Saturday is the deadline, and HMRC says five things people keep getting wrong
What happened
HMRC published a reminder on 2 November 2026 that the second quarterly update under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is due by Saturday 7 November 2026. Making Tax Digital, usually shortened to MTD, changes how some people report income to HMRC. Instead of one annual return and nothing in between, you keep digital records and send a short summary four times a year. Since 6 April 2026 it has been mandatory for sole traders and landlords earning more than £50,000. The update covers income and expenses from self-employment and from property. It must be sent through software that HMRC recognises - which includes bridging software for people who keep their records in a spreadsheet. The thresholds step down over the next two years. From 6 April 2027 it applies to those earning over £30,000, and from 6 April 2028 to those over £20,000. So a lot of people not affected today will be affected soon. HMRC used the announcement to knock down five things people keep getting wrong. First, a quarterly update is not a tax return. It is a short summary of income and expenses. There is no tax calculation in it and no payment is due when you send it. HMRC works out your overall position only when you submit the 2026 to 2027 tax return. Second, you do not need to ring HMRC to confirm it arrived. If you filed your first update in August, you do not need to recheck it. You can see your submission history in your HMRC online account or in your MTD software. Third, you do not need specialist accounting software. Recognised options vary in complexity and some are free. A spreadsheet linked to bridging software is perfectly acceptable. GOV.UK has guidance on choosing. Fourth, if you made a mistake in a previous update, you do not resend it. Correct it in your digital records as soon as you spot it, and the correction flows through in your next quarterly update. Fifth, a Saturday deadline does not mean you must file before the weekend. You can send it any time up to and including 7 November. Craig Ogilvie, HMRC's Director of Making Tax Digital, said: 'Customers can send their update any time before 7 November and I would encourage them to do so as early as possible.'
Why this matters
There are a lot of people in this group. Anyone self-employed or letting property with income over £50,000 is already in it, and the threshold drops to £30,000 next April and £20,000 the April after that. That pulls in a very large number of sole traders, tradespeople, freelancers and small landlords who have never had to do anything four times a year. The reason the myths matter more than the deadline is that most of them cause people to do unnecessary work or unnecessary worrying. The biggest one is thinking a quarterly update is a mini tax return. It is not. Nothing is calculated and nothing is owed. People who believe otherwise either panic about a bill that does not exist, or put it off because they think it needs hours of care that it does not. The second biggest is the software myth. A number of people have assumed MTD means buying an accounting package. It does not. If your records live in a spreadsheet, bridging software will take that spreadsheet and send the figures. Some recognised options are free. Anyone who has paid for something they did not need has been caught by an assumption rather than a rule. And then there is the weekend confusion, which is the kind of small thing that causes real problems. A deadline that lands on a Saturday makes people assume they have lost two days. They have not. But it does mean that if something goes wrong on the day, support is thinner than on a weekday - which is a decent argument for not leaving it to Saturday.
What the evidence actually says
A few points where the detail matters more than the headline. On penalties: HMRC's announcement does not mention any penalty for a late or missed quarterly update. That is a notable absence, and it should not be read either as 'there are none' or as 'there is nothing to worry about'. It means this particular press release does not address it. If you want to know your exposure, the penalty rules are on GOV.UK and are separate from this reminder. On who is in scope: the £50,000 figure refers to qualifying income from self-employment and property, not your total household income or your profit after costs. The distinction catches people out. GOV.UK sets out how the threshold is worked out. On exemptions: some people are exempt, including those who are digitally excluded. That is a real category with its own application process, not an informal get-out. If you genuinely cannot use digital tools - because of disability, age, location or lack of internet access - that route exists and is worth looking into properly rather than assumed. On support on the day itself: there is a specific wrinkle. The Agent Dedicated Line, which accountants use, is unavailable on 7 November. Agents are directed to the Self Assessment helpline on 0300 200 3310 instead, which runs from 9am to 3pm that day. Business-as-usual webchat runs 8am to 4pm. During the week before, the full phone service is available. So the practical reading of HMRC's 'you can file on Saturday' is: you can, legally, and the support available to you if it goes wrong is reduced. Both things are true, and the second is why Craig Ogilvie's advice to do it early is worth taking at face value rather than as pressure.
Practical advice
**Check whether you are actually in scope.** It applies from 6 April 2026 to sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. If you are unsure, check the GOV.UK guidance on how the threshold is calculated before assuming either way. **Do it before Saturday if you can.** The deadline is 7 November, but the Agent Dedicated Line is closed that day and helpline hours are shortened to 9am-3pm. Filing midweek means full support if something breaks. **Do not buy software you do not need.** Some HMRC-recognised options are free, and a spreadsheet plus bridging software is acceptable. Check the GOV.UK list of recognised software first. **Do not resend a previous update to fix an error.** Correct it in your digital records. It will carry through into the next update. **Check your submission history instead of ringing.** Your HMRC online account or your software will show what has been received. That is faster than a phone queue. **Remember no payment is due now.** If you find yourself looking for somewhere to pay, you have misunderstood what the update is. Tax is calculated at the annual return. **If you are digitally excluded, apply for exemption properly.** Do not just not file. There is a defined process on GOV.UK. **Diarise the thresholds now.** Over £30,000 from 6 April 2027, over £20,000 from 6 April 2028. If that will be you, start keeping digital records before you are required to, so the first quarter is not also your first attempt.
What to know
If you are a sole trader or landlord with qualifying income over £50,000, your second Making Tax Digital for Income Tax quarterly update is due by Saturday 7 November 2026. Five things HMRC says people keep getting wrong: a quarterly update is not a tax return and no payment is due with it; you do not need to ring to confirm receipt, just check your account or software; you do not need specialist software, as some recognised options are free and spreadsheets plus bridging software are fine; mistakes are fixed in your records and flow into the next update rather than requiring a resubmission; and a Saturday deadline does not mean filing by Friday. That said, filing before Saturday is sensible. On 7 November the Agent Dedicated Line is closed, the Self Assessment helpline runs only 9am to 3pm, and webchat 8am to 4pm. HMRC's reminder does not mention penalties for a late update. If that matters to you, check the penalty rules on GOV.UK separately rather than assuming there are none. Thresholds drop to over £30,000 from 6 April 2027 and over £20,000 from 6 April 2028, so many people not currently affected will be. Exemptions exist, including for people who are digitally excluded, through a defined process. Sources: GOV.UK (HM Revenue & Customs), 'Five things you need to know ahead of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax quarterly deadline', 2 November 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/five-things-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax-quarterly-deadline; GOV.UK, 'Making Tax Digital for Income Tax', https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax; GOV.UK, 'Find software that works with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax', https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-software-thats-compatible-with-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax This article is general information about a tax deadline and is not tax, accounting or legal advice. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a qualified accountant or tax adviser, or contact HMRC directly.
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