Making Tax Digital Spreadsheet 2026/27 – MTD Quarterly Update Tracker for Sole Traders & Landlords (UK)

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax means a quarterly update to HMRC every three months. This spreadsheet keeps your records the way HMRC asks for them and adds up each update for you, so all your bridging software has to do is send it. The next update is due 7 November 2026.

How it works

1. Log as you go: date, amount and HMRC category for every payment in and every cost out. That's the record HMRC requires.
2. Each entry lands in its update period automatically (Q1 to Q4), using standard periods (6 April to 5 July…) or calendar periods (1 April to 30 June…).
3. The Quarterly Updates tab adds it up: year-to-date totals for every category, cumulative the way HMRC wants them, linked to your logs.
4. Your bridging software reads the file and sends it. No retyping: HMRC requires a digital link, and linked cells or a file import count.

What's inside

• Self-employment income and expenses using the 14 expense categories from HMRC's full self-employment pages, with a column for any not-allowable part and a receipt check.
• UK property for landlords: rent, premiums and the six property expense categories, with mortgage interest kept separate as HMRC requires.
• Quarterly Updates: totals for all four updates, deadlines (7 Aug, 7 Nov, 7 Feb, 7 May), status (days left, overdue, sent) and a tick when it's done.
• Mileage log at the 2026/27 flat rates: 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles, then 25p (motorcycles 24p), added to your travel costs.
• Use of home flat rate from your monthly hours (£10, £18 or £26), added to the right category.
• Do I need MTD? checker: enter your turnover and rental income and see whether you start in April 2026, April 2027 (over £30,000) or April 2028 (over £20,000).
• Tax estimate and tax pot: Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance at 2026/27 rates, the trading and property allowance checks, and the % of each payment to put aside.
• Deadlines: every 2026/27 date with a live countdown, up to the 31 January 2028 tax return.
• Protected formulas, so you can't break the maths by accident.

Good to know

• A spreadsheet can't send updates by itself. You'll need HMRC-recognised bridging software; some are free. Find one with HMRC's software finder.
• Turnover under £90,000? You can send income and total expenses only. The categories are there if you want the detail.
• HMRC won't give penalty points for late quarterly updates in 2026/27, so it's a good year to get set up.
• This is a record-keeping and estimating tool, not tax advice and not HMRC software itself. The tax estimate uses rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Works with

Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets (free) and Apple Numbers. Instant download. Doing your 2025/26 return first? See the Self Assessment Spreadsheet.