There are two sets of dates that matter for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: when you're mandated to join (based on your income), and the deadlines you hit each year once you're in.
MTD for Income Tax is phased in by your qualifying income — gross self-employment plus property income, before expenses.
Once you're in MTD, you send HMRC a cumulative update for each standard quarter. Each update is generally due one month and seven days after the quarter ends:
After the tax year ends you also submit a final declaration to confirm your figures and claim reliefs — the deadline for that remains 31 January, the same as Self Assessment today.
HMRC operates a points-based penalty system for late submissions, so building a simple quarterly habit early is worth it. The figures you submit each quarter are cumulative (year-to-date), which is exactly what a good spreadsheet or software will prepare for you.
Based on official HMRC and gov.uk guidance. General information, not tax advice — confirm your own deadlines with HMRC or an accountant.
The MTD Ready Kit calculates your cumulative quarterly figures automatically and includes a reminder calendar — so each deadline is a five-minute job.
See the MTD Ready Kit — £29 Get the free checklist