FAQs

Ftax MTD for IT is expected to be ready before the end of April 2026.

The delay has been due to HMRC being extremely busy, and hence slow in approving and setting up new MTD for IT services. 

As HMRC do not require the first MTD quarterly update submissions to be made before the end of the first tax year quarter in July, there is no immediate urgency.

What is immediately important is to begin recording incomes and expense transactions in a way they can be easily totaled, and submitted to HMRC when the time comes.

The Ftax team are here to help you prepare for MTD for IT quarterly update submissions. 

Click here to learn more.

Send a support request if you are experiencing any problems or have any questions.

2026/27 is the first year that quarterly update submissions must be cumulative. This means that the period always starts at the beginning of the tax year (usually 6th April but may also be April 1st). The end date can be today’s date or the date of the most recent transaction that was used to calculate the totals.

HMRC require you to submit cumulative period updates for each of the 4 quarters of the tax year (the quarters usually commence for 6th April but the quarters can also commence from 1st April). You can submit more often than this but be sure to submit after each quarter ends and before its due date about 1 month tater. The Ftax Quarterly update form will guide you. 

Click here to view an MTD for IT timeline which shows the periods when the quarterly period updates must be made.

Click here to read how HMRC describe MTD for IT quarterly updates.

1. Download and open the Ftax Cashbook PDF form in Adobe Reader.
2. Follow the process on the right beginning by clicking the top button to login.
3. Then click ‘Select/Enter Client’ and select one of the top 2 options.
4. If you select a ‘new MTD for IT tax filer’ then you will be prompted to enter their name, UTR, and National Insurance number.
5. When the ‘Set Cashbook’ button is clicked, the Cashbook is ready to use.
6. Click to enter the business details. You can enter details for more than one business.
7. You may now enter incomes and expense transactions.
8. Regularly save the PDF form. When you do so you will be prompted to forward income and expenses totals to the Ftax Quarterly update form.

1. Download and open the Ftax Cashbook PDF form in Adobe Reader.
2. Tick the ‘agent’ box and click ‘Enter’. This will make this form an ‘agent copy’.
3. Follow the process on the right beginning by clicking the top button to login.
4. Then click ‘Select/Enter Client’ and select one of the top 2 options.
5. If you select a ‘new MTD for IT tax filer’ then you will be prompted to enter their name, UTR, and National Insurance number.
6. When the ‘Set Cashbook’ button is clicked then the Cashbook is ready to use.
7. Click to enter the business details. You can enter details for more than one business.
8. You may now enter incomes and expense transactions.
9. Regularly save the PDF form. When you do so you will be prompted to forward income and expenses totals to the Ftax Quarterly update form.
10. Download another Ftax Cashbook PDF form if you wish to set up a ‘client copy’.
11. This time click the ‘client’ box before clicking ‘Enter’.
12. If you have already set up the ‘agent’ copy, then the ‘Existing MTD for IT tax filer ’ option may be selected after clicking the second button. This will save having to enter the same UTR and National Insurance number again.
13. The third button should confirm that a credit has already been assigned while to fourth should load any data you have saved using the agent copy.
14. You will now be presented with a Password which you must copy and securely save.
15. After clicking ‘Set Cashbook’ save the PDF form and send it to your client.
16. Send the Password by a different means.
17. When they open the client copy of the PDF Ftax Cashbook it will prompt them to enter the Password and then to save the form.
18. Your client can now enter income and expense transactions. When they save you will also be able to see this data. Follow any ‘Sync’ instructions when prompted.
19. You and your client are now sent up to populate the same Ftax Cashbook. Data may be forwarded to the Ftax MTD for IT Quarterly form every time the cashbook is saved.

• Click here to read how to download MTD for IT spreadsheet templates from the Ftax website.
• Ftax supply Self-employment, UK Property, and Foreign Property templates.
• Enter each template you are using in a new tab in your spreadsheet.
• Link all the income and expense totals in the template to the totals you have setup to calculate on your spreadsheet.
• Enter all incomes and expenses transactions as they arise.
• These must include the date, the type of transaction, the customer/supplier name, the amount (including and excluding VAT), and any VAT.
• Just before you transfer the spreadsheet data, enter the cumulative period dates in the template as it instructs.
• Export the data from the template tab as a CSV file.
• Click the ‘Import’ button on the Ftax Quarterly update form and select this file.
• Check the imported data. Note – to keep the data transfer MTD complaint, this cannot be changed on the form.

