What the 7 August deadline was
Under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, you send HMRC four quarterly updates a year using compatible software. The very first one covered 6 April to 5 July 2026 and was due by 7 August 2026. It was a digital summary of business income and expenses for the quarter — not a tax bill.
Who it affected
The first wave was sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. Qualifying income is gross self-employment turnover plus gross rental income, before expenses. If that's you, 7 August 2026 was your first MTD obligation. (VAT-registered businesses file under MTD for VAT on their normal VAT dates — that's a separate system.)
Missed it? Here's what to do
- Confirm your HMRC personal tax account and Self Assessment registration are in place
- Register for MTD for Income Tax if you haven't already
- Get HMRC-recognised compatible software authorised (or a spreadsheet plus bridging software)
- File your overdue quarterly update covering 6 April – 5 July 2026 as soon as your records are ready
The penalty position if you're late
HMRC is not applying late-submission penalty points to quarterly updates in the 2026 to 2027 tax year, so a late first update doesn't trigger a points penalty on its own. That's genuine breathing room — but it doesn't cover late payment of tax, and the longer records go unrecorded the harder your next quarterly update and year-end return become. File as soon as you reasonably can.
What's next: the 7 November 2026 deadline
If you're in the first MTD wave, your second quarterly update — covering 6 April to 5 October 2026 — is due 7 November 2026. The same pattern repeats every tax year: 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May, plus your year-end Self Assessment tax return by 31 January.
Behind on MTD? We can bring you up to date
If you've fallen behind, we can register you and file your quarterly updates — including catching up an overdue one. Call 0114 327 1480 or email shjenquiry@msc-g.com.