The MTD Module is where all your tax compliance activity happens. It's connected to HMRC, it knows what you earn, and when a quarterly deadline arrives, it has your submission ready to review. This guide explains how the module is structured and what each part does.
Understanding your MTD obligations before you start
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax requires landlords and sole traders to:
Keep digital records of all income and expenses (RentalBux handles this automatically)
Submit four quarterly updates to HMRC each tax year, summarising income and expenses for each income source
Submit a Final Declaration confirming your overall tax position for the year
MTD thresholds — who needs to comply and when
Income threshold | MTD mandatory from |
|---|---|
Qualifying income over £50,000 per year | April 2026 |
Qualifying income over £30,000 per year | April 2027 |
Qualifying income over £20,000 per year | April 2028 |
Qualifying income means gross rental income plus gross self-employment turnover — before any expenses. Even if your profit is modest, your gross income may exceed the threshold. RentalBux tracks your income throughout the year so you always know where you stand.
The MTD Module
MTD Setup
First, configure your HMRC connection. Two Factor Authentication (2FA) is mandatory. Then, enter your National Insurance Number, authorise via Government Gateway, and confirm your connection is active. This is a one-time setup.
Tax Submission
Where you review and submit your quarterly updates, and Final Declaration. At each quarterly deadline, your submission is pre-populated with your reconciled income and expense figures. You review the summary, make any final adjustments, and click Submit. RentalBux sends the data directly to HMRC and stores your confirmation receipt.
How the MTD Module fits into your quarterly routine
Here's how a typical quarter works once you're set up:
1. Throughout the quarter: record rent invoices, log expenses, reconcile your bank account monthly.
2. In the week before the deadline: go to MTD module, select the quarter, and review the pre-populated figures.
3. Check each income and expense category against your records.
4. If anything looks off, go back to your invoices or bills and correct it.
5. Once you're happy, click Submit to HMRC.
6. Download and save your confirmation receipt.
Quick Tip: RentalBux shows your next MTD deadline on the main dashboard — you'll never have to remember the dates. The quarterly deadlines are typically the 5th of the month following the end of each quarter (August, November, February, May), though your specific dates depend on when your tax year started.
MTD for landlords with both rental income and self-employment
If you have both a UK Property income source and a Sole Trader income source in RentalBux, the MTD Module generates separate quarterly updates for each. You review and submit them both from the same dashboard — one workflow, correctly separated submissions. This is something generic accounting software cannot do automatically, and it's one of the most important reasons landlords with side businesses choose RentalBux.