Simplifying landlord MTD quarterly submissions: how to keep records up to date

Landlord MTD quarterly submissions, what are they?

Under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for IT), landlords will be required to submit quarterly updates summarising their income and expenses. This move away from the traditional annual Self Assessment system is an opportunity to streamline rental record-keeping and reduce year-end stress.

The key to easy compliance? Keeping your records up to date. In this article, we share practical tips to help landlords stay organised, ensuring that every quarterly submission is accurate, timely and stress-free.

Quarterly deadlines

Quarterly submissions give HMRC a snapshot of your property business’s income and expenses every three months. These updates don’t need to be perfectly accurate, but they must reflect actual transactions for the period.

• 7th August – Covers 6th April to 5th July
• 7th November – Covers 6th July to 5th October
• 7th February – Covers 6th October to 5th January
• 7th May – Covers 6th January to 5th April

In addition to quarterly updates, landlords must also submit a Final Declaration by 31st January following the end of the tax year.

Why keeping records up to date matters

✅ Ease of compliance

Keeping records updated regularly means you can prepare and submit each quarterly update without a last-minute rush.

📊 Better financial insights

Real-time tracking of income and expenses gives you greater control over your cash flow and helps you plan for tax liabilities.

❌ Fewer errors

Regular reviews help catch mistakes early—reducing the risk of incorrect submissions or HMRC penalties.

Practical tips for staying organised

🧾 Use MTD-compliant software

Hammock is the first landlord software recognised by HMRC for MTD. It lets you synchronise bank feeds, automatically categorise transactions, and submit quarterly filings to HMRC.

⚙️ Automate where possible

• Use automation to categorise income and expenses daily.
• Set rules for recurring payments such as mortgage interest or letting agent fees—Hammock takes care of this for you.
• Pick a software that sends you reminders for deadlines and alerts for missing transactions – Hammock lets you set your notification preferences.

📅 Schedule monthly reviews

Set aside time each month to:

• Reconcile transactions
• Check categorisations
• Make sure your records are up to date

Doing this regularly ensures your quarterly updates are accurate and simple to submit. Even preparing your Final Declaration will be faster and will not put you through the last-minute rush in January.

🏦 Separate business and personal finances

• Even if you manage your rental income and expenses with a personal bank account, Hammock lets you easily exclude non-property-business items from your records.
• You might still consider opening a dedicated bank account for your property transactions, as a best practice.

📸 Keep digital copies of receipts

• Use your software’s receipt scanner to link receipts directly to transactions. This keeps you compliant with HMRC record-keeping rules and simplifies expense tracking.
• Hammock lets you attach digital copies of your receipts directly from the camera roll on your mobile phone.

🏘️ Track income by property

• If you own multiple properties, make sure you track income and expenses per property.
• Hammock allows you to generate property-specific profit and loss reports, giving you clear insights into your portfolio’s performance.

How Hammock simplifies quarterly submissions

Hammock is designed to help landlords manage their rental income and expenses. As the first landlord software recognised by HMRC for MTD, here’s how Hammock helps simplify MTD quarterly submissions:

• Real-time integration – Bank feeds sync daily, so transactions are always up to date
• Automated categorisation – Reduces manual work and increases accuracy
• Property-specific reports – Ensure every submission reflects your portfolio accurately
• Reminders and alerts – Get notified about upcoming deadlines and never miss a submission

The role of the MTD pilot programme

Moving away from spreadsheets and manual processes will take some time. You will have to familiarise yourself with new software and processes. Starting early will give you time to prepare without stress and help you build confidence ahead of the MTD go-live. To test your new processes further and ensure that everything is in place before the first official filings, you may consider joining the MTD for IT pilot programme.

Use technology to simplify your MTD quarterly submissions

Quarterly submissions under MTD for IT will be a major change — but also an opportunity to monitor your property business performance more closely. With smart software, automated processes, and well-maintained records, landlords can simplify their admin and gain valuable financial insights.

✅ Get started with Hammock now

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