Making Tax Digital, explained for creators.

You might have heard “Making Tax Digital” and assumed it was for accountants, or big businesses, or someone else. For a lot of creators it's coming sooner than they think. Here's what it is, who it's for, and when, in plain English.

What it actually is

Right now, most creators do one tax return a year. You add everything up after the tax year ends and send it by 31 January. Making Tax Digital changes that in two ways.

First, you keep your records in an app or software that works with HMRC, rather than in a notebook, a spreadsheet or your head. Second, you send HMRC a short update every three months: roughly, what came in and what you spent. At the end of the year you still finish off with a final return, much like today.

The updates are just summaries. You don't pay tax every quarter, and the dates you pay don't change.

Who it's for, and when

It depends on how much money came in from your creator work (plus any money from renting out property), before costs. If you have a normal job as well, your wages don't count towards this.

Over £50,000: it started in April 2026.
Over £30,000: it starts in April 2027.
Over £20,000: it starts in April 2028.

HMRC looks at your tax return to decide. So the return you're sending by 31 January 2027, for April 2025 to April 2026, is the one that says whether you start in April 2027. If your creator money was over £30,000 that year, this is about you. HMRC should write to you, but it's better not to wait for the letter.

Below £20,000, nothing changes yet. You carry on with one return a year.

What the quarters look like

The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April. Each update covers three months and is due about a month after they end: 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May. Then the final return is due by 31 January, as it is now.

Why it's less scary than it sounds

Four updates a year sounds like four times the work. It doesn't have to be. If you're sorting your money as it comes in, the update is a summary of something you've already done. The hard version is the one most creators do now: a whole year of payouts, brand deals and receipts, untangled in a panic in January.

So the best thing to do now, whatever your number is, is to start keeping track as you go, rather than all at once at the end.

Where Doddl fits

That's what Doddl is built around: swipe each payment as it comes in, and your numbers are always up to date. Doddl does your end-of-year return for you today, and we're working with HMRC to bring the quarterly updates to Doddl too. Not sure whether you need to do a return at all? Start with do I even need to do a tax return?

Doddl isn't in the stores yet, but it's close. Be first in line →

Ali
Doddl