You sign up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax online, using the same Government Gateway user ID and password you use for Self Assessment. Signing up is free. You can do it yourself, or your accountant can register you for MTD.
One thing changed in September 2026. HMRC has started signing people up itself if they have to use MTD for the 2026/27 tax year and haven’t done it. If that might be you, check your details are right.
You’ll need MTD software first. Start with our free MTD software comparison.
Before you sign up for MTD
Check these first:
- You need to join. Use our MTD threshold checker to see if and when the rules apply to you.
- You’re registered for Self Assessment and have sent a tax return in the last 2 years. HMRC asks for both.
- You’ve chosen software. You can’t send anything to HMRC without it. See our free MTD software comparison.
Have these details to hand:
- Your Government Gateway user ID and password.
- The date your business or rental income started, if that was in the last 2 tax years.
- Which tax year you want to start in.
- If you’re a sole trader: your business name, business address and trade.
How to sign up for MTD, step by step
- Go to GOV.UK’s sign up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax page and start the online service.
- Sign in with the user ID and password you got when you registered for Self Assessment.
- Prove who you are. HMRC may check your identity with a photo ID check or with security questions.
- Check your income sources. Confirm each self-employment and each property income, and add any that are missing.
- Confirm the tax year you’re starting in.
- Submit your details to finish.
If you have more than one business, or rent as well as self-employment, you check each one in the same service.
What to do straight after
- Connect your software to HMRC. In your software, choose the option to authorise it, then sign in with the same user ID and password. You repeat this every 18 months.
- Check your update periods. Decide between standard and calendar periods before you send anything. You can’t change them for that tax year after your first quarterly update.
- Start keeping digital records of your income and expenses in the software.
- Put the deadlines in your calendar. Our MTD deadline finder shows your four quarterly dates and the tax return date.
If HMRC has signed you up automatically
From September 2026, HMRC began signing up people who must use MTD for 2026/27 and hadn’t registered. It uses only the information it already holds, which may be out of date. If your circumstances have changed since your last tax return, such as a new business or a property you’ve sold, check your details and update them.
Being signed up by HMRC doesn’t set up your software. You still need to choose software and connect it.
Can you sign up early?
Yes. You can sign up before you have to, for the current tax year or the next one. If your income is over £30,000 you’ll have to join from 6 April 2027, and signing up ahead gives you time to get used to the software.
Can your accountant register you for MTD?
Yes. If you use an accountant or tax agent, they can sign you up. They’ll ask you to approve them first through an authorisation link.
Do you need to register again each year?
We couldn’t find anything on GOV.UK saying you sign up again each year. What you do repeat is the software authorisation, every 18 months.
Sources: GOV.UK, Sign up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Get your software ready. Checked 5 October 2026. This page is general information, not tax advice.