Making Tax Digital, made clear for UK landlords
Find out if and when MTD for Income Tax applies to you, including the tricky cases: joint ownership, rent plus self-employment, and exemptions. Then pick software that fits, starting with the free options.
Do I need MTD?
The thresholds are qualifying income over £50,000 (2024-25, from 6 April 2026), £30,000 (2025-26, from 6 April 2027) and £20,000 (2026-27, from 6 April 2028). Qualifying income is your gross rent and self-employment turnover, before expenses.
Which software?
HMRC does not provide its own MTD software, but several recognised products have free plans. We list the free options alongside the paid ones and link every price to its source.
What is due, and when?
Quarterly updates are due by 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May, and your tax return by 31 January. In England, landlord registration rolls out region by region from 15 December 2026.
Popular guides
- MTD for jointly owned property: whose income counts?
- Landlord and self-employed? How MTD adds your income up
- Can I keep using spreadsheets? Bridging software explained
- England’s landlord register: dates by region and the £65 fee
- All guides
Prefer spreadsheets?
Our MTD Landlord Record Keeper is a tested spreadsheet that works out cumulative quarterly figures for your share of each property. It’s a record-keeping aid, not MTD software: you send updates through HMRC-recognised bridging software.
How we work
Every rule and figure on this site links to its source, usually GOV.UK. We research software from vendor pages and HMRC’s software finder. We have not tested products hands-on, and we say so wherever it matters. Some links may become affiliate links in future. If they do, they will be labelled, and that will never change which free options we show. See our affiliate disclosure.