Accounting

Making Tax Digital · South East

Making Tax Digital accountants in Dunstable

From April 2026, sole traders and landlords in Dunstable with qualifying income over £50,000 must keep digital records and send HMRC four quarterly updates a year, with the £30,000 threshold following in April 2027. We tell you exactly when it applies to you, get the software and records in order, and run the submissions for a fixed fee.

from £99 · fixed setup, then from £35/quarter

Next deadlines

  • MTD quarterly update deadline (7 August, 7 November, 7 February, 7 May)
  • VAT return and payment for the quarter that ended last month
  • VAT return and payment for the quarter that ended last month
  • VAT return and payment for the quarter that ended last month

Who this is for

Making Tax Digital for Dunstable

Sole traders and landlords in Dunstable with qualifying income over £50,000 who are already in MTD for Income Tax, those over £30,000 joining in April 2027 and £20,000 planned for April 2028, VAT-registered businesses still filing from spreadsheets or non-compliant software, and anyone who received an HMRC letter about digital record keeping and wants it handled rather than explained.

What is included

Everything inside the fixed fee

  • Your MTD start date confirmed from your 2024/25 qualifying income and HMRC's phased thresholds
  • MTD-compatible software chosen, set up and connected to HMRC with digital links from bank feeds
  • Digital record keeping configured so every transaction meets the requirements without re-keying
  • Quarterly updates submitted to HMRC by the 7th following each quarter, from your reconciled records
  • The year-end final declaration prepared and filed in place of the traditional Self Assessment return
  • MTD for VAT setup and the first return filed for businesses still on spreadsheets or old software

How it works

Making Tax Digital from Dunstable, step by step

  1. Scope the job

    We find out what you need filed, when it is due and what state the records are in, and tell you which fixed-fee package applies.

  2. Agree the price

    The fee is confirmed in writing. There is no hourly billing and nothing added for questions during the work.

  3. Hand over the records

    Photographs, PDFs, software access or a spreadsheet, sent however suits you. We confirm what we have and what is missing within two working days.

  4. Approve, then we submit

    You review the draft with our explanation, sign off, and we file. Receipts, copies and the next deadlines come back to you immediately.

Why IGI

Why Dunstable businesses file with IGI

No hourly rate and no surprise invoice. Dunstable clients know the fee for making tax digital before they send a single document, and it stays fixed.

Deadline-first: the dates that matter for making tax digital are shown at the top of this page, diarised for every Dunstable client and chased before they arrive.

Online only, UK based. There is no office in Dunstable to pay for, which is why the fee is the same here as anywhere in England; the work is done by people in the UK who answer the same day.

You get one contact for making tax digital, not a queue. Dunstable clients message the same person throughout and get an answer in working hours, usually within a few hours.

We explain making tax digital in the words Dunstable business owners use, not in accountant's shorthand, and we show our working so you can check it.

You stay in control of making tax digital: drafts go to Dunstable clients first, with the figures explained, and nothing leaves us until you say so.

Local facts

About Dunstable

Dunstable is in South East, in the LU6 postcode district, England. For businesses in England the tax rules are those set by the UK Parliament: the 20/40/45% income tax bands, Class 4 National Insurance for the self-employed at 6% and 2%, Corporation Tax at 19% to 25%, and Stamp Duty Land Tax on property. Business rates are set locally by the council.

Nearby places we also serve for making tax digital
PlaceDistanceDirection
Beecroft0.7 miW
Stipers Hill1 miSE
Houghton Regis1 miN
Chalk Hill, South East1 miNW
Sewell2 miNW
Tithe Farm2 miN
Well Head, South East2 miSW
Bidwell2 miN

Worth knowing

Rules that come up in this work

CIS deductions

Under the Construction Industry Scheme, contractors deduct 20% from a registered subcontractor's labour invoices, or 30% if unregistered, and pay it to HMRC. The subcontractor reclaims the deductions against their actual tax through Self Assessment, usually producing a refund because deductions are on turnover while tax is on profit. Contractors file a monthly return by the 19th.

