Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax FAQs

1. I can’t join the pilot or don’t see my obligations

If you see an error message when trying to join, or if your Overview screen shows no obligations, it is usually an issue with HMRC registration.

Make sure you have registered your (or your client’s) self-employed business or income sources with HMRC before you select Join the Pilot in QuickBooks.

2. I am an accountant or bookkeeper but keep getting asked to re-authorise

If you have a free licence to submit MTD obligations for your own personal self-employed business, you must use the correct credentials.

When you sign up for the pilot, make sure you use your personal Government Gateway login credentials. Do not use your agent login credentials for your own business.

3. I can’t see my submission in my HMRC account

After you submit a quarterly update or tax return, it may take some time to process.

• Allow up to one hour for the information to appear in your Government Gateway account.
• If the information still doesn't appear after 24 hours, please contact QuickBooks support.

4. Where can I get more information?

For general information about regulations and requirements, visit HMRC’s Making Tax Digital Hub.

5. If I make a mistake, can I resubmit a quarterly update?

Yes. However, you must first update the transactions in QuickBooks to reflect the correct data. Once your books are accurate, you have two options:

1. Resubmit immediately: You can resubmit the update for the current quarter any time before the next deadline.
2. Wait for the next quarter: Quarterly updates are cumulative. This means when you submit Quarter 3, you are submitting income and expenses from the start of the year through the end of Quarter 3. You can simply wait and let the next update catch the correction.

Note: If you have already submitted your Quarter 4 update and need to make a correction, you must update your records and resubmit the Quarter 4 obligation. You can do this at any time until you submit your final tax return.

6. Why can't I see my CIS deductions?

You will not see your CIS deductions when reviewing expenses for a quarterly update.

• Quarterly updates reflect your gross income (including reimbursed expenses) and allowable expenses.
• CIS tax suffered is reported on your annual tax return (due 31 January after the tax year ends).

At year-end, HMRC will display the deductions submitted by your contractors. You can review these records and add any missing deductions then.

7. How do I check for missing transactions?

If you think your quarterly update is missing data, you can check exactly which transactions are included:

1. Go to the quarterly updates screen.
2. Select Preview tax mapping.
3. This view shows how your Chart of accounts maps to each tax category so you can verify if everything is categorised correctly.

8. Will my Flat Rate Savings show in the update?

Yes. If you operate on the VAT Flat Rate Scheme, your Flat Rate Savings are included in your quarterly update. These figures map to the Other Income category. You can confirm this by selecting the Preview tax mapping link within the update screen.

9. Why can’t I add additional income to my tax return?

If you are unable to add additional income to your Tax return page, it is likely due to one of the following reasons:

• Feature availability: This feature may not be generally released yet. If you are viewing a preview version, some functions may be locked.
• Incomplete requirements: You can only add additional income sources if the tax year has ended and you have successfully submitted all four quarterly updates for that specific tax year.

10. When can I submit a tax return for the tax year 2025/26?

You generally cannot submit a return until the tax year has officially ended. You will have access to add additional income sources and submit a tax return for the 2025/26 tax year starting on 6 April 2026.