https://fableworkshq.com/blog/ Plain-English notes on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax — what is actually required, what it actually costs, and what the software adverts leave out. Every figure checked against GOV.UK and dated. en-GB Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://fableworkshq.com/blog/preparing-for-mtd-april-2028/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/preparing-for-mtd-april-2028/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT If your self-employment and property income is over £20,000, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is mandatory from 6 April 2028 — the final announced wave. The year that decides it, 2026-27, is the one you are in right now. Who is in, how to check, what to get ready, and why £20,000 is the floor. Checked against GOV.UK. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/how-to-sign-up-for-mtd-income-tax/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/how-to-sign-up-for-mtd-income-tax/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT How a sole trader or landlord signs themselves up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: when to do it, the two conditions you must meet, the exact checklist HMRC asks for, and why you can volunteer early. Checked against GOV.UK. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-standard-or-calendar-quarterly-periods/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-standard-or-calendar-quarterly-periods/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT MTD for Income Tax lets you run your quarterly update periods on the tax-year dates (to 5 July, 5 Oct, 5 Jan, 5 Apr) or on calendar month-ends (30 Jun, 30 Sep, 31 Dec, 31 Mar). The deadlines are identical. You choose per source, before your first update, and cannot change it mid-year. Checked against GOV.UK. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/does-mtd-replace-self-assessment/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/does-mtd-replace-self-assessment/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Making Tax Digital does not abolish the Self Assessment tax return — it changes how you file it. Quarterly updates are summaries; a year-end tax return, still due 31 January, is where every source of income is declared and your tax is worked out. Checked against GOV.UK. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-penalties-points-and-payment/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-penalties-points-and-payment/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT How Making Tax Digital penalties work: late submission is points-based with a 4-point threshold and a £200 penalty; late payment is a percentage of the tax owed. Quarterly updates carry no penalty in 2026/27, so the one that can actually bite this year is paying late. Checked against GOV.UK. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-exemptions-digital-exclusion/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-exemptions-digital-exclusion/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Who is genuinely exempt from Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, and how. Qualifying income of £20,000 or less is an automatic permanent exemption; digital exclusion must be applied for. The exact reasons HMRC accepts and rejects — and why exempt still means filing a Self Assessment return. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/preparing-for-mtd-april-2027/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/preparing-for-mtd-april-2027/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT If your self-employment and property income was over £30,000 in 2025-26, MTD for Income Tax is mandatory for you from 6 April 2027 — and that return already fixed it. What qualifying income means, how to check now, what to get ready, and why this wave gets no penalty-free first year. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-digital-records-spreadsheet-bridging-software/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-digital-records-spreadsheet-bridging-software/ Sun, 09 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT What a digital record for Making Tax Digital actually is, why a spreadsheet plus bridging software is fully compliant, what you still keep on paper, the digital-link rule that catches spreadsheet users out, and why free and low-cost software exists for simple tax affairs. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-for-landlords/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-for-landlords/ Sun, 09 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT What MTD for Income Tax actually changes for landlords: all your properties are one business with one set of quarterly updates, the jointly let easement that lets you defer expenses to year end, and why Section 24 finance costs still get separate treatment at the final declaration. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-quarterly-updates-for-accountants/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-quarterly-updates-for-accountants/ Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT What Making Tax Digital for Income Tax actually changes for agents: the agent services account you need, how client authorisations carry over from Self Assessment, signing each client up individually, and running four cumulative quarterly updates a year per client. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-deadlines-2026-2027-2028/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/mtd-deadlines-2026-2027-2028/ Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Every MTD for Income Tax deadline for 2026, 2027 and 2028, across all three mandation waves: when you join, which tax return decides your start date, the four quarterly update deadlines, the final declaration, and exactly what a missed one costs in each year. https://fableworkshq.com/blog/first-mtd-deadline-what-we-learned/ https://fableworkshq.com/blog/first-mtd-deadline-what-we-learned/ Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT On 7 August 2026 more than 864,000 sole traders and landlords filed a quarterly update for the first time in history. The penalties everyone was warned about did not exist, the cumulative mechanic surprised almost everyone, and the real cost landed elsewhere.