Making Tax Digital · Landlords & Sole Traders

HMRC changed the rules.
Get sorted in an afternoon.

From April 2026, landlords and sole traders earning over £50,000 must keep digital records and update HMRC four times a year. MTD Sorted is the plain-English kit — guide, done-for-you tracker spreadsheet and deadline checklist — that takes you from "do I even need to do this?" to fully set up.

until the first quarterly deadline — 7 August 2026

Get the kit — £19 Not sure it applies to you?
Not a new tax — your payment dates don't change A spreadsheet counts as digital records Zero penalty points for late quarterly updates in year one

Are you actually caught by this?

Five questions settle it. The one that surprises everyone: the test is your turnover, not your profit — a landlord with £52,000 of rent and £40,000 of costs is in.

  1. Do you file a Self Assessment return as an individual? No → you're out. Stop here.
  2. Rental or self-employment income? Wages, pensions, dividends and savings interest don't count.
  3. Add up your GROSS income — before a single expense comes off. Rent and self-employment turnover are added together. Jointly owned property? Only your share — this alone takes most couples out entirely.
  4. Compare against the thresholds: over £50,000 → you're in from April 2026. Over £30,000 → April 2027. Over £20,000 → April 2028.
  5. Check the exemptions — foster carers, no NI number, power-of-attorney cases, and the genuinely digitally excluded can apply out.

60-second answer, free

The whole test as a one-page flowchart. Print it, share it with your landlord WhatsApp group, stick it to the fridge. No email address required — it's just a PDF.

Download the free flowchart PDF, one page. If it tells you you're out — brilliant, you just saved £19.

Everything you need. Nothing you don't.

One pathway, in order, with dates. Not a 200-page reference manual — a triage sheet written by someone who found this as confusing as you do.

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The Guide

The whole journey in plain English: am I in, when, how to sign up, what to do each quarter, and exactly how filing works with the tracker.

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The Tracker

Done-for-you Excel spreadsheet. Type in income and expenses; it produces the quarterly totals your filing software needs — with built-in error checks so a typo can't silently wreck your numbers.

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Deadline Checklist

Every date for 2026/27 on a single page. Stick it somewhere you'll see it.

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"Am I in?" Flowchart

The five questions as a printable decision tree — the same one you can download free above.

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Free updates to April 2027

When HMRC moves the goalposts, you get the updated files emailed. The rules will move. You're covered.

Pick your edition

Same plain-English approach, tailored to how your income actually works. Instant download, £19, done.

For property income

MTD Sorted for Landlords

Rental income from UK or overseas property — including the joint-ownership rules that change most couples' answer.

£19one-off · instant download
  • Landlord guide (PDF)
  • Property income & expense tracker (Excel)
  • Joint-ownership / couples worked example
  • Deadline checklist + flowchart
  • Free updates through April 2027
Buy the Landlord kit

Secure checkout via Payhip · 14-day refund, no interrogation

For self-employment

MTD Sorted for Sole Traders

Self-employment income — tracker categories match your SA103 form, with a mileage tab that does the 45p/25p sums for you.

£19one-off · instant download
  • Sole trader guide (PDF)
  • SA103-matched income & expense tracker (Excel)
  • Mileage tab (45p/25p threshold, automatic)
  • Deadline checklist + flowchart
  • Free updates through April 2027
Buy the Sole Trader kit

Secure checkout via Payhip · 14-day refund, no interrogation

It's honestly less scary than it sounds

Year one is a soft landing

Nobody in the first wave gets penalty points for a late quarterly update in 2026/27. HMRC built in a grace year. You have time to do this properly.

Totals, not receipts

Quarterly updates are category totals — four numbers-ish, four times a year. HMRC never sees your receipts.

Your tax bill doesn't change

MTD changes how you report, not what you pay or when you pay it. Same tax, different paperwork.

14-day refund

If the kit isn't useful, email [email protected] within 14 days and you get your £19 back. No forms, no interrogation.

By someone who actually has to do this

"I'm a self-employed musician and IT consultant, and part of a small serviced accommodation business — so I file the same Self Assessment return you do. Tax confuses the hell out of me. This kit started as my own way of making sense of MTD: build a system simple enough that even I couldn't get lost in it. It's the document I wish someone had handed me."

Rob Young · TechDog, South Wales · [email protected]

The legal bit, in plain English: MTD Sorted is general information, not personal tax, financial or legal advice. TechDog is not a regulated accountant or HMRC agent, and this kit is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or recognised by HMRC. The tracker is not filing software — you use it alongside HMRC-recognised software, and the guide shows you exactly how. Tax rules change and depend on your circumstances; always check GOV.UK and speak to a qualified professional before acting. Refunds: instant digital downloads can't be returned, but email [email protected] within 14 days of purchase and you'll be refunded in full. UK consumers: by downloading immediately you consent to waive the 14-day statutory cancellation right for digital content under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — the guarantee above is more generous than the statutory position.