You know the deadlines. Now write down what is actually done.
Does anybody else feel as miserable as me and worried about this MTD?
— OpenRent Community forum, 31 July 2026
Try 6 free self-checks on this page, before anything is priced.
Six free self-checks — finished, on this page
These six are our own quick check, and they are not pages from the workbook. Nothing is sent anywhere, nothing is stored, and there is no email box.
The scoring rule, printed so it still works with the script switched off: if every box above is ticked, this check is clear and the workbook picks up with your records, your software and your run-up. Anything left unticked is your next job. If the top two are unticked, start at the free two-number checker instead. Every item above is answered free on this site.
Every answer on this site is free and stays free. What the free pages cannot do is sit next to you while you work through your own position, one item at a time, and show you in writing what is finished and what is not. That is what the workbook is for, and the six self-checks above are free and working before anything is priced.
The answers to HMRC's rules are all on this site, and you never pay for one. That covers your dates, the threshold check and the free software on HMRC's list.
“Does anybody else feel as miserable as me and worried about this MTD?”
We hear this most. a landlord of thirty years, writing at teatime, OpenRent Community forum, 31 July 2026 — someone in the same position as you.
Your next quarterly update is due 7 February 2027 and covers 6 April 2026 to 5 January 2027; your tax return is due 31 January 2028.
What to do tonight
one sitting, tonight, and every step of it is free
- Work out what your next update has to cover. It is 6 April 2026 to 5 January 2027, due 7 February 2027 — the running total from the start of the tax year, which is the part people miss.
- Pick a recognised tool from HMRC's own list, filtering for the ones that cost £0. Only software on that list can send anything; a spreadsheet on its own cannot.
- Get your figures into one place — a spreadsheet is fine — with a date, an amount and a category against each line. That is all a quarterly update is made of.
None of those three steps costs money. Anyone charging you to do them is selling you something HMRC gives away.
Where these come from, on GOV.UK: quarterly updates and their deadlines · the tax return · who has to use MTD, and when · working out qualifying income · the recognised-software finder · what to do if HMRC signed you up.
The free route, before anyone sells you a subscription
HMRC publishes the official list of software recognised for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, and its own guidance says plainly that “free products are available for those with simple tax affairs”. We drove that finder ourselves on 20 October 2026 and it returns recognised products costing £0 — for sole traders and for landlords, including bridging tools that submit straight from a spreadsheet you already keep. We take no commission from any of them, we rank none of them, and this site carries no affiliate links.
HMRC's official software finder (gov.uk) · how bridging software works · the free two-number check · your own four dates
Signing up for Making Tax Digital is free at GOV.UK. So is the checker on this page, and so is every answer on this site.
Who this is for
A sole trader or landlord who is in Making Tax Digital — or will be in April 2027 or April 2028 — and wants one afternoon that ends with their own answers written down, rather than a browser full of GOV.UK tabs.
It is for you if any of 3 things is still open: no software chosen, no quarterly routine, no dates written down. The workbook has pages for all 3, and you write your answers on them.
Rather see the route drawn first? How it works follows a landlord and a sole trader from the threshold to this checklist, one scene at a time.
What is in the workbook
The checklist is a 15-page printable workbook. It takes an afternoon, in four steps, and you write on it as you go:
- Does it apply to you — where to look on GOV.UK, and boxes for the threshold you found, the date you checked and your first deadline
- Your records now — a short self-check, then how to choose software
- Four questions for your accountant, written out to send, and what to do if you do not have one
- The monthly hour — a record-keeping routine, and what to keep and for how long
- A run-up plan you count back from your start date, a quarterly tracker and an eight-point ready check
It prints no thresholds or dates, on purpose: they have moved before, so you look yours up on GOV.UK and write them in, and the free pages here give you the same answers. PDF, works on any phone, tablet or computer. Instant download — no account, no app, nothing to unzip.
MTD Readiness Checklist — £7.99
One payment. No subscription. No monthly fee.
A 15-page printable workbook that turns “I think I need to do something about MTD” into your own answers, written down.
Get the checklist — £7.99One PDF, on screen the moment you pay. 14-day no-questions guarantee. One payment. No subscription. No monthly fee.
Compare your options
GOV.UK + the free pages here
- Everything official is published free
- Every answer on this site is free and stays free
- The six self-checks, above, free and finished
- A browser full of tabs, and nothing written down at the end
MTD Readiness Checklist
One payment. No subscription. No monthly fee.
- A 15-page printable workbook, in four steps
- Four questions for your accountant, written out
- A run-up plan, a quarterly tracker and an eight-point ready check
- One afternoon, not a weekend of tabs
An accountant
- Personal advice on your actual numbers — the checklist is not that
- Hourly fees are many multiples of £7.99
The three doubts, answered straight
“I don't even know if MTD applies to me.”
Then don't buy this yet. The free checker answers that in about 10 minutes — threshold, which income counts, and your exact start date. The checklist is for when the answer is yes.
“My start date is years away.”
It works for an April 2027 or April 2028 start: you write in your own date and count back from it. The workbook exists precisely because “years away” turns into “this April” — and digital records are far easier to set up before your year starts than to reconstruct mid-year.
“GOV.UK publishes all of this free.”
It does — and so do we. £7.99 buys the assembly, not the information: 15 pages in the right order, the questions written out, and a run-up plan to fill in. If you would rather assemble it yourself from the free pages, they are all here.
What it is not
- Not tax advice, and not a substitute for an accountant.
- Not software, and not a route to file anything — every submission goes through HMRC-recognised software.
- Not a way to sign up. Signing up is free at GOV.UK and we charge nothing for anything HMRC provides free.
- No outcome is promised. It is a workbook, and it is priced like one.
Refunds, plainly
14-day no-questions guarantee. One payment. No subscription. No monthly fee. Not what you needed? Reply to your receipt within 14 days and we refund in full, no questions asked, no reason required and nothing to return (one refund per customer; refunded orders are deactivated). If something here is wrong, tell us and we fix it first.
By completing checkout you agree that your download is made available immediately, which ends the statutory 14-day cancellation right for digital content once the download is released. Our own guarantee above is given voluntarily and is not affected by that, and neither are your rights if a product is faulty or not as described. Sold by Axion Labs — full trader details are in our Terms.
Secure Stripe checkout · Delivered instantly on screen · 14-day no-questions guarantee. One payment. No subscription. No monthly fee. · General information, not tax advice
Axion Labs
The kit exists for the people who'd rather not assemble it themselves at eleven at night — it's a spreadsheet, a walkthrough and a calendar file, it doesn't submit anything to HMRC, and the free route above this stands whether you buy it or not.
General information about UK tax rules, not tax advice. Your own circumstances and HMRC's official guidance govern your position. If you are unsure, speak to an accountant or contact HMRC. Checked against GOV.UK on 20 October 2026.
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