Free · No sign-up · UK tax year dates built in

Free Making Tax Digital spreadsheet.

Keeping your records in a spreadsheet is allowed under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Pick your tax year and whether you’re self-employed, a landlord or both, and get a ready-to-use workbook with HMRC’s categories and running quarterly totals.

Sole traders and landlords HMRC Self Assessment categories Running quarterly totals Nothing uploaded

Tax year

Your income

Quarters

My turnover is under £90,000, so I want to report one total for expenses instead of separate categories Add a few example rows to show how it works (easy to delete)

Business or property name (optional, only goes in your file)

The spreadsheet is made right here in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or kept.

At a glance

MTD Spreadsheet Maker: quick facts

A free Making Tax Digital records workbook for UK sole traders and landlords.

Updated 10 October 2026

Price: Free. No sign-up, no email.
Makes: An Excel (.xlsx) workbook that also opens in Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice.
For: Sole traders, landlords, or both, from 6 April 2026 onwards.
Includes: Drop-down HMRC categories, date checks and running quarterly totals.
Privacy: Made in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.

How it works

How to make your MTD spreadsheet

Choose your tax year, your income type and your quarters, and the page builds the workbook in your browser: a Read me tab with your dates, a record sheet for each income source, running quarterly totals and the category lists.

Choose your options

Tax year, self-employed or landlord (or both), and standard or calendar quarters.

Download the workbook

It opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice.

Record as you go

Add each sale and expense with a date, category and amount. The totals fill in by themselves.

Tips

Getting MTD records right

HMRC’s rules for spreadsheets are simple, but a few of them catch people out.

Don’t retype the totalsThe figures must travel from your spreadsheet to HMRC by a digital link. Bridging software that reads the “Quarterly totals” tab does that; copying them into a website by hand doesn’t count.
Record as you goHMRC wants records made as close to the transaction as possible, and before each update is sent.
Running totals, not quartersEach update covers the year so far, so a mistake in an earlier quarter can just be fixed in the record sheet: the next update picks it up.
Shops can record daily takingsRetailers can record each day’s gross takings instead of every sale.

Like every Altto tool, this runs on your device — nothing you add is uploaded. How Altto works

£30,000

is the qualifying income level that brings sole traders and landlords into Making Tax Digital from 6 April 2027, based on their 2025 to 2026 tax return. It drops to £20,000 from April 2028.

Software options

Ready to send updates to HMRC?

This spreadsheet keeps your records. To send quarterly updates you need HMRC-recognised software: either bridging software for a spreadsheet, or an accounting app that does both. These are four well-known UK options that say they support Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.

FreeAgentBuilt for sole traders and small businesses. Free if you bank with NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank NI or Mettle.Visit FreeAgent → XeroPopular with accountants, with bank feeds and lots of add-ons.Visit Xero → QuickBooksHas a plan for sole traders and landlords, with an app to snap receipts.Visit QuickBooks → SageLong-standing UK accounting software with sole trader plans.Visit Sage →

Some of these links may earn altto a small commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep altto's tools free. We list well-known services that fit the job, and commission never decides which ones appear or their order. Prices and features change, so check each site. HMRC keeps the full list: find software that works with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.

Key dates

Who joins Making Tax Digital, and when

Based on GOV.UK, checked October 2026. Qualifying income is self-employment and property income before expenses.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax start dates
Qualifying income	Measured on your	Start using MTD from
Over £50,000	2024 to 2025 tax return	6 April 2026
Over £30,000	2025 to 2026 tax return	6 April 2027
Over £20,000	2026 to 2027 tax return	6 April 2028

Sources: GOV.UK, Check if you’re eligible for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Send quarterly updates.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax in plain English. Need to send invoices too? Try the Invoice Generator.

Can I use a spreadsheet for Making Tax Digital?

Yes. HMRC lets you keep your digital records in a spreadsheet, as long as the figures reach HMRC through software that’s digitally linked to it (usually called bridging software). You mustn’t retype or copy-and-paste the totals into another program. This spreadsheet keeps the records and works out the totals; bridging software sends them.

When do I have to start?

It depends on your qualifying income from self-employment and property (before expenses). Over £50,000 on your 2024 to 2025 tax return: from 6 April 2026. Over £30,000 on your 2025 to 2026 return: from 6 April 2027. Over £20,000 on your 2026 to 2027 return: from 6 April 2028. Check GOV.UK for the exemptions.

What are the quarterly update deadlines?

7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May. Each update covers the tax year so far: 6 April to 5 July, then to 5 October, to 5 January and to 5 April (or 1 April to 30 June and so on if you use calendar quarters). The tax return itself is due by 31 January after the tax year ends.

What happens if I send an update late?

In the 2026 to 2027 tax year HMRC isn’t giving penalty points for late quarterly updates. After that, each late update gets a penalty point, and reaching 4 points means a £200 penalty.

What are the expense categories?

The same as the Self Assessment pages: SA103F for self-employment (cost of goods, staff costs, travel, premises, repairs, office costs, advertising, finance costs, professional fees and so on) and SA105 for UK property (rent and rates, repairs, finance costs, professional fees, services and other expenses). They’re in the spreadsheet’s drop-down lists.

Can I report just one total for expenses?

If the turnover of that business or property income is under £90,000, you can report your expenses as one consolidated total instead of separate categories. Tick the box before you make the spreadsheet. Landlords still keep residential finance costs (mortgage interest) separate.

Is this tax advice?

No. It’s a free record-keeping template built around HMRC’s published rules, checked on GOV.UK in October 2026. It doesn’t calculate your tax or send anything to HMRC. If you’re unsure what’s allowable, ask an accountant or check GOV.UK.

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