Do quarterly updates mean paying tax four times?
No. This is the single most common fear about Making Tax Digital, and it's wrong. A quarterly update sends totals to HMRC; it doesn't come with a bill, and nothing is due when you send one. MTD changes when you report, not when you pay. Your tax is still due 31 January, and if you make payments on account, 31 July as well: the same dates as before.
What actually leaves your account four times a year: nothing
An update is "totals for each income and expense category you've used", sent by your software. HMRC doesn't even see the underlying detail: "HMRC will not receive details of individual digital records, such as a receipt or invoice."
The closest an update gets to money is this, from gov.uk: "after sending an update, you'll be able to get an estimate of your tax bill." An estimate you can look at. Not a demand, not a direct debit, not a payment deadline.
When you actually pay
Exactly when you did before. gov.uk's page on the MTD tax return is explicit that MTD does not change payment methods or due dates. That means:
- 31 January: the balancing payment for the tax year, alongside the return your software submits.
- 31 January and 31 July: payments on account, if they apply to you, on the same two dates they always fell. The calculator shows your instalments.
Where the four-payments idea comes from
It's a reasonable guess: quarterly reporting sounds like quarterly billing. But the updates exist so records stay current and the year's picture builds as it happens, not so HMRC can collect faster. The reporting calendar changed. The paying calendar didn't. The return, and the January deadline, work the same as ever.
The upside of seeing the estimate build
Here's the part that actually helps. The old rhythm was silence for eighteen months and then a January number that could knock you over. Under MTD, the estimate after each update means the year's bill creeps into view a quarter at a time. If you're setting aside as you go, January stops being a surprise and starts being a formality. That's the trade: a few sends a year, in exchange for never being ambushed.
Quick answers
Is any tax due when I send a quarterly update?
No. An update sends category totals and carries no bill. gov.uk says that after sending you'll be able to get an estimate of your tax bill: an estimate to look at, not a payment to make.
Did MTD change the 31 January deadline?
No. The tax return is submitted through your software by 31 January and payment is due then as before. MTD does not change payment methods or due dates.
Do payments on account change under MTD?
No. If they apply to you they stay on 31 January and 31 July, calculated the same way. Quarterly updates don't add payment dates.
Will HMRC bill me after each update?
No. After an update you can view an estimate of the year's tax so far. The actual bill arrives with the tax return, due 31 January as always.
Watch the estimate instead of dreading the bill
SoleTax shows the tax to set aside as the year builds, so 31 January is a number you already knew. 14 days free, no card needed.
Join the betaSources: gov.uk, use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: send quarterly updates (updated 2 June 2026) and submit your tax return; Self Assessment payments on account (SALF303, as applied by our payments on account calculator). Checked on 8 July 2026.