MTD final declaration deadline landlords: 31 January 2028 for 2026/27

What is the MTD final declaration deadline for 2026/27?

For a landlord mandated into MTD Income Tax from 6 April 2026, the first MTD tax year is 2026/27. That tax year ends on 5 April 2027, and the annual MTD tax return, commonly called the final declaration, must be filed by 31 January 2028.

The key point is that MTD adds in-year digital reporting, but it does not remove the annual year-end deadline. You still need a final filing that confirms the full-year position and includes items that were not fully dealt with in the quarterly property updates.

This is also why the name can be confusing. Landlords, accountants and software providers often say “final declaration”. HMRC guidance may say “tax return”. In practice, for this deadline, they are talking about the MTD year-end submission that finalises your Income Tax position for the year.

• Tax year: 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027
• First possible MTD landlord cohort: those over the £50,000 qualifying-income threshold based on the 2024/25 tax return
• Year-end MTD filing deadline: 31 January 2028
• Payment deadline for any 2026/27 balancing tax: 31 January 2028

Who has a 31 January 2028 MTD final declaration deadline?

The 31 January 2028 MTD final declaration deadline matters first for landlords who are in scope from 6 April 2026. That first cohort is based on qualifying income of more than £50,000 on the 2024/25 Self Assessment tax return.

Qualifying income means gross income before expenses from property and self-employment combined. It does not include PAYE employment, partnership profit shares, dividends, State Pension or private pensions. For the detailed threshold rules, see MTD Qualifying Income for Landlords.

If you are not in the first cohort, your first MTD final declaration deadline comes later because your MTD start date comes later.

What has to be finalised before the deadline?

Quarterly updates are not the same as a final tax return. By the time you reach the final declaration deadline, your MTD-compatible software should have your full-year property records, any corrected figures, and any year-end adjustments needed before the return is submitted.

For landlords, this is where messy year-end items often appear: mortgage interest finance cost relief, private-use apportionments, repairs versus improvements, losses, property income allowance decisions, jointly owned property figures and any figures that were estimated during the year.

You also need to include other relevant income and gains before submitting the MTD tax return. HMRC’s sign-up guidance says that before you submit your tax return using MTD, you need to include other sources of income and gains in your compatible software.

• Check that all rent received or receivable for 2026/27 is included.
• Review expense categories and remove capital items that should not be treated as repairs.
• Make any full-year property adjustments after the fourth quarterly update.
• Add non-property income that belongs on the Income Tax return.
• Check payments on account and the balancing payment before 31 January 2028.

Does the tax payment deadline change under MTD?

No. The filing process changes, but the main tax payment date stays aligned with Self Assessment. For the 2026/27 tax year, any balancing payment is due by midnight on 31 January 2028.

Payments on account can still apply. Each instalment is normally half the previous year’s tax bill, with instalments due on 31 January and 31 July. You do not normally make payments on account if the previous year’s tax owed was under £1,000 or if at least 80% of the tax was paid outside Self Assessment.

This is where landlords can get caught. The final declaration deadline and the payment deadline may be the same date, but filing late in January leaves no time to budget for a balancing payment plus the first payment on account for the next year. For a deeper payment-date guide, see Payments on Account Deadlines for Landlords.

The first-year trap: your 2025/26 Self Assessment return still exists

If you are mandated into MTD from 6 April 2026, your first MTD tax return/final declaration is for 2026/27 and is due by 31 January 2028. But you still have to submit your 2025/26 Self Assessment return under the old process by 31 January 2027.

That means the transition year has two separate obligations in play: finish the old Self Assessment year, then run the new MTD year properly from April 2026. Your 2025/26 return is also important because it may affect whether you enter MTD from 2027 if you were not already in the first cohort.

A landlord only has to start using MTD Income Tax after they are registered for Self Assessment and have submitted their first Self Assessment tax return. If you are exempt, for example because of digital exclusion, you continue to report through Self Assessment instead.

• Do not ignore the 2025/26 Self Assessment deadline because MTD has started.
• Do not assume an HMRC letter is the only trigger; you should still check your own qualifying income.
• Do not treat PAYE, dividends or pensions as qualifying income for the MTD threshold.
• Do not leave software set-up until the final declaration month.

Practical deadline plan for landlords

The best way to hit the MTD final declaration deadline is to treat it as a review and confirmation exercise, not a once-a-year bookkeeping rescue. If your digital records are incomplete, the January deadline becomes much harder because every missing receipt, mortgage statement and letting-agent summary has to be found at the same time.

LandlordTaxAi is built around this workflow: keep property records during the year, categorise rental income and expenses, prepare for MTD submissions and give you a clearer route to the final year-end position. It helps with the admin, but it is not a substitute for personalised advice where your circumstances are complex.

• By April 2026: confirm whether you are in the first MTD cohort.
• During 2026/27: keep digital property records in compatible software.
• After each quarter: check that rent, agent fees, finance costs and repairs are not miscategorised.
• After 5 April 2027: review the full-year figures and make year-end adjustments.
• Before 31 January 2028: submit the MTD tax return/final declaration and pay any tax due.

Step by step

1. 1

   Check whether MTD applies to you

   Use your gross property and self-employment income before expenses. For the first cohort, more than £50,000 on the 2024/25 Self Assessment return means MTD starts on 6 April 2026.

2. 2

   Finish the old Self Assessment year

   If you are in the 2026 cohort, still submit your 2025/26 Self Assessment return by 31 January 2027 under the old process.

3. 3

   Keep digital records for 2026/27

   From 6 April 2026, use MTD-compatible commercial software to record property income and expenses digitally.

4. 4

   Submit quarterly updates during the year

   Send the required quarterly updates, but remember they do not replace the annual MTD tax return/final declaration.

5. 5

   Finalise the 2026/27 return

   After 5 April 2027, review the full-year property figures, make adjustments, include other income and gains, then submit by 31 January 2028.

6. 6

   Pay the tax due

   Pay any 2026/27 balancing payment by 31 January 2028 and budget for payments on account if they apply.

A worked example

A landlord is in MTD from 6 April 2026. Their 2026/27 final tax bill is £8,400. They already made two payments on account for 2026/27 of £3,000 each, based on the previous year.

This shows why the final declaration deadline is also a cash-flow deadline. Filing close to 31 January 2028 can leave no time to plan for both the balancing payment and the next year’s first payment on account.

Frequently asked questions