I just submitted my first MTD quarterly update. It took under 10 minutes and, if I'm honest, I don't know what I was stressing about. The whole thing was a file download, an upload, and two clicks. Here's every step, exactly as I did it, so yours takes even less time.
Who needs to submit a quarterly update?
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for ITSA) became mandatory from April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. If that's you, you're required to submit four updates per year and a final declaration at year end, replacing your annual Self Assessment return.
- MTD for Income Tax mandatory from April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with income over £50,000
- £30,000 income threshold follows from April 2027
- £20,000 income threshold follows from April 2028
- Four quarterly updates per year, plus one final declaration at year end
What you need before you start
- An HMRC Government Gateway account signed up for MTD for Income Tax. If you haven't done this step yet, start at gov.uk/register-for-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax.
- Your income and expense records for the quarter in one place, whether that's FreelanceOS, a spreadsheet, or a folder of receipts.
- MTD-compatible or bridging software. Most sole traders don't need to switch accounting systems. Bridging software handles the submission.
What is bridging software? It's a lightweight tool that sits between your existing records and HMRC's systems. You keep working in whatever you already use, export your figures, and the bridging software handles the technical submission to HMRC. You don't need to migrate anything.
FreelanceOS makes step 3 a one-click download
Your income and expenses are sorted by quarter and mapped to the right HMRC boxes. One click to download. Cash or accrual basis, whichever you use.
Start Free Trial. 14 Days FreeNo credit card. No setup fee. Most freelancers create their first invoice in minutes.
The 10-minute walkthrough
These are the exact steps I followed. If you're using FreelanceOS, step 3 is the only one specific to this app. The rest applies to any bridging software workflow.
Go to flonancial.co.uk and create a free account. Flonancial is HMRC-recognised bridging software and is free for sole traders submitting quarterly updates. The signup takes about two minutes.
Inside Flonancial, click Connect to HMRC. You'll be redirected to HMRC's login page. Sign in with your Government Gateway credentials and approve the authorisation. Once done, you won't need to do this again.
In FreelanceOS, go to Reports & Tax, select the current quarter, and click Download MTD Export. Your expenses are already mapped to the correct SA103 boxes and your turnover is recorded on whichever basis, cash or accrual, you've set in your account settings. There's nothing to rearrange.
Back in Flonancial, choose New Submission, select the correct quarter, and drag and drop the file you just downloaded. Flonancial reads the figures automatically.
Flonancial displays your turnover figure and your total expenses, pulled from the file. Click each one to confirm it matches your records. This is a sense-check, not a data-entry exercise. The figures are already there; you're just casting an eye over them before you submit.
Tick the declaration confirming your information is correct, then click Submit to HMRC. HMRC confirms receipt within a few seconds and Flonancial shows you a submission reference number. Screenshot or save it for your records. That's it. Done.
What I was worried about, and what actually happened
I didn't know whether to use cash or accrual basis and was scared of picking the wrong one and having to redo everything.
FreelanceOS tracks your basis from the moment you choose it in Settings. At submission time you're confirming a number, not guessing at accounting method.
I was convinced I'd put an expense in the wrong SA103 box and trigger an HMRC query.
The MTD report maps every FreelanceOS expense category to the correct HMRC box automatically. You're reviewing a total, not categorising line by line.
The HMRC connection step sounded technical and irreversible. I was nervous about breaking something.
It's a standard sign-in-with-Government-Gateway flow. Three clicks, done. You can revoke the permission at any time from your HMRC online account.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I miss the 7 August deadline?
Good news for 2026: HMRC confirmed there are no penalty points for missing a quarterly update in the 2026 to 2027 tax year. It's a grace period for people joining MTD for the first time. You do still need to submit quarterly updates before you can file your end-of-year return, so don't skip them entirely. From the 2027 to 2028 tax year onwards, the points-based system applies: each missed update adds one penalty point, and once you reach four points you get a £200 fine, with a further £200 for each subsequent miss.
Do quarterly updates mean I pay tax quarterly?
No. Quarterly updates are informational only. You're simply telling HMRC about your income and expenses so they can build a running picture. There's no payment triggered. Your tax is still calculated and paid via your end-of-year final declaration, exactly as it works with Self Assessment today. Your payment dates don't change.
Do I need an accountant for MTD?
Not necessarily. If you already do your own Self Assessment, this is actually simpler: you're submitting running totals four times a year rather than filling in a full return once. An accountant still adds value if your affairs are complex, but for most sole traders with one income source, the quarterly update is a perfectly manageable DIY job.
Is bridging software really free?
Yes. Flonancial, which we recommend in this guide, is free for sole traders submitting quarterly updates. Some bridging products charge a subscription, so always confirm the pricing before signing up. HMRC maintains a list of all recognised compatible software on gov.uk.
What if my records are in a spreadsheet?
That's exactly what bridging software is designed for. You copy or export your totals from the spreadsheet, upload them into the bridging tool, and it handles the HMRC submission. You don't need to migrate to dedicated accounting software to be MTD-compliant. If you find yourself spending an hour pulling figures together each quarter, that's a good moment to try something like FreelanceOS.
Keep your records MTD-ready all year, not just at deadline time
FreelanceOS tracks your income and expenses as you go. The MTD report in step 3 is one click, whenever you need it. Free to start.
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