If you are a tax agent filing on behalf of clients – first, you must follow the ‘agent MTD step-by-step guide’. After logging into your Ftax Account, click the down arrow to the right of the menu bar. Then click ’HMRC Auth’ and follow the instructions. You will need to authorise MTD for VAT and MTD for IT separately after entering your HMRC User ID and Password.

If you are filing your own tax – first, you must follow the ‘business MTD step-by-step guide’. After logging into your Ftax Account, you will be able to initiate your Ftax web form from the Dashboard by clicking the appropriate NEW button. This will open the form Overview that will guide you through the tax submission process. An ‘Authorise Ftax for MTD’ button, in an early section of this Overview will initialise the authorisations process if you have not already done so. Follow the instructions which include entering your HMRC User ID and Password.

All Ftax MTD for IT products include the Ftax Quarterly update form, the Ftax End-of-Year tax return, and the Ftax Tax Calculation form. These enable you to meet all of your HMRC obligations, including the 4 quarterly updates, the end-of-year tax return entries, the tax calculation display, and the final declaration. Note that most competitors do not offer a single solution for the full MTD for IT tax cycle.

When it comes to recording incomes and expenses and transferring them to the Ftax Quarterly update form you have two choices:

Your spreadsheet with CSV file transfer – the ability to transfer income and expense cumulative period totals from your spreadsheet to the Ftax Quarterly form is included with the Ftax MTD for IT product at no extra cost. Spreadsheet templates are provided which you set up yourself.

The Ftax Cashbook – incomes and expenses are currently entered in the Ftax Cashbook manually, but this is soon to be automated. The solution is much easier to use than CSV transfer and costs only £20 – £25 per tax filer per year. Agents can set up a copy for their client which automatically transfers data to the agent.

The recommended solution is Ftax MTD for IT combined with the Ftax Cashbook, especially if you are not familiar with spreadsheets. The latter is being sold at half price for the 2026/27 tax year. Agents can benefit from a discount when the products are purchased in bulk.

The introduction of the new MTD service is being phased to enable the Ftax team to better support the immediate needs of its customers.

MTD for IT is new and confusing to many. HMRC have held trials but have not yet experienced large volumes of users. To best support its customers Ftax will initially focus on the following first stages of service use:

1. Assistance in selecting and purchasing the appropriate product.
2. Help in Authorising Ftax for the use of MTD for IT.
3. Support in setting up spreadsheets to record income and expense details.
4. Help to setup the Ftax Cashbook to record income and expense details.

The second phase will help customers to transfer income and expense data to the Ftax Quarterly update form and to submit the quarterly data to HMRC. HMRC do not require the first quarterly submission to be made until July 2026. Even though you can submit earlier there is no urgency to do so until then. The Ftax team will step up its support for this phase well in advance.

The following timeline shows how the full lifecycle of MTD for IT tax filing stretches across 1 year and 9 months. HMRC requirements are spread over this period.

MTD for IT Timeline

The Ftax team are here to help. We will tell you what you need to do when you need to do it.

Yes.

The Ftax team are working on a low-cost MTD for IT solution that is fully compliant with HMRC requirements. We are trying to make this as simple and clear as possible. We will make it easy for clients to exchange income and expense data with their agents, and also make it easy for the self-employed and landlords to file their own returns using MTD for IT.

If you have any questions or suggestions then please contact us. 

We appreciate your feedback as it will help us design a service that meets your needs.

Businesses, self-employed people and landlords will be required:

• to operate MTD from 6 April 2026 in relation to their trading and property income chargeable to Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance contributions, if their total qualifying income from these income sources for a tax year exceeds £50,000
• to operate MTD from 6 April 2027 in relation to their trading and property income chargeable to Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance contributions, if their total qualifying income from these income sources for a tax year exceeds £30,000
• to operate MTD from 6 April 2028 in relation to their trading and property income chargeable to Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance contributions, if their total qualifying income from these income sources for a tax year exceeds £20,000

They will:

• keep their records digitally
• provide digital quarterly updates
• be able to provide their MTD for IT return information to HMRC through MTD compatible software

The rules for Class 2 NIC have changed for the 2023/23 tax year onwards.

Prior to the 2022/23 tax year you needed to pay Class 2 NIC if your profits were above the Small Profits Threshold, which was £6,515 in the 2021/22 tax year.

For 2022/23 onwards, you pay Class 2 NIC if your profits are above the Lower Profits Limit,(which is £11,908 in 2022/23). If your profits are below the Small Profits Threshold (£6,725 in 2022/23) then you can choose to pay voluntary Class 2 NIC.  If your profits from self-employment are between the Small Profits Threshold and the Lower Profits Limit then there is no Class 2 NIC to pay – instead you will be treated as making Class 2 NIC. This will mean you will be able to access entitlement to contributory benefits in the same way as if you had paid Class 2 NIC.

