Making Tax Digital: your 7 November update, and the three after it
If you are a sole trader or landlord in Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, your second quarterly update for 2026–27 is due by 7 November 2026, then 7 February and 7 May 2027. It is a summary of income and expenses, not a payment. It does not apply to limited companies.
Last updated 16 Oct 2026 · Joel Lister
Who this is for: sole traders and landlords whose income from self-employment and property, before expenses, was over £50,000 in 2024–25 (they should have started on 6 April 2026), and anyone preparing to join from April 2027 (over £30,000 in 2025–26) or April 2028 (over £20,000 in 2026–27). (GOV.UK)
Who it is not for: limited companies. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is for sole traders and landlords, and dividends you take from your own company do not count towards the threshold (GOV.UK). Nor is it yet for partnerships, whose timeline HMRC has not set.
| Due by | Standard update period (from 6 April 2026) | Calendar update period (from 1 April 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 August 2026 | 6 April to 5 July | 1 April to 30 June |
| 7 November 2026 | 6 April to 5 October | 1 April to 30 September |
| 7 February 2027 | 6 April to 5 January | 1 April to 31 December |
| 7 May 2027 | 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027 | 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 |
| 31 January 2028 | The tax return for 2026–27, sent after all four updates | The same |
Periods and deadlines from GOV.UK: send quarterly updates; the return deadline from GOV.UK: submit your tax return.
Each update covers the year so far
A quarterly update is not three months on its own. Each one runs from the start of the tax year to the end of the period, so the 7 November update covers 6 April to 5 October. It sends HMRC the totals for each category of income and expense from your digital records (GOV.UK). It does not send the receipts or invoices themselves.
If you are late
There are no penalties for missing a quarterly update deadline in the 2026 to 2027 tax year. For the tax years after it, each missed update deadline earns a penalty point, and at four points you get a £200 penalty; a late tax return earns a point too (GOV.UK, GOV.UK). Making Tax Digital does not change how or when you pay tax: payments on account and the 31 January balancing payment stay where they were (GOV.UK).
The week before the 7th
Sending the update is the last step. What takes the time is having the records to send: the bank feed categorised, the receipts in, the rent statements matched. A reminder for the 7th that arrives on the 7th leaves no time to do that, and from 2027 to 2028 a missed 7th is a penalty point.
What Radar does with this
- Life setup asks: “Do you file a Self Assessment tax return?” The online deadline is 31 January. Radar reminds you 60 days ahead.
- Put each 7th on your Radar as a commitment that repeats every three months, with a week’s notice. Radar shows it next to the client work and the home dates landing in the same week, so the update is not the thing that gets squeezed out.
Radar reads the calendars, task lists and CRM you connect, and the dates you give it. It writes back only when you press a button, and it never sends anything by itself.
Limitations
- Radar does not connect to HMRC or to your accounting software, and it does not send updates. It reminds you of the dates you put on it.
- These are the standard and calendar periods HMRC publishes for 2026–27. If your software or HMRC has set something different for you, follow that.
- Penalty rules are HMRC’s, as published on GOV.UK when this page was written.
Also free: Radar Lite, the habit tracker on its own, for you and anyone 13 or over in the family.
Questions
When is the next Making Tax Digital quarterly update due?
By 7 November 2026 for the period 6 April to 5 October 2026 (or 1 April to 30 September on calendar periods). Then 7 February and 7 May 2027. (GOV.UK)
Does Making Tax Digital for Income Tax apply to my limited company?
No. It is for sole traders and landlords. Dividends from your own company do not count towards the threshold. (GOV.UK)
Do I pay tax with a quarterly update?
No. An update is a summary of income and expenses. Making Tax Digital does not change the way you pay tax or the dates payments are due. (GOV.UK)
What happens if an update is late?
In the 2026 to 2027 tax year, nothing: there are no penalties for a missed quarterly update deadline. For the tax years after it, each missed deadline earns a penalty point, and four points bring a £200 penalty. (GOV.UK)
Is the threshold profit or turnover?
Turnover: your total income from self-employment and property before expenses. Employment income, pensions and dividends do not count. (GOV.UK)
More guides
- Company deadlines calculator
- Late payment interest calculator
- UK tax year dates
- Self Assessment tax return
- Self Assessment dates to 31 January 2027
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
- P45 and P60
- How to write an invoice
Sources
- Use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: send quarterly updates, read 26 Sep 2026
- Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, read 16 Oct 2026
- Penalties for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, read 16 Oct 2026
- Work out your qualifying income for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, read 26 Sep 2026
- Use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: submit your tax return, read 26 Sep 2026
Written by Joel Lister · first published 26 Sep 2026 · updated 16 Oct 2026. Radar is made by Neos Technologies Ltd.
How this guide was made: Written with AI assistance from official sources, each linked with the date it was read, and checked by Joel Lister against those sources before it was published.