Prime Accountants warn sole traders and firms to prepare for Making Tax Digital filling deadline

A leading accountancy firm has warned sole traders and landlords to prepare for the next making tax digital filling deadline.

Prime Accountants has offered their unique insight into what people need to do ahead of the next filing, as they warn that only half of the taxpayers required to submit managed to hit the first deadline.

The next filing for making tax digital falls on 7 November 2026 and on this date, sole traders and landlords will be required to submit their second quarterly filing update for Income Tax.

Paislei Goodley, (pictured) director at Prime, specialising in tax said: “The last MTD filing was not without its challenges.

“Thousands of people registered for the service days before the filing was due, scrambling with the help of their accountant to get the filing submitted before the deadline.

“In the end, only half of all people who earned above the £50,000 threshold managed to get their filing completed on time.”

In light of this, HMRC decided to begin auto-enrolling eligible individuals into the scheme from September 2026.

However, enrolment isn’t all that people need to complete the quarterly filing update.

Paislei said: “Individuals need to remember that registration isn’t where MTD stops. Once they have registered, they will need to speak with an accountant.

“An accountant can help to ensure that all the necessary software is in place, which makes these quarterly reporting obligations easier.

“People believe wrongly that these reporting obligations are just creating more administrative burden, but I disagree with that.

“Paislei said that individuals who are embracing the change and who are utilising the right cloud accounting software are automating compliance and reducing the amount of errors that can be made, along with getting themselves prepared for MTD.

“I think one of the main things that people need to remember is that MTD is here to stay and people who are completing the filings this year are in a unique position.

“This year there are no penalties, meaning that individuals have the time to ensure that their operations are intact and that they are completely compliant before the penalties come into place next April.

“We understand that people want to ensure that they are operating in compliance. However, getting in touch with our team early means less stress ahead of the next filing.

“If you need support with MTD, do not hesitate to get in touch with our team.”