Last reviewed: 30 September 2026. Dates apply to standard update periods, which follow the tax year (6 April - 5 April); calendar update periods have the same deadlines (see below). HMRC sets these dates and they may change - always check the latest guidance on GOV.UK.
The 2026/27 quarterly update deadlines
Under MTD for Income Tax you send four quarterly updates a year. Each update is a running total: it covers your income and expenses from the start of the tax year (6 April) to the end of the latest quarter, not just the previous three months. The deadline falls about one month and a few days after the quarter ends.
| Deadline | Quarter | Update covers |
|---|---|---|
| 7 August 2026 | Q1 | 6 Apr - 5 Jul 2026 |
| 7 November 2026 | Q2 | 6 Apr - 5 Oct 2026 |
| 7 February 2027 | Q3 | 6 Apr 2026 - 5 Jan 2027 |
| 7 May 2027 | Q4 | 6 Apr 2026 - 5 Apr 2027 |
In the words of GOV.UK's Send quarterly updates guidance, each time you send a quarterly update “it will cover from the start of the tax year to the end of the update period, not just the previous three months. This means you can correct your records without having to resend previous updates.”
If you use calendar update periods instead (1 April - 31 March, each period ending on the last day of a month), your 2026/27 updates cover 1 April - 30 June 2026, 1 April - 30 September 2026, 1 April - 31 December 2026 and 1 April 2026 - 31 March 2027. The deadlines are the same as in the table above.
The big one
7 August 2026 was the first-ever MTD for Income Tax quarterly deadline for the April-2026 mandation wave. If you're newly mandated, the next deadline in the table above is the one to set up before — every quarterly update is due one month and two days after its standard quarter ends, so they land on the 7th of August, November, February and May.
The final declaration
After the tax year ends, you bring together all your income and confirm it's complete and correct. This final declaration replaces the old annual Self Assessment return.
| Deadline | Task | For tax year |
|---|---|---|
| 31 January 2028 | Final declaration | 2026/27 |
When does it apply to you?
MTD for Income Tax is phased in by income level, based on your qualifying income (combined gross self-employment and property income).
| From | Qualifying income |
|---|---|
| 6 April 2026 | More than £50,000 |
| 6 April 2027 | More than £30,000 |
| 6 April 2028 | More than £20,000 |
New to all this? Start with what MTD for Income Tax is, or read how to submit a quarterly update.
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