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18 October 2026

How to chase clients for MTD quarterly updates (with email templates)

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax did not invent client chasing. It made you run the same chase four times a year instead of once.

The first quarterly deadline was 7 August 2026, and surveys after it show the cost. Accountants Therapy surveyed 142 practitioners, and ICAEW reported that 67% of them said getting information from clients was the biggest obstacle to Q1 submissions (ICAEW, 27 Aug 2026). Dext polled more than 500 accountants and bookkeepers. 65% missed the deadline for at least one client, and 33% named chasing client records as their biggest challenge. HMRC registration came next at 9% (Merchants Eye / Dext, 14 Aug 2026).

AccountingWEB asked practitioners how long MTD takes. The most common answer for talking to clients and chasing information was 30 to 60 minutes per client per quarter. Filing the update often took 15 to 30 minutes (AccountingWEB, 30 Sep 2026).

This page sets out a chase process you can run from email and a spreadsheet today. It is not tax advice. Check current HMRC guidance for your clients.

Set your own deadline, then HMRC's

HMRC's quarterly update deadlines for standard update periods in 2026/27 are 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May (GOV.UK penalties guidance; HMRC campaign timeline).

Set your working deadline earlier. If you start collecting records on HMRC's date, you leave no time to review them. AccountingWEB's advice after Q1 is to collect records, do the bookkeeping, review it and fix software problems before the statutory date, and to keep the same schedule every quarter (AccountingWEB, 13 Oct 2026).

A sole practitioner could use this schedule:

  1. On the day after the quarter ends, send the records request.
  2. On day 7, send a first reminder that lists what is still missing.
  3. On day 14, send a second reminder.
  4. On day 21, send a final written chase, then phone anyone who has not replied.
  5. Set an internal cut-off about 10 working days before HMRC's deadline, so you have time to review and file.

HMRC will not give penalty points for late quarterly updates in 2026/27. Your clients still need to send the updates before they can submit the tax return (GOV.UK). So don't use penalties to scare clients this tax year. Give them a clear list and send reminders on fixed days.

What to ask for (keep the list short)

Ask only for what you need to build that client's digital records for the period. Clients ignore long lists.

For many self-employed clients, ask for:

For UK property clients, ask for:

Tell clients to reply to this email with the files attached, or give them one upload link. ICAEW quoted forum posts in which clients replied "I'll get back to you after my busy period" (ICAEW). A checklist with one way to reply gets more answers than "please send everything".

Email templates

Replace the text in square brackets. Send from your practice domain. Keep one email thread per client per quarter, so you can see which items are still missing.

Template A, the first request (day after quarter end)

Subject: [Client name] records for [period dates], due to us by [your internal date]

Hi [First name],

We are preparing your Making Tax Digital quarterly update for [period dates]. HMRC's filing deadline is [HMRC date]. We need time to check the figures, so please send the items below by [your internal date].

Please reply to this email with:

1. [Item 1]
2. [Item 2]
3. [Item 3]

If something does not apply this quarter, reply and say so. If you will be late, tell us a date and we will move the reminders.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Practice]

Template B, the day 7 reminder (list what is still missing)

Subject: Still needed for your [Client name] MTD update

Hi [First name],

Thanks if you have already started. We still need these items for your [period] update:

- [Missing item]
- [Missing item]

Reply with the files, or tell us if one of these does not apply.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Template C, the day 14 reminder

Subject: Second reminder for [Client name] MTD records

Hi [First name],

We cannot file your quarterly update until we have these items:

- [Missing item]
- [Missing item]

Our internal cut-off is [date]. If we get them after that, we may miss HMRC's [HMRC date] deadline.

Reply to this email, or call [number] if you would rather talk it through.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Template D, the day 21 final written chase

Subject: Last email before we call about [Client name] MTD records

Hi [First name],

This is our last email about your [period] records. We still need:

- [Missing item]

If we do not hear from you by [date], we will phone you. If you want us to pause work until you are ready, reply with a date.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Track status in one place

A spreadsheet is enough to start. Give it columns for client, income type, request sent, reminders sent, items outstanding, and whether the client is done or needs a call. AccountingWEB reported data from the practice software firm Sodium on how often requests go unanswered. Of 1,940 document requests, 520 got a response (AccountingWEB, 6 Oct 2026). A "still missing" column means you stop rereading the same email threads.

When email alone is not enough

Some clients will not attach files, and some refuse to use portals. MTD adds frequency. With four chase cycles a year, a sequence that sends itself saves you remembering each reminder.

We are building Recordsin to send that sequence for you. Each chase lists what is still missing, and clients reply by email, so their attachments go against the right client and quarter. Join the waitlist at recordsin.co.uk.