For 2023/24 onwards, the Lower Profits Limit will be the same amount as the personal allowance for income tax.

Further information on this is available from the Government website here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-and-allowances-national-insurance-contributions/rates-and-allowances-national-insurance-contributions 

Yes, loyalty discount codes will be emailed to purchasers of the previous year’s Ftax service at the beginning of each new tax year. Loyalty discounts are usually 15% and only valid during April.

As part of our ongoing security improvements and our response to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), we have altered the way we deliver these files.

The files are still created by our servers, but now we need you to login to your Ftax Account and download them using your computer’s browser.

The form has a new ‘Download’ button on the green receipt page that displays when you create the file:

Clicking the Download button will open your browser and take you to your ftax account homepage (you may need to log in en route).

From your account homepage, you will be able to download the most recently generated pdfcopy, iXBRL accounts or iXBRL computations files.

NOTE: We only retain the most recent of each type of file for you to download.

If you do not click the Download button on the form and you have received an email informimg you that your file has been created, you can still access it by logging into your Ftax Account at https://ftax.co.uk/.

The calculations performed by the SA100 mirror those published by HMRC precisely.

There are a few circumstances where the HMRC calculations do not result in the correct tax being calculated

HMRC has published details about the circumstances when this occurs and has stated that tax payers in these circumstances must file their return on paper. As such, you may find that after you click ‘Calculate’ the form alerts you that you fall into one of these categories and that you must file a paper return.

If this happens to you, you should seek advice from a qualified tax accountant able to perform the calculation for you and then file a paper tax return.

There are a couple of situations where you may be prompted to change the preferences within Acrobat or Reader.

1. You might be asked to disable the Javascript Global Object Security model. This only needs to be disabled if you are using two or more Ftax forms at the same time. You can disable it by finding it in the prefereneces…
2. You might me asked to tell Acrobat or Reader to Trust one or more of our forms. This will allow them to connect securely to our servers. To do this, you will see a yellow bar across the top of the document with the text “Some features have been disabled to avoid potential security risks…”. There will also be a drop down menu called “Options” on the right of the yellow bar. From this select Trust Always and the from will prompt to save.

Ftax supports Windows 10 and macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) and later.

All Ftax forms work in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

Some clients report successfully using Ftax on Linux machines but this is not supported.

Recent browser versions are recommended. Ftax will not currently work on Tablets.

Note: if for any reason Ftax does not work on your computer then you will be refunded. Variations in computer platforms and local software and can sometime block Ftax operation, e.g. security software. 

There are two versions of the HMRC CT600 form; the ‘v2’ version and the ‘v3’ version.

If your company accouting period starts on or before the 31st March 2015 then the ‘v2’ version must be used. Please purchase any of the 2015 Ftax Agent Company packages if you are an agent, or the Ftax Company 2015 if you are not. The ‘v2’ Ftax CT600 form file names will begin ‘CTRpre2015_’.

Otherwise the ‘v3’ version must be used, whatever the size of the company. Please purchase any of the latest Ftax Agent Company packages if you are an agent, or the Ftax Company if you are not.

For details on the Ftax products go to About Ftax/ Ftax Editions & Prices on the Ftax website.

Ftax forms must be opened in Adobe Reader.

It is important not to open them in a browser, or other software (such as Preview, on a Mac).

You must check that your browser prompts you to ‘Save’ when downloading files. 

In Chrome:

• Click on the 3 dots in the top right of your Chrome window and select Settings.
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Advanced.
• In the Downloads section, click Clear next to Open certain file types automatically after downloading.
• This will clear all previous settings and will download files as the default action.

In Edge:

• Click on the 3 dots in the top right of your Edge window and select Settings.
• Select Downloads from the left hand menu and turn on Ask me what to do with each download.

In Firefox:

• Select Tools/Options/General/Downloads from the menu bar, and tick ‘Show the Downloads window when downloading a file’. 

In Safari:

• Click Preferences and untick ‘open safe files after downloading’.
• Also untick ‘Block Pop Up Windows’. 

Nothing, if you use VT Final Accounts and/or the Ftax CT600, all of the iXBRL will be done for you behind the scenes.

