What it looks like
These are the four example rows that come in the sheet (one flat owned outright, one house owned 50:50). You type the white columns; the blue ones work themselves out.
| Date | Property | Category | Amount | Your share | HMRC category | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28/04/2026 | Flat 2 Elm Rd | Rent | 950.00 | 950.00 | Total rent | 1 |
| 06/05/2026 | Flat 2 Elm Rd | Repairs and maintenance | 90.00 | 90.00 | Property repairs and maintenance | 1 |
| 15/05/2026 | 12 Park St | Residential finance costs | 410.00 | 205.00 | Residential property finance costs | 1 |
| 10/07/2026 | 12 Park St | Rent | 1,200.00 | 600.00 | Total rent | 2 |
10 July is in period 2 because standard update periods follow the tax year: 6 April to 5 July, 6 July to 5 October, and so on.
And the Quarterly updates tab for those rows (2026/27, cumulative, as HMRC wants each update):
| HMRC category | Update 1 to 5 Jul | Update 2 to 5 Oct | Update 3 to 5 Jan | Update 4 to 5 Apr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total rent | 950.00 | 1,550.00 | 1,550.00 | 1,550.00 |
| Property repairs and maintenance | 90.00 | 90.00 | 90.00 | 90.00 |
| Residential property finance costs | 205.00 | 205.00 | 205.00 | 205.00 |
| Deadline | 7 Aug 2026 | 7 Nov 2026 | 7 Feb 2027 | 7 May 2027 |
All 13 HMRC UK property categories are listed (most are zero here), plus each period on its own, the rows-needing-attention count and the brought-forward finance costs line.
£14
The spreadsheet (.xlsx), a CSV template for pasting bank lines and a quick-start note. For your own property business, yours to keep.
Secure checkout by Polar, our merchant of record. Your receipt email has the download link.
What's inside
- Setup: pick the tax year (2025/26, 2026/27 or 2027/28) and standard or calendar update periods, and list up to 10 properties with your share and type (residential, non-residential, room in your home).
- Transactions: 1,000 rows with dropdowns for property and category. Your share, the HMRC category, tax year and update period fill in, and a check column flags a missing date, category or property.
- Quarterly updates: totals for each HMRC UK property category, per period and cumulative, with the deadline for each update, the jointly-let option explained, and one expenses total for landlords under £90,000.
- By property: income, costs and profit for each property, so you can see which one earns its keep.
- Year summary: SA105 boxes 20 to 29, 36, 44 and 45, the £1,000 property allowance comparison, rent from rooms in your home, and the Making Tax Digital qualifying income check (£50,000, £30,000 or £20,000 depending on the year).
- Categories: what goes where, with examples and what doesn't count (deposits you hold, mortgage capital, improvements).
Why keep records this way now
From 6 April 2026 landlords and sole traders with more than £50,000 of qualifying income must keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates; from April 2027 it's more than £30,000 (tested on 2025/26 income), and from April 2028 more than £20,000 (gov.uk). Qualifying income is your gross rent (your share) plus any self-employment turnover, not your profit. Not sure if that's you? The free £30,000 test works it out.
Each update has to use HMRC's categories and cover the tax year so far (gov.uk, send quarterly updates). This sheet uses the exact names in HMRC's quarterly update direction, so the totals match what your bridging software asks for. Even if you're not in MTD yet, the same figures fill in the SA105 pages of your tax return.
Raising the rent this year? In England, since 1 May 2026, the only way is a Section 13 notice on Form 4A. Our free rent increase date calculator gives the earliest start date and the last day to serve.
Honest notes
- It's a record-keeping template, not tax advice. It adds up your figures in HMRC's categories; it doesn't work out your tax. Check gov.uk or an accountant for your situation.
- It doesn't send anything to HMRC. Under Making Tax Digital you also need bridging software to send the updates from a spreadsheet (HMRC's software finder lists them). We don't recommend a product.
- UK property only: foreign property is a separate business with its own records. Cash basis (money in and out when paid), the default for property income up to £150,000.
- Lease premiums are shown in full: only part is taxable, so use HMRC's working sheet if you had one.
- Categories and box numbers were checked against HMRC's direction and the SA105 2026 form and notes on 29 October 2026.
- Built with AI (Claude) and tested automatically: the workbook is recalculated in LibreOffice and checked against 60 tests, including period boundaries (5 and 6 July), joint shares, refunds, calendar periods and the "more than £30,000" rule.
Questions
Is a spreadsheet allowed for Making Tax Digital?
Yes, with bridging software. HMRC accepts spreadsheets as digital records if the figures reach HMRC digitally, for example through linked cells or a CSV import into bridging software; retyping or copying and pasting between sheets is not allowed. This sheet keeps every quarterly total in a fixed cell so bridging tools can read it. It does not send anything to HMRC itself.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. It also opens in Excel, LibreOffice Calc and Apple Numbers.
How does it handle a jointly owned property?
You enter the full rent or bill and your share on the Setup tab (for example 50%). Every total then uses your share, which is what you report.
Where does mortgage interest go?
Pick 'Residential finance costs'. It goes into the quarterly update and SA105 box 44, but isn't taken off your profit: for residential lets HMRC gives a basic-rate tax reduction instead. The sheet keeps it separate.
Is this tax advice?
No. It's a record-keeping template that adds up your figures in HMRC's categories. It doesn't work out your tax. Check gov.uk or an accountant for your situation.
Do you see my figures?
No. It's a file on your computer or in your own Google Drive. Nothing is sent to us.
What if it doesn't work for me?
If it doesn't work as described, reply to your receipt within 14 days, tell us what went wrong, and you'll get a full refund (terms).
I'm a letting agent or bookkeeper.
The licence covers one property business, so use one copy per client. Bookkeepers: our free MTD guide for bookkeepers has a deadline checker and a client email.