MTD start date checker
Does Making Tax Digital apply to you?
Answer three short questions and find out exactly when Making Tax Digital starts for you. We show our working at every turn, and trace every part of the answer back to GOV.UK.
- Every answer traces to GOV.UK
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up, no card
This is not tax advice. We are not tax advisers. Speak to an accountant if you need advice.
Why a calculator, not a chatbot?
An AI assistant can sound confident and still be wrong, and it does not know your full picture. HMRC does not run on guesses either. Your start date comes from fixed thresholds and exact dates, applied the same way every time. This tool follows those rules step by step and shows you the GOV.UK source behind each one, so the same figures always give the same answer.
- 1 Your income
- 2 Other income
- 3 Anything complex
Your income
For the 2024-25 tax year. Enter gross figures.
Enter the gross rent your agent collects, not the amount they pay you after fees. Letting agent fees are a management expense, so they do not reduce your gross rental income for Making Tax Digital.
Total rent received before any letting costs. Enter the full rent at 100% - if you own a property jointly, set your share below. If you own several properties with different shares, enter only your own portion of the total here (for example a flat you own outright at £10,000 plus a house you own 50% at £5,000 of £10,000 = £15,000) and leave your share at 100%.
Enter the percentage you personally own for each property type. We count only your share and flag the result as worth confirming.
Your total turnover before expenses.
Other income
Only property and self-employment count towards Making Tax Digital. This step is entirely optional - there is no need to enter anything if you would rather not. Anything you add appears in your personalised report, so you can see exactly why it does not count.
Recorded for your report. It does not count towards MTD - employment income taxed through PAYE is outside the MTD rules.
Goes in your report for your records, not your MTD total.
Recorded for your report. It does not count towards MTD - dividends, including from your own company, are not qualifying income.
Goes in your report for your records, not your MTD total.
Recorded for your report. It does not count towards MTD - State Pension and private pension income are not qualifying income.
Goes in your report for your records, not your MTD total.
Recorded for your report. It does not count towards MTD - savings interest is not qualifying income.
Goes in your report for your records, not your MTD total.
Recorded for your report. It does not count towards MTD - capital gains are not qualifying income.
Goes in your report for your records, not your MTD total.
Anything more complicated?
Most people can skip this. Open it only if one of these applies to you - it can change the answer, and we will flag anything worth confirming.
Optional. These are the messier real-world cases. Skip any that do not apply to you.
Your UK property
If your UK rental ceased but you still have another qualifying source, the ceased income counts at its actual value - it is not scaled up. Source: GOV.UK
For property you started in 2024-25, you must work out the annualised figure yourself - HMRC does not do this automatically for property. We will show an estimate to confirm. Source: GOV.UK
That is fine. Since 6 April 2025 a former holiday let counts as ordinary property income, so we treat it the same way. Source: GOV.UK
Your overseas property
If your overseas rental ceased but you still have another qualifying source, the ceased income counts at its actual value - it is not scaled up. Source: GOV.UK
For property you started in 2024-25, you must work out the annualised figure yourself - HMRC does not do this automatically for property. We will show an estimate to confirm. Source: GOV.UK
That is fine. Since 6 April 2025 a former holiday let counts as ordinary property income, so we treat it the same way. Source: GOV.UK
Your self-employment
If your self-employment ceased but you still have another qualifying source, the ceased income counts at its actual value - it is not scaled up. Source: GOV.UK
For sole traders who started in 2024-25, HMRC annualises your income automatically for the threshold test. We show an estimate to sanity-check. Source: GOV.UK
About your wider situation
HMRC adjusts for a longer accounting period but publishes no set method for this. This does not change the figure here - discuss it with your accountant or tax adviser. Source: GOV.UK
Your share of partnership profit does not count towards your qualifying income, so it does not affect your start date. You still include it on your tax return, but partnerships are not in Making Tax Digital yet, so you do not keep digital records or send quarterly updates for it. Source: GOV.UK
Then only your UK-source income counts, so we set your overseas rental income aside. This one is worth confirming. Source: GOV.UK
Then you are automatically exempt for now and cannot sign up until you have one. Source: GOV.UK
SA109 is the residence and remittance section of the Self Assessment return - you use it if you are non-UK resident, non-domiciled, or claim the remittance basis. If that is you, HMRC has deferred your start to at least April 2027, even over the threshold. Source: GOV.UK
Qualifying care relief is a tax relief for foster carers, shared-lives carers and similar - it lets you earn a tax-free amount from caring. If you receive it, HMRC has deferred your start to at least April 2027. Source: GOV.UK
Qualifying income so far
Enter your income to begin.
Your result
This result is for information only - it is not tax advice. Always confirm your position with a qualified tax adviser or accountant before acting on it.
We worked this out from your 2024-25 income, on the assumption it stays at about that level. The 2027 and 2028 thresholds are tested against later years' income - if yours changes, your start date could move.
What we counted
MTD counts the gross income (before costs) from property and self-employment. We add those together, then compare the total to the threshold. Hover or tap a band to see the detail.
| Source | Amount | Counted |
|---|
Why this year
What did not count, and why
These are real income, just not the kind MTD measures. We left them out on purpose. Nothing here counts against you.
Save a copy, share with your accountant
A PDF you can keep and hand to your accountant. It lays out your figures, your start date, and the reason behind every line.
Your PDF is ready
Your download should have started. Keep it, or forward it straight to your accountant. If it did not download, use the link below.
Download your PDF directlyYour preparation timeline
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Now - start looking into it
No need to switch systems today. Get familiar with how you will keep digital records and which compatible software suits you.
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Optional - start early
You can choose to sign up voluntarily before your start date. Some people do it for a calmer first year and to get used to quarterly updates before they have to.
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Your start date - Making Tax Digital starts for you
From this date you keep digital records and send HMRC a quarterly update of your income and expenses, through compatible or bridging software.
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A few months later - your first quarterly update
The first update covers 6 April to 5 July and is due by this date. Three more follow through the year, then a Final Declaration the following 31 January.
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Nothing to do today
You do not need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax yet. Carry on filing your Self Assessment as normal.
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Optional - start early
You can choose to sign up voluntarily before you are required to, if you would rather get ahead of it.
Common misunderstandings
No letter from HMRC does not mean you are exempt
Whether or not HMRC writes to you, it is your responsibility to check whether you meet the threshold and sign up. HMRC's failure to contact you is not a defence if you miss your start date.
You or your agent must sign up
Being in scope is not the same as being signed up. HMRC will not sign you up automatically. You or your agent must actively sign you up before your start date.
Your accountant does not exempt you from scope
Whether you are in scope is determined by your income, not by who prepares your return. An accountant or agent can submit MTD updates on your behalf once you are registered, but your income still decides scope.
One year over the threshold and it is sticky
Once your qualifying income exceeds the threshold in a reference year, you are in MTD for Income Tax. You can only leave if your qualifying income is below the relevant threshold for three consecutive tax years.
Spreadsheets are compliant. Copy-paste is not.
HMRC requires a digital link between your records and your submission. Bridging software creates that link from your spreadsheet. Simply typing or pasting figures from a spreadsheet into software is not a digital link and is not compliant.
If your only property income is within the Rent-a-Room limit, or is covered by the £1,000 property allowance, it may not count towards your qualifying income. GOV.UK does not list these as explicit exclusions. Confirm with your accountant or the GOV.UK qualifying-income guidance before acting on it.