A plain-English guide, Excel quarterly tracker and printable checklist if your qualifying income on the 2025 to 2026 return is more than £30,000. Every fact is linked back to GOV.UK.
Sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 have had to use Making Tax Digital since April 2026. The next threshold is lower, and the late-update concession does not carry over.
If your qualifying income is over £30,000 for the 2025 to 2026 tax year, you will need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax from 6 April 2027. Qualifying income is gross self-employment plus property income, before expenses.
Source: Find out if and when you need to use MTD for Income TaxThere are no penalty points for missing a quarterly update deadline in the 2026 to 2027 tax year. People in the first wave still had to keep digital records and send updates before they could submit a tax return. Penalties still apply for late tax returns and late payments.
Source: Penalties for MTD for Income Tax; HMRC news, 12 August 2026From 6 April 2027, points-based penalties apply when a quarterly deadline is missed. You get one penalty point for each missed quarterly update (and for a missed tax return deadline). At 4 points, a £200 penalty is charged, then £200 each time you miss another submission deadline.
Source: GOV.UK penalties guidance (updated 30 March 2026); HMRC news, 12 August 2026You can only get one penalty point per deadline, even if you have more than one business. Points below the 4-point threshold are removed 24 months after the missed deadline. If you reach 4 points, they are not removed automatically: you need a period of compliance, as set out on the penalties page.
The guide is written in plain English. Each section links to the GOV.UK page it is based on, so you can re-check it.
A step-by-step self-check of qualifying income, using HMRC's approach: gross income, not profit; your share of joint property; what is excluded. It links to HMRC's checker. Only HMRC or a qualified adviser can confirm your position.
A 2027 to 2028 calendar of the four quarterly deadlines, the two Self Assessment returns you still file, payments on account, and your first MTD tax return on 31 January 2029.
Neutral criteria taken from HMRC's guidance, plus a link to HMRC's software finder. The guide does not recommend or rank any product. HMRC says it does not recommend any product.
HMRC's self-employment and property categories, digital links for spreadsheet users, simpler categorisation under £90,000, and how long to keep records.
Joint property, one UK property business, per-property records for foreign lets, residential finance costs, and Rent-a-Room relief. All from HMRC guidance.
A repeatable checklist so each update is routine. The guide also explains who is automatically exempt, who must apply, what HMRC will not accept, and how to apply by phone or letter.
Delivered as a single ZIP: MTD-2027-Readiness-Kit.zip. Instant download after checkout on Gumroad.
Self-check flow, qualifying income, the 2027 to 2028 key dates calendar, Self Assessment compared with MTD, the points-based penalty system, neutral software criteria, digital records, landlord notes, the quarterly routine, end-of-year tax return steps, common mistakes, exemptions and how to apply, a glossary, and a full list of official sources.
Transaction sheets for self-employment, UK property and foreign property, with dropdowns matching HMRC's quarterly update categories. A Quarterly Summary with cumulative and quarter-only totals for standard or calendar update periods. Error checks for missing categories, missing dates and out-of-period entries. A Deadlines sheet with status tracking, instructions, and protected formula cells.
This spreadsheet is not HMRC-recognised software and cannot submit to HMRC. Spreadsheet users need compatible bridging software.A printable checklist covering scope, exemptions, software, sign-up, key dates, the quarterly routine and year end.
Guide, Excel tracker and checklist in one ZIP.
Digital download. Checkout is handled by Gumroad. Price shown is £39.
HMRC says it is your responsibility to check whether you need to use Making Tax Digital, even if you have not received a letter. The kit explains the rules and links to HMRC's checker. It does not tell you that you definitely have to join.
Quarterly updates and the tax return go through HMRC-recognised software. If you keep records in spreadsheets, HMRC says you need compatible bridging software to send updates, and you should confirm with the provider that it can read your spreadsheet.
Read this before you buy. We would rather you know the limits than be surprised later.
This is an educational guide. It does not file, submit or sign up on anyone's behalf. No results or outcomes are guaranteed. If your situation is complex, speak to HMRC or a qualified adviser.
VerifyReady Guides is an independent publisher. This kit is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, HMRC. Information in the kit was checked against GOV.UK as of 28 September 2026. HMRC updates its guidance often. Every section of the guide links to the official page so you can re-check.
The Excel tracker is not HMRC-recognised software and cannot submit to HMRC. It helps you keep and review records using HMRC's categories. To send quarterly updates and your tax return you need compatible software, or bridging software if you stay in spreadsheets.
UK sole traders and landlords registered for Self Assessment whose qualifying income (gross self-employment plus property income, before expenses) on their 2025 to 2026 return is more than £30,000. It is also useful if you are near the threshold and want to understand the rules.
No. It explains HMRC's rules and links to HMRC's official checker, but only HMRC or a qualified adviser can confirm your position. HMRC says it is your responsibility to check, even if you have not received a letter.
No. It helps you keep and review records using HMRC's categories. To submit quarterly updates and your tax return, you need HMRC-recognised compatible software. Spreadsheet users need bridging software, and should confirm with the provider that it can read their spreadsheet.
No. The guide gives neutral selection criteria taken from HMRC's guidance and links to HMRC's official finder. HMRC itself says it does not recommend any product.
Yes. The guide covers how joint property counts towards qualifying income (your share only), the optional simplified record-keeping for joint lets, and the option to add joint-let expenses after the year ends. All of this comes from HMRC guidance.
Everything was checked against GOV.UK on 28 September 2026, and every section links to its official source so you can re-check. Always confirm on GOV.UK before acting.
No. This is a self-help educational product. It does not file, submit or sign up on anyone's behalf.
17-page guide, Excel tracker and checklist. From £39.