally linked to bridging software that submits the figures to HMRC for you. You cannot simply retype numbers into a portal by hand. You still have to keep digital records and maintain the digital link throughout.
What happens if I do nothing?
Once you are mandated it is a legal requirement to keep digital records and send quarterly updates through recognised software; ignoring it risks penalty points and interest. If you are not yet in scope, the cheapest move is to join the list, keep good digital records and choose software before your window.
Still unsure of your date? Run the two-minute calculator.
Almost there – check your inbox
We’ve sent a confirmation link to . It’s from Serhii from MTD Calculator – click the link in it and the 10-minute prep checklist follows straight away.
Nothing after a minute or two? Check your spam folder – first emails from a new sender often land there.
The 10-minute MTD prep checklist
Records to gather, bank-account hygiene, how to document an ownership split, and a software shortlist by situation. One tidy checklist – genuinely useful, no fluff.