Sign up your client for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
Use the online service to sign your client's business up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and find out what you'll need to do next.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is a new way of reporting earnings to HMRC. You’ll use software to keep digital records and send Income Tax updates for your client. You’ll do this instead of filing a Self Assessment tax return.
If you’re not an agent, there’s a different way to sign up as an individual for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
Before you start
Before you sign up your client, you must have:
- software that’s compatible with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
- an agent services account – this is different to your HMRC online services for agents account
- checked that your client has already submitted a Self Assessment tax return or registered for Self Assessment
You can then get your client’s authorisation by doing one of the following:
- copying your client’s existing authorisation for Self Assessment to your agent services account from your HMRC online services for agents account
- following the steps in your agent services account to ask a client to authorise you
What you’ll need
To sign up your client, you’ll need their:
- business name
- business start date or the date they started collecting property income
- email address
- National Insurance number
- Unique Taxpayer Reference
- accounting period
- accounting type such as cash basis or accruals
To sign up, your client must also be registered to file Self Assessment tax returns. You’ll need the Government Gateway user ID and password you got when you signed up for an agent services account.
Sign up your client
You can only sign up through a recognised provider offering software that is compatible with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
If you already have software, you must contact your provider about signing up. If you do not have software yet, choose from the list of recognised software available now and contact your chosen provider about the sign up process .
After you’ve signed up your client
You’ll need to keep digital records of all your client’s business income and expenses and:
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send quarterly updates to HMRC
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submit an end of period statement when you finalise your client’s business income and expenses for the tax year
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submit your client’s final declaration and pay the tax they owe by 31 January of the following year
Get help
Contact your software supplier if you need help creating business records or sending updates.
If you have another query about Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, contact HMRC.
Last updated 20 December 2021 + show all updates
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Information on what you'll need and before you sign up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax has been updated.
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Information on what to do after you've signed up your client has been updated.
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A Welsh translation has been added.
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Information in the 'Before you start' section has been updated with what you need to do before you can sign up a client for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
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Information has been updated under 'before you start' to advise ways your client can authorise you through your agent service account.
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Welsh translation has been added.
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First published.