Closing a company

Voluntary strike-off is available only to solvent companies. One that owes money it cannot pay needs a creditors' voluntary liquidation through a licensed insolvency practitioner, and directors who dissolve an insolvent company face personal consequences. For a solvent company the process takes three to four months from filing the DS01, with notice to creditors and shareholders within seven days.

Confirmation statements and identity verification

Companies House has tightened its requirements under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act: every company needs a registered email address and an appropriate registered office, every statement includes a lawful-purpose declaration, and every director and PSC must verify their identity. The confirmation statement, due annually with a £50 fee, is where most of this is confirmed.

Switching accountants

Changing accountant is simpler than most people fear. You authorise the new firm, which writes to the old one for professional clearance and your records; the outgoing accountant must hand over your own documents and usually does within two weeks. The new firm registers as your agent with HMRC and picks up the next filing. There is no need to wait for a year end.

Payments on account

If your Self Assessment bill exceeds £1,000 and less than 80% of your tax was collected at source, HMRC asks for two advance payments towards the following year, each half of the current bill, due 31 January and 31 July. The first year this happens the January payment is effectively one and a half times the bill. We model it in advance and show you how to reduce the payments if income is falling.

The 60-day property CGT return

The 60-day Capital Gains Tax return on residential property is the deadline landlords most often miss, because it falls outside the Self Assessment cycle and runs from completion, not exchange. Private residence relief for periods you lived in the property, plus the final nine months, reduces the gain. Penalties for a late return mirror Self Assessment, starting at £100.

The Self Assessment calendar

Self Assessment runs on a fixed annual cycle. Registration by 5 October following the tax year, online filing and payment by 31 January, and a second instalment on 31 July for those making payments on account. The penalties for lateness are automatic and escalate monthly, which is why we file early and chase approvals well before the window closes.

Questions

Making Tax Digital questions from Dunstable

Can I do MTD myself without an accountant?

Yes, if you are comfortable keeping the records digitally and submitting four updates and a declaration each year on time. Many sole traders do. The value we add is in the setup being right, the categories mapping correctly to HMRC's lines, the deadlines never being missed and the year-end declaration including the adjustments and allowances that reduce your tax.

What is the full MTD service?

From £299 a year: software subscription guidance, digital record review each quarter, the four quarterly updates submitted, and the year-end final declaration prepared and filed with capital allowances, adjustments and all other income included. It replaces the traditional Self Assessment fee for clients in MTD. Bookkeeping can be added if you would rather not do the recording.

How does MTD for VAT differ?

MTD for VAT has applied to all VAT-registered businesses since April 2022: digital records and returns submitted through compatible software, with the same quarterly return as before. If you are still typing figures into a portal or using software that is not linked, you are non-compliant. Our £129 setup includes the first return filed.

What if my income drops below the threshold later?

Once in MTD you stay in unless your qualifying income falls below the threshold for three consecutive years, after which you can apply to leave. There are exemptions for digital exclusion on grounds of age, disability, location or religion, which must be applied for and granted by HMRC.

I am a landlord with a job. Does MTD apply to my rental income?

Yes, if your gross rental income, added to any self-employment income, exceeds the threshold for your start year. Employment income does not count towards the threshold but is reported in the final declaration. Jointly owned property has simplified rules allowing the income-only reporting of your share each quarter.

What are the penalties under MTD?

A points-based system: one point for each late quarterly update or declaration, and a £200 penalty once you reach four points, with the count resetting after a period of compliance. Late payment penalties start at 3% after 15 days. The first year has been described by HMRC as light-touch, but points still accrue.

How do I get started from Dunstable?

Message us on WhatsApp or email with a sentence about your business and what you need. We reply in working hours with any questions and a fixed fee for making tax digital. Once you confirm, we tell you exactly which records to send and the work begins. Most Dunstable clients are set up within a day.

Which deadlines matter most for making tax digital?

The next four dates that apply to making tax digital are shown at the top of this page, calculated from today. For Dunstable clients we diarise every one of them from the day you join and send reminders before each, so the work is done in good time rather than in the last week before a penalty.

Fixed fees, filed on time, for Dunstable

Tell us what you need. You get one fixed fee in writing, and nothing is filed until you approve it.

WhatsApp for a fixed quote