• Prepare the company accounts – Ftax does not carry out this service, but recommends VT Software. Alternatively, you may wish to prepare the accounts using spreadsheets, or other software packages. 
• Complete the Ftax CT600 tax return – including the ‘Profits’ worksheet, and ‘Capital Allowances’ worksheets if necessary. 
• Generate the iXBRL Computations file – click the ‘iXBRL’ button at the bottom left of the opening page of the form and select ‘iXBRL Computations’. An email will be returned with the iXBRL Computations file attached. Drag, or download this onto your desktop or any known location. 
• Generate the iXBRL Accounts file – the current ‘V3’ Ftax CT600 form includes an ‘Accounts’ section accessed via the bookmarks on the left. After completion, return to the opening page of the form, click the ‘iXBRL’ button, and select ‘iXBRL Accounts’. Once again, drag or download the attached file from the returned email to a known location on your computer. Note: the older Ftax ‘V2’ CT600 does not include iXBRL Accounts tagging (VT Software or the Hypercube service are recommended). 
• Attach the iXBRL files to the CT600 form – go to the ‘Attachments’ page via the bookmarks on the left. Click the ‘Attach’ buttons and select the iXBRL Accounts and Computations files from their known locations. If iXBRL files are not attached then reasons must be selected from the dropdown lists. 
• Submit the CT600 online to HMRC – click Submit/I Agree/Submit Now/Yes via the opening page. An onscreen receipt followed by two emails should confirm the outcome. 
• Submit the iXBRL Accounts file to Company House – this must be done manually via their website. Ftax does not do this for you. 

You will need to open the forms using Adobe’s software (either Reader or Acrobat).

To download the latest version of Adobe’s Reader, for free, follow this link: https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/ .

Once you have the right software, you just need to make sure that you open the Ftax forms using that software:

1. Make sure that your browser saves the forms to your computer and doesn’t try to open them.

You must check that the browser prompts you to ‘Save’ when downloading files. 

In Chrome:

• Click on the 3 dots in the top right of your Chrome window and select Settings.
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Advanced.
• In the Downloads section, click Clear next to Open certain file types automatically after downloading.
• This will clear all previous settings and will download files as the default action.

In Edge:

• Click on the 3 dots in the top right of your Edge window and select Settings.
• Select Downloads from the left hand menu and turn on Ask me what to do with each download.

In Firefox:

• select Tools/Options/General/Downloads from the menu bar, and tick ‘Show the Downloads window when downloading a file’. 

In Safari:

• Click Preferences and untick ‘open safe files after downloading’.
• Also untick ‘Block Pop Up Windows’. 

2. Make sure that your computer opens the saved forms using Adobe software.

Some computers may be set up to open pdf files using software other than Adobe software. There are many ways to change this behaviour, either by default, or for one time only.

One way to ensure you open the Ftax forms using Adobe software is to:

• Open the Adobe software (eg. Adobe Reader).
• From the File menu, select Open and navigate to the saved Ftax form.
• Click OK (or Open) to open the form.

3. Make sure Javascript is enabled.

If you open an Ftax form in Adobe software and see a notice on the front page prompting you to enable javascript, please navigate to the Preferences (from the Edit menu), select the Javascript category and make sure the ‘Enable Acrobat JavaScript’ tick box is ticked.

4. Unset Enhanced Security.

Select ‘Edit/Preferences/Security (Enhanced)’ from the Adobe Reader menu bar and untick the ‘enable enhanced security’ box. If you are using a Mac, please select ‘Adobe Reader/Edit/Preferences/ etc.’.

Important Notice: While the ‘enable enhanced security’ box is unticked you are advised not to open pdf attachments emailed from unknown addresses (emails from ftax.co.uk will be ok). You may wish to leave the ‘enable enhanced security’ box ticked when you are not using Ftax.

5. Re-open the Ftax Form.

Close the form (no need to save), and reopen it.

After downloading the latest Ftax form, saving it to a known location, and opening in a recent version of Adobe Reader, the following must be carried out before completing the Ftax return:

1. Comply with the Special Notice

This should be automatically displayed when an Ftax form is first opened in Adobe Reader. It may be redisplayed at anytime by clicking the ‘?’ in a red ball on the opening page of the Ftax form and selecting the top option. This reads:

• Select ‘EditPreferencesJavascript’ from the Reader menu bar
  (Mac users should select ‘Adobe ReaderPreferencesJavascript’).
• Make sure the top box ‘Enable Acrobat Javascript’ IS ticked, the next 2 boxes are NOT ticked, and the bottom box IS ticked.
• Then select ‘EditPreferencesSecurity (Enhanced)’, and untick the ‘Enable enhanced security’ box
  (Mac users should select ‘EditPreferencesSecurity (Enhanced)’).

2. Login to your Ftax Account from the form

The Ftax Account Login popup should be automatically displayed when the ‘Continue’ button is clicked (twice) on the Special Notice. This can also be displayed at anytime by clicking the ‘?’ in a red ball and selecting the bottom option.

