Making Tax Digital is coming for landlords
From 6 April 2026, many UK landlords must keep digital records and report to HMRC every quarter — not once a year. Here's what MTD means, whether it applies to you, and how to be ready without the panic.
Plain-English guide · updated August 2026 · not tax advice.
Thresholds per HMRC — check your own position on GOV.UK.
What is Making Tax Digital?
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is a new way HMRC wants landlords and the self-employed to handle tax. Instead of one Self Assessment return a year, you keep your income and expenses as digital records and send HMRC a short update every three months using compatible software, then confirm everything with a final declaration after year-end.
The goal, in HMRC's words, is fewer errors and a more up-to-date picture of what you owe. The reality for a busy landlord: paper and a once-a-year scramble no longer cut it.
It's about your gross income, not your profit.
HMRC looks at your total income before expenses from property plus any self-employment. If that combined figure is over the threshold for the year, you're in scope:
- › Over £50,000 — from 6 April 2026
- › Over £30,000 — from April 2027
- › Over £20,000 — from April 2028
Not sure which side of the line you're on? Check GOV.UK or ask your accountant.
Three things MTD asks of you
Keep digital records
Log rental income and expenses digitally as they happen — not scraps in a drawer sorted out each January.
Report quarterly
Send HMRC a summary update every three months through MTD-compatible software, so your position stays current all year.
Final declaration
After the tax year ends, confirm your figures and finalise your tax — replacing the old once-a-year Self Assessment.
Late or missed quarterly updates can attract HMRC penalties under a points-based system. See GOV.UK for the current detail.
Get MTD-ready without the dread
Monkey Riot keeps your rental records digital and organised per property — the foundation MTD is built on — while showing you the number that actually matters: net profit per door, after the mortgage.
Records kept as you go
Rent and expenses captured per property, all year — so quarter-end isn't a cliff edge.
Keep your spreadsheet
Drop in the file you already use — messy is fine. No re-keying to go digital.
Statements in automatically
Connect Gmail (read-only) and rent statements and invoices flow straight into the right property.
Clean, tidy numbers
Income and costs lined up door by door — the clarity your accountant will thank you for.
More than compliance
While you tidy up for MTD, see which property makes money and which quietly loses it.
Ahead of the deadline
Get your portfolio in order now, so April 2026 is a non-event instead of a fire drill.
Monkey Riot keeps your records digital and MTD-ready. For submitting quarterly updates directly to HMRC, check GOV.UK's list of recognised software and confirm the right setup with your accountant.
MTD questions, answered
Does MTD for Income Tax apply to me as a landlord? +
It applies if your gross income from property and any self-employment, combined and before expenses, is over the threshold for that tax year: over £50,000 from 6 April 2026, over £30,000 from April 2027, and over £20,000 from April 2028. Check your own position on GOV.UK.
What do I actually have to do under MTD? +
Keep your rental income and expenses as digital records, send HMRC a quarterly update using compatible software, and file a final declaration after the tax year ends. That replaces the once-a-year Self Assessment return.
Is Monkey Riot HMRC-recognised MTD software? +
Monkey Riot keeps your rental records digital and MTD-ready and gives you net profit per property. Always check GOV.UK's list of recognised software for what can file your quarterly updates directly to HMRC, and confirm with your accountant.
When does MTD for Income Tax start? +
The first landlords come into MTD for Income Tax from 6 April 2026. The threshold then lowers in April 2027 and again in April 2028, bringing in more landlords each year.
Can I still use spreadsheets under MTD? +
Records must be kept digitally and updates sent through compatible software, so a spreadsheet on its own is no longer enough. Monkey Riot reads your existing spreadsheet as-is so you don't have to start from scratch.
Don't wait for April.
Get MTD-ready now.
Bring your portfolio into one place, keep your records digital, and see which property actually makes you money. Founding members get in first.
Only 50 founding places · free trial at launch · built by active landlords.
This page is general information about Making Tax Digital, not tax, legal or financial advice. Thresholds, dates and rules are set by HMRC and can change — always check GOV.UK and your accountant for your own situation.