Making Tax Digital
for sole traders:
what it actually means.
MTD for Income Tax becomes mandatory in stages from April 2026. Here's who it applies to, when, and what actually changes, without the jargon.
This is general information, not tax advice. Always check your own situation with an accountant or HMRC.
What's actually changing,
and when it hits you.
MTD for Income Tax isn't a single deadline, it's a phased rollout based on how much you earn. Here's what matters.
Who it applies to, and when
MTD for Income Tax applies in stages based on your gross income from self-employment and property, before expenses. From 6 April 2026, it's mandatory if that income was over £50,000 in the 2024/25 tax year. The threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027, and £20,000 from April 2028 — so even if you're under £50k now, it's coming for most sole traders within a couple of years.
What changes: quarterly, not just annual
Right now, most sole traders file one Self Assessment return a year. Under MTD, you'll submit a quarterly update instead — a summary of income and expenses for that period, sent straight from MTD-compliant software. It isn't a tax bill and doesn't trigger a payment itself, but it replaces the old once-a-year scramble with four smaller, more frequent ones.
Digital records, not spreadsheets
HMRC requires records to be kept digitally, in compatible software, from the start of the first tax year you're mandated. A spreadsheet you update by hand generally isn't enough on its own — the point is that your income and expense records flow into the quarterly submission without manual re-entry.
The deadlines that actually matter
For the first mandated year (2026/27): quarterly updates are due 7 August 2026, 7 November 2026, 7 February 2027 and 7 May 2027, with a final declaration by 31 January 2028. Payment deadlines aren't changing — you'll still pay by 31 January (and 31 July if you're in the payments-on-account regime).
Records organised for MTD,
without extra work.
JayJob doesn't file directly to HMRC. What it does is keep your income and expenses organised digitally as you go, so when MTD applies to you, you're not starting from a shoebox of receipts.
Every invoice and expense, tracked as it happens
No end-of-year scramble: your income and expenses are logged the moment a job's paid or a receipt's scanned, not reconstructed from memory in January.
Receipts scanned and categorised automatically
Phone camera, AI scanner, done. Every receipt logged and categorised in seconds, exactly the kind of digital record-keeping MTD requires.
A live view of your tax position
See where you stand against your estimated tax any time, not just once a year, so nothing arrives as a surprise.
Finance reports ready for your accountant
Export a clean PDF or CSV summary whenever you need it, or sync straight through to FreeAgent, Xero or QuickBooks.
Straightforward pricing.
No surprises.
Try everything free for 30 days. No card required to start. £14.99/month or £149.90/year after your trial.