Make sure the ‘Do NOT login to my Ftax Account’ box is unticked, and enter your Ftax Account Username and Password before clicking ‘Login’. You are also advised to first tick the ‘Save login details on computer’ box so that you remain automatically logged in.

Note: – Do not confuse your Ftax Account Username and Password with the Gateway User ID and Password. 

On clicking ‘Login’ a popup should confirm ‘Login Success’. The number of remaining credits should also be displayed towards the bottom left of the Ftax form. If the popup displays the following error messages then please do as advised:

‘Communication Problem’ – This may be due to you not having Internet access, but is more likely to be due to the ‘Enhanced Security’ box still being ticked in the Adobe Reader Preferences. Please return to step 1. and correct. 

‘SOAPservice not recognised …’ – This may also be due to lack of Internet access, or the Special Notice not being fully complied with as described above. But it may also be due your computer not trusting www.ftax.co.uk. Please go to Edit/Preferences/Trust Manager (or Adobe Reader/Preferences/Trust Manager if on a Mac), click ‘Change Settings’, and ensure the ftax.co.uk is trusted. Also check that any security software you may be using is not blocking access to the Ftax website. If the problem persists then try reinstalling Adobe Reader, or turn your security software off while using Ftax. If you successfully login to your Ftax Account from the form and then have a subsequent problem that requires support, be sure to tell Ftax support that you have successfully logged in. 

3. Allocate a credit to the UTR 

When a new UTR is entered then a popup should prompt you to ‘allocate a credit’. Another popup will confirm when the credit has been allocated. At this point a ‘credit code’ will be automatically transferred allowing the form to Calculate and Submit. If you enter a UTR that already has a credit allocated then you will be allowed to continue without allocating another credit. 

If, when you enter a UTR, a popup asks you to enter a ‘4 digit credit code’ then you are not logged in to your Ftax Account. In this case please return to step 2. and login. 

Important Notice: While the ‘enable enhanced security’ box is unticked you are advised not to open pdf attachments emailed from unknown addresses (emails from ftax.co.uk will be ok). You are advised to leave the ‘enable enhanced security’ box ticked when you are not using Ftax. 

Before submitting CT600s please check the following: 

1. Both iXBRL Accounts and iXBRL Computation file must be attached just before submission. (note : attachments are not currently saved with the CT600 when ‘Save’ is clicked). 
2. Use Ftax iXBRL Computations, although VT Software Computations should also work. 
3. Never Open and then Save iXBRL files in anything other than a text editor, as this may add extraneous data. Be very careful not to open an iXBRL file into a browser and click Save, as this will corrupt the iXBRL data. 
4. Each iXBRL attachment filename must end in ‘.html’. Re-edit if the file ends in ‘ .htm ‘ . 
5. Attachment filenames must NOT include any spaces, underscores, or dashes. 
6. The iXBRL Account and Computation files must have DIFFERENT filenames. 
7. The Company Number in the iXBRL Accounts file must be the same as that in the CT600, and feature 8 digits. You may have to add leading digits to this value when compiling the iXBRL Accounts file. Failure to do so will result in Error code 1606 being returned. 
8. Make sure you are using the LATEST Ftax forms. If Error Code 3303 has been returned then you need to download the latest version and transfer data using Export and Import. Regenerate and attach the iXBRL Computations. 
9. Read the ” After submitting I receive an error message.” FAQ to identify the solution to other common problems. 
10. If the profit is zero (box 3), make sure the worksheet has been open and closed, and the ‘Calculate Tax’ button has been clicked. This will propagate the necessary ‘0.00’ values throughout the form. 

Compliance with the above will resolve most iXBRL tax filing issues. But if you are still experiencing problems please email your form to support@ftax.co.uk along with the iXBRL Computations and iXBRL Accounts files, and the error message. 

The Ftax ‘Special Notice’ must be complied with to enable Ftax forms to submit online.

Select ‘Edit/Preferences/Security (Enhanced)’ from the Adobe Reader menu bar and untick the ‘enable enhanced security’ box. If you are using a Mac, please select ‘Adobe Reader/Edit/Preferences/ etc.’.

Also select ‘Edit/Preferences/Javascript’ from the Adobe Reader menu bar and ensure the boxes are ticked, unticked, unticked, and ticked.

Important Notice: While the ‘enable enhanced security’ box is unticked you are advised not to open pdf attachments emailed from unknown addresses (emails from ftax.co.uk will be ok). You may wish to leave the ‘enable enhanced security’ box ticked when you are not using Ftax.