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    Tag: MTD-ITSA

    Nearly 3 million taxpayers to join Making Tax Digital – are you ready?

    Posted on by Rebecca Campbell

    HMRC’s latest figures reveal that nearly 3 million individuals with self-employment or property income will be required to comply with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for ITSA) between April 2026 and April 2028.

    At PM+M, we understand that MTD can feel daunting for businesses and landlords alike. With deadlines approaching, now is the time to prepare — and we’re here to make the transition seamless.

    The phased rollout of MTD

    HMRC is introducing MTD gradually, based on income levels:

    • From April 2026 – Anyone with self-employment or property income above £50,000 must keep digital records and submit quarterly updates. This affects around 864,000 taxpayers.
    • From April 2027 – Those with income between £30,000 and £50,000 join the scheme, bringing in an additional 1,077,000 taxpayers.
    • From April 2028 – The final group, with income between £20,000 and £30,000, will be included, adding 975,000 more taxpayers.

    By the end of the rollout, around 2.9 million individuals will be within the scope of MTD ITSA.

    Who will be affected?

    HMRC data shows that large numbers of people will be drawn into MTD as thresholds lower:

    • More than 600,000 self-employed individuals and 260,000 landlords have income between £20,000 and £30,000 – they will join in 2028
    • Around 800,000 self-employed individuals and 182,000 landlords fall within the £30,000 to £50,000 band – they will be required to comply from 2027
    • Over 600,000 self-employed individuals, 118,000 landlords, and 141,000 people with mixed income already earn above £50,000 – meaning they are first in line from 2026

    This illustrates the scale of the change: it’s not just high earners, but also smaller businesses and landlords who will be affected.

    The digital readiness gap

    One of the biggest challenges is that many taxpayers are still unprepared for digital tax reporting:

    • 65% of those in scope currently use an authorised agent (such as an accountant)
    • Among taxpayers without an agent, 83% do not use software to submit returns
    • By contrast, most represented clients already use software – meaning those without professional support are the least prepared

    Why you should act now

    With nearly three million people moving to MTD, waiting until the deadline could put you at risk of non-compliance, unnecessary penalties, or administrative headaches. Transitioning early gives you time to:

    • Get comfortable with digital record-keeping
    • Adopt MTD-compliant software
    • Ensure you’re submitting updates correctly and on time

    How PM+M can help

    We provide tailored solutions to make your MTD journey stress-free:

    • Software setup + training – we’ll recommend and implement the right digital tools for your business
    • Quarterly submissions – we can manage updates directly with HMRC, keeping you compliant
    • Ongoing support – from troubleshooting software to tax planning, our expert team is here year-round

    Whether you’re a sole trader, landlord, or running a small business, we’ll ensure you stay ahead of the curve.

    Join us at our MTD drop-in days

    To help you prepare, we’re hosting two free drop-in days where you can speak directly with one of our MTD specialists about any queries you may have – no appointment needed.

    Thursday 25 September – Blackburn office (New Century House, Greenbank Technology Park, Challenge Way, Blackburn, BB1 5QB)

    Tuesday 30 September – Bury office (First Floor, Sandringham House, Hollins Brook Park, Pilsworth Road, Bury, BL9 8RN)

    Both sessions run from 10am to 4pm. Throughout the day, our team will be on hand to answer your questions on how MTD for ITSA will affect you, what digital records you’ll need to keep, the software options available, and how to make the transition to cloud accounting as smooth as possible.

    These events are open to everyone – whether you’re a sole trader, landlord, or part of a finance team – so feel free to drop in for a brew and a chat.

    Don’t leave MTD until the last minute

    The shift to digital tax reporting is one of the biggest changes in decades. With phased deadlines already set, the sooner you act, the smoother the process will be.

    Contact PM+M’s MTD experts today to discuss how we can help you transition to Making Tax Digital with confidence. Email enquiries@pmm.co.uk for more information.

     

    MTD for ITSA deferred for 2 years

    Posted on by Helen Buchan

    The treasury has confirmed that there will be a delay of 2 years to the timetable for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment. Due to come into effect from April 2024, this deadline has now been pushed to April 2026.

    This is welcome news given the overwhelming calls from tax and accounting bodies that the IT structure simply isn’t ready for implementation yet. However, it does mean it’s another movement of goalposts which makes it difficult for businesses and landlords to plan ahead with any degree of certainty.

