MTD Quarterly Deadline Generator
Pick your mandation start date and quarter type to see all four Making Tax Digital submission deadlines and your final declaration date, or download them as a calendar file.
How this is calculated
Once you are mandated for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, you send four quarterly updates a year to HMRC, each due one month and two days after the period it covers ends. Each update is cumulative: it reports the tax year to date, not just the preceding three months. By default, periods align to the tax year: 6 April to 5 July, 6 April to 5 October, 6 April to 5 January, and 6 April to 5 April, with deadlines of 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May.
You can elect calendar quarters instead: 1 April to 30 June, 1 April to 30 September, 1 April to 31 December, and 1 April to 31 March. The submission deadlines are identical either way; only the dates each period covers change.
After the four quarterly updates, a final declaration confirms your full-year figures, corrects any provisional totals, and adds non-qualifying income such as employment or dividends. It is due by 31 January following the end of the tax year, the same date as the traditional Self Assessment deadline.
Worked example
Suppose you are mandated from 6 April 2026 and keep the standard quarters that align to the tax year. Your 2026/27 deadlines are below. Note that every period starts on the same date: each update restates the year to date rather than covering only the three months since the last one.
| Update | Period it covers | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter 1 | 6 April 2026 to 5 July 2026 | 7 August 2026 |
| Quarter 2 | 6 April 2026 to 5 October 2026 | 7 November 2026 |
| Quarter 3 | 6 April 2026 to 5 January 2027 | 7 February 2027 |
| Quarter 4 | 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027 | 7 May 2027 |
| Final declaration | The full 2026/27 tax year | 31 January 2028 |
Open this example in the generator to change any figure.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
- Are quarterly updates cumulative or just that quarter's figures?
- Cumulative. Each update reports your income and expenses from the start of the tax year up to the end of that period, so a missing receipt can be corrected in the next update without amending the earlier one.
- Can I switch between standard and calendar quarters mid-year?
- You elect a quarter type through your compatible software; check your software provider's guidance on changing it, since switching mid-year affects which period your next update needs to cover.
- What happens if a deadline falls on a weekend?
- The quarterly deadlines are fixed calendar dates (the 7th of the month), not working-day deadlines, so they do not move for weekends or bank holidays.
- Does the final declaration replace my Self Assessment return?
- Yes. Under Making Tax Digital, the final declaration is how you complete your Self Assessment for that tax year, submitted through compatible software by the same 31 January deadline.
- Does the .ics file include reminders?
- It adds each deadline as an all-day event to your calendar. Set your own reminder time in your calendar app, since default alert behaviour varies by app.
- Do payment dates change under Making Tax Digital?
- No. Quarterly updates are reporting only, not payment. The existing tax payment dates of 31 January and 31 July are unchanged.
- What if I have more than one business or property?
- You send a quarterly update for each business and property source, but all deadlines fall on the same dates.