MTD quarterly update: your 7 November 2026 checklist

Oct 16

6 min read

The second Making Tax Digital for Income Tax quarterly update is due by 7 November 2026 for people already within the 2026/27 reporting cycle. The key preparation point is that this update is cumulative: it reports the relevant income and expenses from the beginning of the reporting year, not simply the latest three months.

For sole traders and landlords in Bromley, London and across the UK, now is a useful time to check records, resolve missing information and confirm who will submit. This guide explains the periods, gives a worked example and sets out a manageable preparation routine.

It is written for people already using MTD for Income Tax. If you are uncertain about your own start date or have received an automatic sign-up notice, begin with our guide to HMRC MTD automatic sign-up and confirm your position before assuming a deadline applies.

Which dates does the November update cover?

HMRC's quarterly-update guidance sets out two reporting patterns. For the second 2026/27 update:

Standard update periods: 6 April 2026 to 5 October 2026.
Calendar update periods: 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2026.
Submission deadline for either pattern: 7 November 2026.

Check which option is already selected for each income source in your software. Calendar periods must be selected before the first quarterly update; you cannot switch the periods used for a tax year after sending an update.

A quarterly update contains summary totals, rather than individual receipt images or a completed tax return. Accounting and tax adjustments are not required before sending it. Even if the latest period had no income or expenses, an update is still required.

What does cumulative reporting mean in practice?

Think of the second submission as a fresh year-to-date picture. Your bookkeeping continues from April, and the software uses the relevant records to generate the updated totals. You should not delete the earlier months or add a second copy of transactions already recorded.

HMRC's quarterly-updates overview explains that submissions are sent through MTD software. Use the figures produced by that software, with your checks applied to the underlying records, rather than building an unrelated total in a separate document.

Illustrative example: checking a cumulative total

Imagine a sole trader using standard periods. Their first update showed £18,000 income and £5,000 expenses for 6 April to 5 July. For 6 July to 5 October, their records contain a further £22,000 income and £7,000 expenses.

Before considering corrections, the year-to-date totals are therefore £40,000 income and £12,000 expenses. The second update does not report only the additional £22,000 and £7,000.

While checking receipts, the owner finds an omitted £300 business expense from May. Assume it belongs in the relevant records and category, and has not been recorded elsewhere. After it is added correctly, the cumulative expense total becomes £12,300.

These invented figures illustrate the reporting method, not a tax calculation. They do not establish which expenses are allowable in your circumstances or what tax will ultimately be payable. The useful check is whether the software's year-to-date totals agree with the complete records behind them.

Step 1: agree who is doing each job

Before collecting more paperwork, agree a short responsibility list with your accountant or bookkeeper. Identify who records transactions, who answers queries, who checks the draft totals and who sends the update.

Choose an internal handover date before 7 November. For example, you might aim to deliver missing records during the week beginning 19 October and resolve questions the following week. These are suggested working dates, not additional HMRC deadlines.

If somebody else submits for you, ask what evidence of successful submission they will provide. Avoid assuming that an uploaded receipt, an email saying “records ready” or a completed bookkeeping task means HMRC has received the update.

Step 2: review the records behind the totals

HMRC's digital-record guidance requires records of relevant income and expenses, including the amount, date and category. Supporting material such as invoices and bank statements must still be retained. A bank feed may require extra detail and may not contain every transaction in full.

Try this practical review before handing the records over:

Look for gaps in the bank-feed dates and investigate missing entries.
Check whether manually entered transactions duplicate imported items.
Collect receipts and invoices still sitting in email, paper folders or another app.
Identify transfers between your own accounts so they can be classified correctly.
List unfamiliar receipts and payments instead of guessing what they represent.
Ask about items involving personal use or uncertain business treatment.

Give each unresolved item a short explanation, amount and date. A focused list is easier to answer than a folder of screenshots with no context. Keep a record of the answer so the same question does not return at the next update.