    The full adjustments announced to the scope and timing of MTD for ITSA include:

    • The 2-year delay until April 2026 for mandatory MTD ITSA filing
    • Minimum income reporting level increased to £50,000, with those earning more than £30,000 mandated to join the scheme in 2027
    • The situation for landlords and sole traders earning less than £30,000 will be reviewed
    • Partnerships will not be brought into MTD for ITSA as previously planned in 2025
    • Points-based penalty system will be extended to MTD ITSA filers when they join

    The minister wrote, “The government understand businesses and self-employed individuals are currently facing a challenging economic environment, and that the transition for MTD for ITSA represents a significant change for taxpayers, their agents, and for HMRC.”

    They have allowed more time to prepare, “so that all businesses, self-employed individuals, and landlords within the scope of MTD for Income Tax, but particularly those with the smallest incomes, can adapt to the new ways of working.”

    The full statement can be read here.

    However, there has been no confirmation as to whether this is likely to impact the basis period reform for the self employed and partnerships. The timing of this was originally aligned to fit in with the start of MTD for ITSA in April 2024 to get everyone onto a real time, tax year basis of profit reporting.

    We will keep you updated on any further changes and how these may impact you.

    Get in Touch

    If you have any questions in relation to MTD for ITSA, please get in touch with your usual PM+M adviser or email enquiries@pmm.co.uk.

    Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment

    Posted on by Helen Buchan

    Making tax digital for income tax Self-Assessment (MTD-ITSA) will become compulsory from April 2024 and whilst this may seem quite some time away, considering the changes and making adjustments to the way you record your income and expense information now could make your life much easier in the long run.

    What is MTD-ITSA?

    Essentially, it’s a fundamental change to the way personal tax information must be reported to HMRC.

    It will require digital record keeping and digital submissions of income and expense information on a quarterly basis, followed by an annual statement. As mentioned, it is due to become compulsory in April 2024 for taxpayers with gross income of £10,000 or more from self-employment and/or property rental with the following exceptions:

    • Trusts, estates, trustees of registered pension schemes and non-resident companies
    • General partnerships that earn more than £10,000 per year and have only individuals as partners (April 2025) and all other partnerships at a future date to be confirmed

    Businesses exempt from MTD for VAT will also be exempt from MTD for ITSA and there will be digital exclusions available for some individuals.

    Record keeping

    The digital record keeping requirement will mean taxpayers will have to use an accounting-MTD software package to prepare the quarterly returns and end of period statement.

    Reporting

    For each trading or property business, a quarterly report of income and expenses will need to be submitted. The first of these quarterly updates will be due for filing by 5 August 2024, and will cover either the quarter ended 5 July 2024, or 30 June 2024 (where a calendar quarter election is in place).

    Separate quarterly updates will be required for each trade or category of property business but there is no requirement to make tax or accounting adjustments to the information provided in quarterly updates.

    An end of period statement, EOPS, for each business is required and effectively replaces the tax return for those income sources.

    The EOPS will cover the tax year (regardless of the accounting period of the business) and will be due for filing by the normal self-assessment deadline of 31 January following the relevant tax year. All property businesses must use the tax year as the accounting basis period, but trades can use any accounting period.

    The MTD ITSA regime will incorporate all the reporting required on the current self-assessment tax return into a ‘finalisation’ or ‘crystallisation’ statement. This statement will bring together all the information included in the MTD reports, plus other taxable income, such as investment and employment income, to calculate the tax liability for the tax year. This will be due by 31 January after the end of the tax year.

    In addition to MTD-ITSA there will also be changes to the tax year basis of assessment with transitional rules being introduced in 2023-24 under basis period reform for self-employed individuals and partnerships. If you are affected by basis period reform, this is something we can discuss further and assist you with.

    There are lots of changes coming and it is important that you are equipped with the information needed and well prepared to implement the required changes before they become compulsory. Our dedicated MTD-ITSA team are perfectly positioned to support you and your business, and will be happy to chat through how the changes are going to impact you. Get in touch by emailing enquiries@pmm.co.uk or calling 01254 679131.

    A comment to note that the article does not constitute personalised advice and that advice should be sought before taking any action.