MTD Quarterly Deadlines 2026–27
All four quarterly submission deadlines for the first MTD tax year, plus the Final Declaration date. HMRC has confirmed a first-year easement: no penalty points will be issued for missed quarterly updates in 2026–27 — HMRC — penalties for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: “There are no penalties for missing a quarterly update deadline for the 2026 to 2027 tax year.” That easement covers quarterly update deadlines only, so the Final Declaration and the tax you pay sit outside it. Paying late carries its own first-year relief — 30 days from the due date rather than 15, and no penalty for paying 16–30 days late. HMRC gives that 30-day window once per taxpayer, not once per cohort: if you volunteered before you were required to join, that earlier year was already your first year and you now have only 15 days (see the penalty guide).
Cumulative submissions
Each quarterly update includes year-to-date totals, not just that quarter's figures. Errors from earlier quarters are corrected in the next submission — no amendments needed.
Points-based penalties
If you are required to use MTD, each missed deadline earns a penalty point and the threshold is 4 points. While you are volunteering ahead of mandation, missed quarterly update deadlines earn no points at all — only late tax returns do — and the threshold is 2 points, rising to 4 from the 2027 to 2028 tax year if you are later required to use MTD. Reaching your threshold triggers a £200 penalty either way. Points below the threshold expire 24 months after being awarded; resetting to zero at the threshold needs a clean run of on-time submissions — 12 months of them if you are required to use MTD, your next 2 tax returns while volunteering.
2026–27 Submission Schedule
- Q1Quarter 1· 6 April – 5 July 2026Deadline: 7 August 2026
Income and expenses for Q1 (cumulative year-to-date total)
- Q2Quarter 2· 6 July – 5 October 2026Deadline: 7 November 2026
Cumulative income and expenses Q1–Q2 (includes any Q1 corrections)
Any errors from Q1 are corrected here — no separate amendment required.
- Q3Quarter 3· 6 October 2026 – 5 January 2027Deadline: 7 February 2027
Cumulative income and expenses Q1–Q3 (includes any prior corrections)
Any errors from Q1–Q2 are corrected here — no separate amendment required.
- Q4Quarter 4· 6 January – 5 April 2027Deadline: 7 May 2027
Cumulative income and expenses Q1–Q4 (full year totals)
Any errors from Q1–Q3 are corrected here — no separate amendment required.
- Final Declaration· after End of tax year (5 April 2027)Deadline: 31 January 2028
Confirms all income sources, claims reliefs and allowances, and replaces the traditional Self Assessment return.
At a Glance
| Quarter | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Quarter 1 | 7 August 2026 |
| Quarter 2 | 7 November 2026 |
| Quarter 3 | 7 February 2027 |
| Quarter 4 | 7 May 2027 |
| Final Declaration | 31 January 2028 |
You can elect to report using calendar quarters (Apr–Jun, Jul–Sep, Oct–Dec, Jan–Mar) instead of the standard tax quarters shown above — this changes which three months each update covers, but the submission deadlines stay the same four dates as the standard quarters above (7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May), not the 7th of the month immediately after the calendar quarter itself ends.
Source: HMRC — Send quarterly updates for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Always check gov.uk for the current deadlines before relying on this page.
Deadlines are per business, not per landlord: HMRC says you need to send your quarterly updates to HMRC every 3 months for each self-employment and property business you have. A landlord with both a UK property business and a foreign property business therefore sends two quarterly updates on each of the dates above, one for each business — HMRC treats every foreign property, in any country, as one business separate from the UK one. See our foreign property guide.
Not sure if you need to comply?
Use our interactive calculator to check your qualifying income against the MTD thresholds.