Step 3: check the income sources separately

Under the digital-record rules, separate sole trader businesses need separate records and quarterly updates. UK rental properties generally form one UK property business, including your share of jointly let properties. Foreign property is a separate property business, with its own record requirements.

For example, someone with a consulting business and UK rental income should check both sets of reporting obligations. Do not assume completing the consulting update also completes the property update.

Make a simple tracking list with one line for each relevant business, its reporting period, outstanding questions and submission status. For jointly owned property, agree the ownership share and treatment of expenses with your accountant. Special record-keeping options exist, so avoid copying another landlord's approach without checking that it fits.

Step 4: correct mistakes in the right place

HMRC's MTD questions and answers explains that missing or incorrect digital records should be corrected, with the change then reflected in the next quarterly update. The cumulative approach helps carry those changes forward during the year.

In the example above, the action is to record the missing May expense correctly. It is not to invent a new October expense or overwrite a summary figure without updating the records supporting it.

Keep a short correction note explaining what changed and why. If your accountant maintains the records, send them the evidence and agree who makes the change. Two people trying to fix the same omission can create a duplicate. Corrections after the fourth update have additional steps; ask for guidance at that stage.

Step 5: check the software before submission day

HMRC's software guidance explains that the system must support digital records, quarterly updates and the tax-return process. An existing tax-return product is not automatically sufficient for MTD. Depending on your setup, you may use an integrated product or more than one compatible product.

Open the software now and check that you can reach the relevant business and reporting period. If you work with an accountant, confirm that the intended submission route is ready. Report access or authorisation problems early enough for the provider or adviser to investigate.

Where records pass between products, check the digital-link requirements. Copying a final total into another application is not a substitute for a compliant link between record-keeping and submission software. Ask your provider to explain the transfer your setup uses before changing it.

Does 7 November mean another tax bill?

No. HMRC's explanation of how MTD works confirms that quarterly reporting does not introduce four Income Tax bills or change the normal payment dates. The update is a reporting obligation.

You can see an estimated tax position after sending an update, but treat that figure as provisional. Other income and later adjustments can affect the final result. Use it as a prompt to review your tax reserve with your accountant, rather than assuming it is the amount to pay immediately.

Keep your payment diary alongside the reporting diary. Completing an MTD update should not cause you to overlook an existing Self Assessment liability.

What if the November update is late?

HMRC's current penalty guidance says there are no penalties for missing quarterly-update deadlines for 2026/27. However, digital records and quarterly updates are still required, and the updates must be sent before the tax return can be submitted.

This concession does not remove tax-return or payment obligations. It should give you room to establish a reliable routine, rather than a reason to leave records untouched until the end of the year.

If you are behind, identify what is missing, agree a recovery plan and keep working through the required updates. If the software rejects a submission, retain the error message and contact your provider or accountant. Verify the status after the issue is resolved instead of assuming a second attempt succeeded.

Keep the annual return on your calendar

HMRC's tax-return guidance confirms that an annual return remains part of MTD. For those who began in April 2026, the 2025/26 return is still submitted in the usual way, with the normal online deadline of 31 January 2027. The 2026/27 return is due through compatible software by 31 January 2028.

Before filing the annual return, the year's position must be finalised and other relevant income included. Keep documents about employment, pensions, savings or other income accessible even though they are not simply added to the business quarterly-update totals.

Help with MTD in Bromley, London and across the UK

Mysimplytax's Making Tax Digital service combines Sage accounting software, digital bookkeeping, quarterly HMRC updates and annual Self Assessment support for sole traders and landlords.

If you need help preparing for 7 November, contact Mysimplytax with details of your income sources, current software, selected update periods and any outstanding bookkeeping. That gives us a useful starting point for discussing the support you need.

General UK guidance for the 2026/27 reporting year. Individual obligations depend on your circumstances. Official sources checked on 16 October 2026.