Free tool, 2026/27
Does Making Tax Digital apply to me, and from when?
Answer a few quick questions about how you earn to find out when Making Tax Digital applies to you and what to have ready. Free, with no sign-up, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
Qualifying income is gross self-employment and property income added together. Employment, dividends and savings income do not count towards it.
Your answer
Answer the questions and your start date appears here. Nothing you type leaves this page.
How it works
What this does, and what it assumes.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to sole traders and landlords in stages, set by qualifying income: your gross self-employment income and your share of gross property income, added together, before expenses.
HMRC tests the threshold against an earlier tax return: the 2024/25 return for April 2026, 2025/26 for April 2027 and 2026/27 for April 2028. The checker uses the figure you enter as a stand-in for that return, so use the income from the year being tested if you know it.
It does not cover partnerships, which have no start date yet, or the exemptions that exist for some people. Limited companies are outside MTD for Income Tax, though a VAT-registered company already uses MTD for VAT.
Rates for 2026/27, last checked against GOV.UK on 30 September 2026. See every rate. Reviewed by Lewis Wright, AAT licensed accountant.
Questions
Asked and answered.
Is qualifying income before or after expenses?
Before. It is your gross income from self-employment and property, which is why plenty of people with modest profits are brought in sooner than they expect.
I have a job as well. Does my salary count?
No. Employment income, dividends and savings do not count towards qualifying income. Only self-employment and property income do.
What do I need to do once it applies?
Keep your records in compatible software, sign up for MTD for Income Tax, send a quarterly update four times a year, and file your final return and pay by 31 January as before.
Making Tax Digital, explainedWant a straight answer for your own figures?
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