Who can do my Making Tax Digital quarterly updates for me as a landlord?

You, or an agent you authorise through HMRC: an accountant, a bookkeeper or a managed service. A letting agent can only if it is also a registered tax agent. For 2027 joiners, the first update is due 7 August 2027.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD) asks landlords for four quarterly updates a year, sent from compatible software, then a tax return. In our reading, HMRC does not control who prepares the figures, only who sends them for you. This page follows GOV.UK as checked on 18 October 2026.

Your options as a landlord

Can your letting agent do it?

Many landlords assume the agent who collects the rent will send the updates. GOV.UK's guidance on choosing agents for MTD does not mention letting agents at all. In our reading, a letting agent is treated like anyone else who deals with HMRC about your tax. To send your updates it needs:

• An HMRC agent services account. An agent needs one to sign clients up for MTD. HMRC now requires most people paid to deal with it about someone else's tax to register, through this account. Registration opened on 18 May 2026.
• Money-laundering supervision for tax work. Accountants and professional bookkeepers must be supervised. A letting firm that already has supervision for lettings should ask its supervisor whether that covers tax work.
• Your authorisation through HMRC. Not your password.

Some larger letting firms offer tax services, often through a partner accountant. Ask who will actually be your agent with HMRC.

Even when someone else sends the updates, your letting agent's statements still feed them. GOV.UK says income is recorded at its full amount, so the rent the agent collected goes in as income and the agent's fees as an expense, not as a smaller rent. If your agent sends statements once a year, ask for them monthly or quarterly.

Main and supporting agents

You can have one main agent and any number of supporting agents. A main agent can do almost everything you can, including sending quarterly updates and your tax return. A supporting agent can see only your business and property income details. GOV.UK says they can send quarterly updates but cannot submit your tax return or see your tax calculation.

All your UK lets count as one property business, so one main agent covers every UK property you own. In our reading, each joint owner is a separate client: each owner in MTD authorises the agent and sends updates for their own share. Joint owners may leave expenses for the jointly owned let out of each update and add them by resending the fourth update before the return.

What this means for you

MTD started on 6 April 2026 if your qualifying income was over £50,000 in 2024-25. Otherwise it starts on 6 April 2027 if your 2025-26 qualifying income was over £30,000, or on 6 April 2028 if it was over £20,000 in 2026-27. Qualifying income is your rent, or your share of it, plus any self-employed turnover, before expenses.

If you start in April 2027, your first update covers 6 April to 5 July 2027 (or 1 April to 30 June) and is due by 7 August 2027. If you have been in MTD since April 2026, your updates are already running, and the next is due by 7 November 2026. GOV.UK says there are no penalty points for late updates in 2026-27. At the Budget on 28 October 2026 the government said people who must join in April 2027 will get no penalty points for late 2027-28 updates either, though updates must still be sent. For them, the earliest a late update can earn a point is 7 August 2028. If you have been in MTD since April 2026, a late 2027-28 update can earn a point. Four points means a £200 penalty. Ask whoever you choose how they make sure deadlines are met.

If you would rather hand it over, our Landlord Tax plan is £15 a month including VAT for 1 to 2 properties, or £20 for 3 to 4, in England. We keep the records from your rent account and agent statements, and send the updates and your tax return once you confirm the figures. Our tax plans start once our HMRC registrations are complete. Until then you can join the waitlist, and no payment is taken.

Steps to hand over your updates

1. Use the free MTD check to confirm your start date and first deadline.
2. Ask your letting agent how often it can send statements, and whether it offers tax services itself.
3. Ask any agent you consider whether it has an HMRC agent services account and money-laundering supervision, and who supervises it.
4. Agree whether it will be your main agent, which includes the tax return, or a supporting agent for the updates only.
5. For a joint let, ask whether the price covers one owner or both.
6. Get the fee in writing, including VAT, and what happens if you leave.
7. Accept the authorisation request through HMRC, and check your HMRC online account after each deadline.

There are more guides in the landlord section.