MTD Quarterly Update Deadlines: The Dates Sole Traders Must Not Miss

Once you are mandated into Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, the single annual Self Assessment return is replaced by four quarterly updates per business or property income source, followed by a year-end final declaration. Missing a quarterly deadline now carries its own penalty, separate from the old system's single annual cut-off.

The standard quarterly periods

• Quarter 1: 6 April to 5 July — update due by 7 August.
• Quarter 2: 6 July to 5 October — update due by 7 November.
• Quarter 3: 6 October to 5 January — update due by 7 February.
• Quarter 4: 6 January to 5 April — update due by 7 May.

Each update is due one calendar month after the end of the quarter it covers. Some software also supports calendar-quarter reporting (aligned to standard months) as an alternative, if you elect for it — but the default HMRC quarters follow the pattern above.

What a quarterly update actually contains

A quarterly update is a running total of income and expenses for each business or property source, submitted directly from your compatible software. It is a summary, not a full tax calculation — no tax is due when you submit one, and you can correct an earlier quarter's figures in a later update rather than needing to amend it separately.

The year-end final declaration

After the fourth quarterly update, you submit a final declaration that pulls together all your income sources, reliefs and allowances for the full tax year. This is what actually calculates your tax liability and replaces the old Self Assessment return. Its deadline mirrors the familiar 31 January date.

Penalties for missing quarterly updates

MTD for Income Tax uses a points-based penalty system rather than an automatic fixed fine for every late submission. You accrue a point each time you miss a quarterly deadline, and once you reach the penalty threshold for your submission frequency, a fixed financial penalty applies. Points expire after a period of consistent on-time filing, but repeated lateness compounds quickly.