Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. In plain English.
If you're a sole trader or landlord earning over £50,000, HMRC needs quarterly digital updates from April 2026 — not a once-a-year Self Assessment. Check whether you're in, when, and what you have to do.
Am I in?
Enter your gross (pre-expenses) income for the last full tax year. Combine self-employment and property — HMRC adds them together to decide.
Nothing leaves your browser. This is a quick guide, not tax advice.
Your result appears here.
Pop your gross figures in on the left and hit "Check my status".
The dates that matter
HMRC is phasing MTD ITSA in by income band. Once you're in, you're in — even if your income later drops below the threshold.
Sole traders + landlords with combined gross income over £50,000
Combined gross income between £30,000 and £50,000
Combined gross income between £20,000 and £30,000 (announced)
What actually changes
One return → five submissions
Instead of one Self Assessment, you'll send four quarterly updates plus a Final Declaration for each business or property.
No more spreadsheets alone
Records must be kept in HMRC-recognised software with a digital link end-to-end. TaxChad qualifies.
Multiple income sources = multiple submissions
A sole trade AND a rental property means separate quarterly returns for each, not one combined.
Payment dates stay the same
You still pay your Income Tax by 31 January. Only the reporting rhythm changes.
Penalties are points-based
Miss a quarterly deadline and you accumulate a point. Hit the threshold and it's a £200 fine per further miss.
Chad handles the bookkeeping
Rules-based allocation, receipts by photo, mileage from postcodes — the quarterly numbers are ready by the deadline.
Common questions
Is qualifying income before or after expenses?
Before. HMRC looks at gross turnover for self-employment plus gross rental income for property. Expenses don't come into the threshold test.
I have a PAYE job and a small side hustle. Am I in?
Only self-employment and property income count toward the threshold. Your salary is ignored for this test.
What if I'm below the threshold now but grow later?
You join at the tax year after the year you crossed the threshold. HMRC works this out from your Self Assessment.
Do I still file a Self Assessment?
Not the SA100 in its current form for income covered by MTD ITSA — the Final Declaration replaces it. Other income (dividends, employment) is still reported alongside.
Is TaxChad HMRC-recognised?
TaxChad is built on HMRC's MTD APIs — the same plumbing we already use for VAT. Recognition for ITSA is in progress ahead of the April 2026 mandate.
Get MTD-ready before the rush.
The first quarterly deadline is 7 August 2026. Practices are already booking clients in. Start keeping digital records now — Chad does the heavy lifting.