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The MTD-Ready Records Checklist
A 10-minute, plain-English read. Find out where your records actually stand for Making Tax Digital, and which gaps to close before April 2026.
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What MTD ITSA actually requires
The short version, before the checklist
MTD for Income Tax — full name Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment, or MTD ITSA — is HMRC’s move to quarterly digital reporting. If your rental income (plus any sole-trade income) is above the qualifying threshold, you’ll need to keep digital records of rent and allowable expenses, and send HMRC four quarterly summaries through compatible software, on top of the year-end submission.
The first wave is expected to start from April 2026 for landlords with qualifying income over £50,000, with phased expansion to lower thresholds in later years. The exact dates and bands are on GOV.UK and worth checking before you make decisions.
The thing landlords sometimes miss: MTD doesn’t change what you’re taxed on. It changes how you record it and how often you send a summary. The records need to be digital and they need to be there in the period they relate to. Annual reconstruction in January no longer cuts it.
LandlordFlow note: we support record-keeping. We are not an HMRC-recognised MTD filing tool. Your accountant or HMRC-compatible software still does the actual filing. The checklist below is about getting the records side right so the filing side becomes simple.
The checklist
19 items, four areas
Run through each block and mark where you stand: ready, partial, or todo. The point isn’t to score full marks today. It’s to know what’s missing so you can close it before April 2026.
1. Income
- Every rent payment recorded against the specific property and tenancy
- Rent recorded in the period it was received (not just the period it relates to)
- Any service charges, contribution payments, or top-ups recorded as separate lines
- Deposit payments and returns recorded but flagged as not income
- Bank account used for rental receipts identifiable in your records
2. Expenses
- Repairs and maintenance logged against the property, with date, supplier, and amount
- Mortgage interest costs tracked (allowable as a 20% credit, not as an expense, since April 2020)
- Letting agent fees, insurance, ground rent, service charges, and accountancy fees recorded per property
- Capital items separated from revenue expenses — appliances, furniture replacements, improvements
- Travel and admin costs recorded where they directly relate to specific properties
3. Property and tenancy records
- A current tenancy agreement on file for every let property
- Deposit protection certificates current and accessible
- Gas safety record (CP12), EPC, and EICR dates tracked with expiry warnings
- Right to Rent checks completed and stored per tenancy
- HMO or selective licence details on file if applicable
4. Quarterly readiness
- Records can be summarised into the four MTD quarters without manual collation
- A trial export tested with your accountant or accounting software ahead of the first real submission
- Receipts stored digitally with searchable filenames or tags, not just dumped in folders
- Accountant has agreed access to your records — not just a once-a-year handover
Where you stand
Three honest places to be right now
Reactive
Records assembled in January. Receipts in a shoebox or one big folder. Spreadsheet exists but it’s patchy. This is the most common starting point for self-managing landlords with 1–3 properties — and the most exposed when MTD applies.
In-progress
Per-property records kept, mostly digital, mostly up to date. Some compliance dates tracked. Accountant has a working relationship with your data, but the quarterly summary still needs manual work each time. Most 4–10 property landlords sit here.
MTD-ready
Every transaction digital and tagged to the property in the period it occurred. Quarterly summaries one click away. Accountant accesses records continuously. Compliance dates tracked with expiry warnings. Most landlords reach this with one structured month of cleanup.
Next step
Pick the smallest useful thing you can do this week
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For accountantsCommon questions
What landlords ask before they fix this
Does this replace what my accountant does?+
No. LandlordFlow supports record-keeping. It is not an HMRC-recognised MTD filing tool — your accountant or HMRC-compatible software still does the actual quarterly and end-of-period submissions. Cleaner records make their job easier; they don't replace it.
When does MTD for Income Tax actually apply to me?+
HMRC has confirmed Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment will apply in phases. The current expectation is from April 2026 for self-employed individuals and landlords with qualifying income above £50,000, expanding to £30,000 and £20,000 thresholds in later years. Always check GOV.UK for the live timeline before relying on a specific date.
What counts as 'qualifying income' for the threshold?+
Broadly, gross rental income plus self-employment income — before expenses. If you own properties jointly with a spouse or partner, only your share counts. Mixed-income landlords (rental + sole trade) need to combine both sides.
Do I need different records for furnished holiday lets, HMOs, or commercial properties?+
MTD for ITSA covers property rental income (residential and commercial) reported on a Self Assessment property page. The record-keeping principle is the same: digital, per-property income and expenses with quarterly summaries. HMO and FHL rules can affect categorisation; that part stays a conversation for your accountant.
What if my records are currently on paper or in one big spreadsheet?+
Then you are not alone. The checklist below is structured to find that out and tell you what to fix first. The short version: paper receipts need to become digital, and a spreadsheet works if every transaction is digitally recorded in the period it relates to — but most landlord spreadsheets don't quite meet that bar.
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