Making Tax Digital Checker
Don't know your "qualifying income"? Enter what each platform actually paid you — this reconstructs it for you and checks it against all three MTD thresholds.
Why This Checker Is Different From HMRC's Own Tool
HMRC has its own online checker for Making Tax Digital, and it works fine — if you already know your total "qualifying income" figure. The problem is that most platform earners don't. If you drove for Uber and Bolt this year, sold on Etsy, and picked up freelance work on Upwork, your qualifying income isn't sitting anywhere as one number. It's scattered across four different dashboards, each showing you a net payout after fees, not the gross figure HMRC actually wants.
This tool starts from the thing you already have: what each platform actually paid you. Enter each source, add your other self-employment or property income if you have it, and it adds everything up to the gross qualifying income figure HMRC's checker expects you to already have on hand — then checks that figure against all three rollout thresholds so you know exactly where you stand for each one.
What Counts As Qualifying Income
Qualifying income is your gross turnover — the total amount before any fees, commissions, or expenses are taken out — from two sources only: self-employment and property. It's based on the Self Assessment return you filed for the relevant tax year.
Counts toward qualifying income: self-employment/platform gross earnings, gross rental income from UK property, your share of jointly-owned property income.
Does not count: PAYE salary from an employer, dividends, State Pension or private pension income, partnership profit shares, and one-off property transactions.
⚠️ The single most common mistake: qualifying income is the amount a platform paid you, not what you kept. If Bolt paid you £32,000 gross and took a 20% commission, your qualifying income from that source is £32,000 — not the roughly £25,600 that actually landed in your bank.
All Three MTD Thresholds, In One Table
| Qualifying income threshold | Based on tax year | Mandatory from |
|---|---|---|
| £50,000 | 2024-25 | 6 April 2026 |
| £30,000 | 2025-26 | 6 April 2027 |
| £20,000 | 2026-27 | 6 April 2028 |
Each threshold is assessed independently against the specific tax year shown — your 2024-25 income decides whether you're caught by the £50,000 rule for 2026, and your 2025-26 income separately decides whether you're caught by the £30,000 rule for 2027. It's possible to be under one threshold and over another.
The Rule Nobody Mentions: Once You're In, You're In For 3 Years
Cross a threshold and you don't just owe quarterly updates for that one year. HMRC keeps you inside MTD for a minimum of three tax years, even if your income falls back below the threshold the very next year. Plan your admin load with that in mind, not just for the year you're checking.
Who This Checker Is For
Built for gig drivers, delivery couriers, creators, freelancers, and marketplace sellers earning through more than one platform — Uber, Bolt, InDrive, DoorDash, Etsy, Upwork, YouTube, and similar — who have no single dashboard showing their combined gross turnover. It's also useful for anyone who additionally has rental income and needs to check the combined total, since HMRC counts self-employment and property together.
How To Use This Checker
- Step 1: Pick the tax year you want to check — this determines which threshold applies.
- Step 2: Check every box that applies — platform income, other self-employment income, and/or property income. They add up independently.
- Step 3: Add each platform and the gross amount it paid you that tax year. Add as many rows as you need.
- Step 4: If relevant, add your other self-employment income and/or your gross property income.
- Step 5: Read your result — whether you're over or under that year's threshold, and what it means if you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Free Tools
Once you know your qualifying income, these help with the rest of the picture: