MTD T‑minus 280 days: What mid-tier and large firms should action this summer
6 April 2026 is locked in. From that date, every UK sole-trader or landlord with income above £50,000 must keep digital records and file quarterly updates under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. If you run a multi-office or large practice, the remaining 280 or so days are just enough for a controlled rollout – provided you start now.
1. Segment and score the client book (two-week sprint)
- Run an income-band search across every unincorporated client. Flag those already above £50,000 and those forecast to cross the line this tax year.
• Tag each client’s digital-readiness: Green for fully cloud, amber for partial, red for shoebox.
• Add margin data – average recovery rate and debtor days – so partners can see which high-profit, high-risk clients need white-glove attention first.
2. Lock your software stack and pilot cohort (four weeks)
- Finalise an MTD-compatible shortlist: Bridging tools, cloud GLs, client apps.
- Book your tickets for FAB 2026, where HMRC and external tax experts will walk you through the final steps.
- Select 30-50 pilot clients across three partner groups.
- Define success metrics up-front – time per quarter, error count, write-offs – so September’s data tells a clear story.
3. Price the extra workload – focus on margin, not just fees
Compliance hours per engagement will rise even if headline fees tick up.
• Build a fixed-fee menu tied to digital behaviour (DIY data entry, assisted, full-service).
• Model the margin for each tier and bake in software costs.
• Test the draft on the pilot cohort and refine before October invoices go out.
4. Train the team – and the clients – before year-end chaos
Internal staff: Give managers a live walk-through of the new quarterly workflow; distribute short SOPs to offshore teams.
Clients: Walk your clients through the changes - this can be in person, via email or on the phone, or through white-label content aimed at demystifying MTD for clients.
Schedule these now; diaries will fill up fast once year-end work kicks in.
5. Embed the quarterly cadence by 31 January 2026
- Build a central dashboard that tracks pilot KPIs, client-conversion status and looming filing dates.
• Run a full dress-rehearsal in January using Q4 2025 data – aim for a ten-day turnaround from raw records to submission file.
• Freeze the process: After 1 February no tweaks unless a risk committee signs them off.
The summer sprint, distilled
Segment → Pilot → Price → Train → Rehearse. Nail those five actions by September and 6 April becomes just another quarter-close, not a red-flag scramble.
Need sandbox demos or peer benchmarks? Tickets for FAB 2026 are available now. Book now, pre-schedule vendor labs and round-tables, and walk into March with 90% of the hard work already banked.
