Are you ready for Making Tax Digital? Do you know if you need to file, and when?
Roughly 428,000 people missed their first HMRC deadline this August. That's out of 864,000 who were required to file. Almost half. HMRC counted it themselves. Every quarterly update and Final Declaration date from 2026 through 2029 sits in your calendar already, so remembering isn't the job anymore.
Source: HMRC, 12 August 2026 press release · last checked 8 Sept 2026Three quick questions. Nothing is sent anywhere. This runs entirely in your browser.
Over £50,000 (2024/25) → in from 6 April 2026. Over £30,000 (2025/26) → from 6 April 2027. Over £20,000 (2026/27) → expected from 6 April 2028, not yet confirmed in law.
Full guide for sole traders →Same thresholds. Rental income and self-employment income are added together to test against them.
Full guide for landlords →Never, regardless of turnover. Ltd companies pay Corporation Tax, and HMRC confirmed in July 2025 it is not proceeding with MTD for Corporation Tax at all.
Why this doesn't apply →No date has been announced for partnerships to join. Not "coming soon". Genuinely unscheduled.
Why this doesn't apply →Same as any sole trader. CIS just changes how tax is deducted at source, not your MTD status.
Full guide for CIS subcontractors →Below the threshold, a trust, a non-resident company, multiple businesses, or foreign income. A few situations that don't fit the usual categories.
Other situations & exclusions →Illustrative example. Not an actual screenshot of Apple, Google, or Outlook Calendar.
Doesn't matter. That's the honest answer. If you file it yourself, you're the only person watching the calendar, full stop. If you use an accountant, someone still has to hand them the numbers before they can act on them, and that person is you too. The deadline doesn't move for either version of the story.
You're carrying every step. Keeping records, submitting on time, four times a year, then the Final Declaration on top. Nobody checks your work before it's due. This is exactly the situation where a calendar with real reminders earns its keep, because there's no second person catching what you missed.
Life happens. Illness, bereavement, a fire, a flood, your software failing the night before. HMRC calls this a reasonable excuse, and it's a real category, not a loophole. Serious illness qualifies. A close family bereavement qualifies. "I forgot" does not, and HMRC says so plainly in its own guidance.
If you can't pay what's owed rather than can't file on time, that's a separate problem with a separate fix. HMRC offers Time to Pay arrangements, spreading what you owe instead of hitting one payment date. It won't stop interest building on the balance, but it keeps you out of the penalty and enforcement track. You have to ask before the debt escalates, not after.
Neither of these replaces filing on time when you can. But knowing they exist changes how a missed date feels. Not a disaster. A problem with a process attached.
Reasonable excuse rules on GOV.UK →15 dated events in total. 12 quarterly update deadlines (four per year, across three tax years) plus 3 Final Declaration deadlines, one for each tax year covered.
Every event carries its own reminder schedule:
File format: a standard .ics (iCalendar) file. The same open format every major calendar app reads. Opens directly in Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook; also works with any other app that supports .ics import.
Delivery: an instant download link straight after checkout. No account, no app to install, no waiting.
By purchasing, you confirm you want immediate access to this digital download and agree to our Terms & Conditions, including waiving your 14-day cancellation right once the file is downloaded. See our Privacy Policy.
Works with the calendar app already on your phone.
Nothing to sign up for, nothing to link to HMRC.
Pay once. No renewal, no recurring charge.
Covers all three MTD phase-in cohorts through 2029.
The short version lives above. If you want the full detail on any specific point, these cover it properly.
Full breakdown of the first mandation phase
Exactly what counts and what doesn't
What's actually changing, and what isn't
What you actually need to file with
Getting ready before your first deadline
What it replaces and what it involves
What penalty relief actually covers
Who can be excused from MTD entirely
MTD Calendar is built and run independently by a UK-based business operations consultant who ends up explaining Making Tax Digital to clients most weeks. This calendar started as the tool built to keep that straight internally, then turned into something worth sharing properly.
Our correction promise: if HMRC materially changes a date this calendar covers, we'll update the file and re-send the corrected version to everyone who's already bought it.
Every date on this site is sourced directly from GOV.UK or HMRC's own guidance. See the source links throughout. Content last checked 8 September 2026.
HMRC's replacement for the annual Self Assessment return. Quarterly digital updates plus a year-end Final Declaration, for sole traders and landlords over the income threshold.
No. Ltd companies are never in scope, at any turnover. HMRC shelved MTD for Corporation Tax in July 2025 with no date set.
Not currently, and there's no confirmed date for partnerships to join.
No. Quarterly updates are running summaries only. Your bill is still calculated and paid on the existing 31 January (and 31 July payments-on-account) timetable.
A penalty point, building toward a £200 fine at 4 points, except quarterly updates specifically during 2026/27, which carry no points under HMRC's soft landing.
No. It's dates and reminders only. You still need HMRC-recognised software to actually send your updates.
You've read this far. That usually means it applies to you. Get every date sorted now, before the next one sneaks up.
Get the calendar for £4.99