Importing Data into an Ftax MTD for IT Quarterly Update 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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Step 1: Visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-software-thats-compatible-with-making-tax-digital-for-vat. Click ‘Yes’, (as all of the Ftax MTD for VAT packages or the Ftax MTD for IT packages submit through MTD), and then ‘Continue’.

Step 2 : Click ‘Sign up’, enter your Government Gateway credentials, and then click ‘Sign in’. Once signed up to use MTD you cannot return to the previous method to submit VAT or IT. If your business is not yet eligible to join, a message will appear to advise this.

If your business pays by Direct Debit then you need to sign up at least 7 working days before you need to submit.

Step 3: Follow the on-screen prompts and provide any requested information, including your email address.

Step 4: When you receive a verification email, click the link to verify your email address. Read and accept the terms of participation. HMRC will then confirm if you can start submitting MTD for VAT or MTD for IT returns. This confirmation usually occurs within 24 hours.

You must wait for the confirmation email from HMRC before to attempt to use the MTD software.

If you do not receive a confirmation email from HMRC After 72 hours, you should report this to HMRC.

Step 5: After purchasing an Ftax MTD for VAT or MTD for IT package you must authorise the Ftax service to submit VAT or IT or MTD for IT returns using MTD. This is done by first logging into your Ftax Account, clicking NEW to begin setting up an MTD web form, and then clicking to authorise Ftax for MTD when prompted (usually the 2nd or 3rd step in the Overview process). You should then be prompted to ‘Continue’, to log into to your HMRC account using your existing Government Gateway User ID and password, and to click a ‘Grant authority’ button.

No. There are several ways the Ftax MTD forms may be used:

1. You may advise your client to purchase the non-agent Ftax VAT or Ftax Cashbook package. These feature a single copy to be used solely by the client.
2. If you have purchased either an Ftax Agent VAT or an Ftax Agent Cashbook package then you may generate both the agent and client copies before securely transferring the latter to your client using the password provided. The two copies are designed to be ‘sync’ed when in use so that the agent and client view the same data. Either may complete the form or submit to HMRC. Typically, the client may enter the VAT data, (either directly into the Ftax Cashbook, or into their own spreadsheet before using the Ftax VAT Link to transfer the data to the Ftax VAT pdf form), under the supervision of the agent.
3. If you have purchased either an Ftax Agent VAT or an Ftax Agent Cashbook package then you may generate the agent copy only. You should do this if you plan to complete and submit the form on behalf of your client.
4. If you have purchased either an Ftax Agent VAT or an Ftax Agent Cashbook package then you may choose to only generate the client copy before securely transferring this form to your client using the password provided. The client would then be able to enter all VAT data and submit to HMRC themselves.

HMRC’s Step-by-Step guide to Making Tax Digital (MTD) sign up

Before you begin:

• Agents need to create an Agent services account, which provides the agent with the log in details required to access the MTD for VAT or MTD for IT APIs. Agents will also need to use the link existing clients’ service, if they want to submit for a client who they have an existing relationship with in MTD for VAT or MTD for IT.
• Businesses submitting their own VAT returns only need to complete steps 3 and 4. They can do this using existing Government Gateway (GG) ID if they have one OR they can set up a new one.
• Be prepared – once signed up to MTD returns MUST be submitted using MTD compatible software, don’t sign up unless you are ready.
• Where a business pays by Direct Debit and email address must be provided.
• Business that pay by Direct Debit have to sign up at least 15 working days before they need to submit.

Important: The role of the Business Tax Account (BTA)

• A business does not have to set up a BTA for an agent to link clients to the new ASA.
• A business does not have to set up a BTA to be signed up to MTD by an agent (the journey only requires them to validate an email address).
• A business does need to have a BTA set up to authorise a new agent relationship.
• Once a business is signed up to MTD, the BTA will be used to send them notifications to file and provide a view of their MTD for VAT or MTD for IT returns, so whilst the journey itself does not require the business to sign up to BTA being in the service and interacting with HMRC digitally does.

Step 1 : Create agent services account (ASA)

• Before signing up to MTD you must first create an Agent Services Account (ASA). For guidance and to create an account go to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-an-hmrc-agent-services-account
• You may already have an ASA if you’ve signed up for the Trust Registration Service (TRS), you do not need to create a new one for MTD.
• The ASA is currently only used for the TRS, MTD VAT and MTD Income Tax. The GG ID which is generated in this journey is the one you will use to access MTD services. You will still need your old GG IDs to access other HMRC online services.

Step 2: Copy existing agent/ client relationships

• Once the ASA is created, you can use the service to copy existing authorised SA and VAT relationships you already have with a business, by following the guidance to copy existing clients.
• The copy clients service is accessed from inside the ASA, once done you will see a ‘Client Relationships Copied’ message.
• This process requires you to input your existing GG IDs so that we can identify the relationship already exists.
• All the clients that exist under a specific GG ID are linked to the ASA (if you have multiple GG accounts you may need to repeat this step to link all of your clients).

Important: The client list cannot be viewed from within the ASA however you are now able to view the number of client relationship copied over from HMRC online services.

Step 3: Authorise MTD compatible software

• Before signing a client up to the pilot you must make sure you have compatible software, see: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/software-for-sending-income-tax-updates
• If using existing software you need to make sure your provider’s MTD capabilities have been enabled – contact your provider to discuss.
• You must delegate authority to the MTD compatible software (this applies to both new and existing software).

Important: Once signed up returns must be submitted using MTD compatible software. You cannot use the previous channel.

Step 4 : Sign business up to Making Tax Digital (MTD)

• Using the new GG ID generated at step 1, you can sign up clients by going to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/agents-use-software-to-submit-vat-returns
• You will receive confirmation that the client’s information has been received. We will email you (usually within 24 hours, but can take up to 72 hours) confirming you can start using MTD software to submit the client’s return.
• You should tell your client you are now submitting returns through Making Tax Digital.
• Each client needs to be signed up individually or the client can sign themselves up.

Important: For an Agent, when connecting software to HMRC you must use your new ASA GG ID (provided at step 1). If you attempt to log in with another GG ID our systems will not be able to recognise the MTD relationship with your client so you will receive an error message and be unable to file the return.

For more information on Making Tax Digital go to GOV.UK and type ‘Making Tax Digital for VAT’ or ‘Making Tax Digital for IT’ into the search bar