MTD quarterly update deadlines are about to become a regular part of life for a lot of sole traders and landlords, and the next one is 7 November. If you’re already in Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, that one covers 6 July to 5 October. If you’re joining in April 2027, these are the dates that will run your year, so let’s get them in your diary now.
The four MTD quarterly update deadlines
Each quarter covers three months of the tax year, and the update is due by the 7th of the month after the quarter ends:
- 6 April to 5 July, update due by 7 August
- 6 July to 5 October, update due by 7 November
- 6 October to 5 January, update due by 7 February
- 6 January to 5 April, update due by 7 May
The same four dates come round every year. You can check them on HMRC’s own Making Tax Digital quarterly updates page.
Top Tip: you can choose calendar quarters instead (ending 30 June, 30 September, 31 December and 31 March), which some people find easier to line up with their bank statements. The deadlines stay the same.
What goes in a quarterly update
A quarterly update is a summary of your income and expenses for the year so far, NOT a full tax return. There’s no tax to pay with it, but the figures do need to come from your digital records.
You still submit a final return at the end of the year, due by 31 January, which is where everything gets finalised.
What happens if you’re late
Late quarterly updates work on a points system. Each missed deadline adds a point, and once you reach four points, HMRC charges a £200 penalty. HMRC has confirmed there won’t be penalty points for late quarterly updates in the 2026/27 tax year, but that soft landing doesn’t cover the end of year return or paying your tax. Full details are in HMRC’s penalties guidance.
Don’t treat the soft landing as permission to leave it though. The habit you build this year is the one you’ll have when penalties DO apply.
Let Excel count down for you
If you like to see your next deadline at a glance, this formula shows how many days are left until a deadline typed into cell B2:
=B2-TODAY()
And this one flags it in plenty of time, so it never sneaks up on you:
=IF(B2-TODAY()<=14,”Due soon”,”OK”)
Pair it with Conditional Formatting and the cell turns red when you’ve got two weeks or less. Simple, but super effective.
How to stop the deadlines sneaking up on you
- Little and often. Ten minutes a week entering income and expenses beats a whole weekend every quarter.
- Diary the 1st, not the 7th. Give yourself a week’s buffer before each deadline.
- Let the spreadsheet do the adding up. If your quarterly totals are calculated for you, the update itself takes minutes.
- Know how you’ll submit. If you’re using Excel, set up your MTD bridging software before your first deadline, not on the day.
Where ACE helps
Every ACE product builds your quarterly figures as you go, so when the 7th comes round the numbers are already there, ready for your bridging software to send. ACE Essentials covers most sole traders and landlords, and ACE Professional adds bank reconciliation if you want the extra reassurance that nothing’s been missed. You can see how it works for a landlord in my ACE Professional walkthrough.
Questions I get asked about quarterly updates
Do I pay tax every quarter now? No. Quarterly updates are just information. Your payment dates don’t change because of them.
What if I spot a mistake after I’ve sent an update? Each Submission is cumulative, so any mistakes can be corrected and submitted with the next return.
Does my accountant send them for me? They can, if they offer that service, but they still need your records kept up to date as you go.
If you’re joining in April 2027, my post on Making Tax Digital April 2027 is the place to start. Or book a FREE Bookkeeping Demo and I’ll show you how ACE gets your quarterly figures ready for you.
