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Since April, registering for Making Tax Digital has been your job. From September, HMRC starts doing it for you.
On 12 August, HMRC confirmed it will begin signing up sole traders and landlords who should already be using MTD for Income Tax but haven't registered themselves. The process will happen in stages over the coming months.
September is a week away.
Being Signed Up Isn't Being Ready
HMRC says more than 570,000 people have now signed up, while more than 436,000 have submitted their first quarterly update.
That gap matters.
Registration is only the first step. When HMRC signs you up, it won't choose your software or build your digital records from 6 April. You'll still need to keep digital records and submit your quarterly updates through compatible software.
HMRC can sign you up.
HMRC can sign you up. It can't make you ready. Choosing HMRC-recognised software like RentalBux now, before your details arrive by letter, means your digital records and quarterly filing are already set up rather than something to figure out under time pressure.
Why You Want to Get There First
Signing up yourself means you stay in control. You can check your details, choose your software and get your records ready in your own time. Sign up for MTD for Income Tax directly on GOV.UK rather than waiting for HMRC to do it for you from September.
It's also worth checking whether you're actually required to use MTD. If your circumstances have changed or you believe you should be exempt, check the exemption criteria on GOV.UK and resolve that before HMRC contacts you.
And if you were already in scope from April but missed the 7 August quarterly update, don't assume HMRC's September registration fixes that. The outstanding update still needs to be submitted.
There are no penalty points for late quarterly updates during the 2026/27 tax year, but the obligation hasn't disappeared.
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Don't Wait for the Letter The first quarterly update covered 6 April to 5 July. If you haven't submitted yours yet, now is the time to get your records together and file it through MTD-compatible software. The next quarterly deadline, covering 6 July to 5 October, falls on 7 November, so there is little time to treat both as one task. |
Do It Before HMRC Does
If HMRC registers you in September, you'll simply be signed up for something you were already required to do.
Why wait?
Get registered. Get your records in order. Submit anything outstanding.
Because being signed up isn't the same as being ready and 7 November isn't going to wait.
