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Checklist · Internal
MTD ITSA Checklist for Accountants
Work through your client list, your records and your quarterly timetable before the first submission window opens.
Built by a practising Chartered Accountant · Unlimited users · 60-day free trial · Last updated 27 September 2026
Quick answer
An MTD ITSA checklist helps your practice identify which sole trader and landlord clients fall in scope, confirm their qualifying income, set up digital record keeping, agree who sends quarterly updates, and build a repeating internal timetable. In Remindoo you turn each stage into recurring tasks per client so nothing slips.
How do you work out which clients are in scope for MTD ITSA?
Start from qualifying income — combined gross self-employment and property income before expenses — and check it against the threshold for the tax year the client is being tested on.
Pull a list of every self assessment client with self-employment or property pages, then record their latest qualifying income against each threshold date. Clients close to a threshold need watching each year, because crossing it in one year brings them into scope for a later one. Always check the current GOV.UK guidance for the thresholds and dates that apply.
What record keeping does each client need in place?
Clients need digital records of their business income and expenses, kept in software that can send quarterly updates, with digital links rather than retyping between systems.
Group clients by how they keep records today: bookkeeping software, spreadsheets, or bags of paper. Each group needs a different conversation and a different amount of lead time. Agree who enters the data, how bank feeds are set up, and what happens to receipts.
How do you build the quarterly timetable into your practice?
Create a recurring internal job per client for each quarterly period, with your own internal deadline ahead of the statutory one, and a final declaration job after the year end.
Firms that survive quarterly filing are the ones that set internal deadlines early and chase records on a schedule rather than in a panic. Remindoo creates the recurring jobs, assigns them, and sends the client reminders, so the same routine runs every quarter without anyone rebuilding a spreadsheet.
Checklist preview
0/8 done · showing 8 of 22 itemsThe full 22-item checklist is in the download below. Enter your name and email to get it as a Word or PDF file.
This is a standard checklist. Each firm's requirements may vary, so please cross-check everything against current GOV.UK, Companies House and professional body guidance before relying on it.
See it working with your own clients
A 30-minute walkthrough using your services, deadlines and templates.
Turn this into a task and subtask template in Remindoo
Save each group as a task with subtasks, attach it to the right service and let recurring tasks create it for every client, every period. Each item gets an owner and a deadline, and nothing depends on someone remembering to print the list. See task and subtask templates.
Recurring tasks
Repeat work is created automatically on schedule.
See featureAutomated reminders
Timely prompts before work becomes urgent.
See featureService templates
Repeatable structures for every service.
See featureInternal vs external deadlines
Build a buffer before every statutory date.
See featureCentralised client information
Services, documents and notes in one record.
See featureWhat are the common mistakes?
- Testing qualifying income on the wrong tax year
- Leaving spreadsheet clients until the final few months
- Not repricing for four submissions a year instead of one
- No internal deadline ahead of the statutory date
- Assuming the client will chase their own records
“Companies House integration onboards clients in minutes; AML scoring keeps us compliant.”
Frequently asked questions
What is MTD ITSA?
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment. In-scope sole traders and landlords keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC, followed by a final declaration after the tax year ends.
Does Remindoo file quarterly updates to HMRC?
No. Remindoo manages the workflow — records chasing, deadlines, tasks and client communication. Filing happens in your MTD-compatible filing software.
How do I check a client's qualifying income?
Use gross self-employment and property income combined, before expenses, from the tax year HMRC tests. Check the current rules and dates on GOV.UK before advising a client.
Do clients still do a final return?
Yes. Quarterly updates are followed by a final declaration that brings in everything else, such as employment income, dividends, interest and reliefs.
How many extra jobs does this create per client?
Four quarterly updates plus a final declaration, so five pieces of work a year per in-scope client rather than one annual return.
Can I run this alongside my existing self assessment process?
Yes. Most firms keep their annual final-declaration process and add a recurring quarterly routine in front of it for in-scope clients only.
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Sources
Last updated 27 September 2026. General guidance, not regulatory advice.
Why recording every task matters in an accountancy practice
Accounting firms run on deadlines: VAT returns, payroll, confirmation statements, accounts and Self Assessment. Recording every job as a task, with an owner and a date, is the simplest way to make sure nothing is missed.
Avoid penalties
HMRC and Companies House charge penalties for late filing. A task for every deadline, with an internal date before it, gives the team a buffer.
Nothing depends on memory
Recorded tasks mean work continues when someone is off sick, on leave or has left the firm.
Consistent quality
Subtask checklists make every job follow the same steps and reviews, whoever does the work.
Visibility for managers
Filters by owner, status and deadline show at a glance what is late, what is due and who needs help.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Set an internal deadline two to four weeks before every statutory deadline.
- Use recurring tasks for repeat work such as VAT, payroll and bookkeeping.
- Break larger jobs into subtasks, including a review step.
- Comment on the task instead of by email, so the history stays with the work.
Related Remindoo features
Written and reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT, Chartered Accountant with 18+ years in practice. Founder and MD of Accotax, an ICAEW, ACCA and AAT regulated London practice that has served over 5,000 clients, and founder of Remindoo. Guidance is general; check current GOV.UK and professional body guidance for your firm.
What UK practices say about Remindoo
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“It brings client information, tasks, recurring deadlines, workflows and reminders together in one place, giving us much better visibility across the team.”
