Whether you're in, when you start, what to record and when each update is due. On GOV.UK it's a wall of text. Here each topic fits on one page, with the drawing and what to remember. Checked against HMRC guidance in November 2026. 65 drawn pages.
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One topic per page, the drawing that shows you how it works and the boxes with what you need to know:
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These are real pages from the book. The table of contents is the full one: 11 parts and 61 topics.
You've read the GOV.UK page on digital records three times. You close the tab...
...and you still don't know what each record actually has to hold. It was just lines of text.
Here a digital record is one page: a single receipt drawn with three boxes beside it, the amount, the date and the category.
And on the pages next to it every rule has its own: digital links, the five-year rule, correcting mistakes in the next update, daily gross takings and the deadline for each update.
First you see why it's done that way. Then the three fields stay with you on their own.
Who's in, the MTD year, digital records, sole trader income and expenses, property income, software and bridging, signing up, penalties, exemptions, worked cases and checklists: 65 pages, all drawn
Imagine this:
Instead of rereading half a page on update periods without being able to picture them...
...you open the page and find the whole tax year drawn as one wheel, from 6 April to 5 April, with four flags on the 7th and one on 31 January.
And qualifying income, the threshold staircase, digital records, the expense categories and penalty points become drawings and tables you can read at a glance.
You stop rereading and start understanding.
That's exactly what The Making Tax Digital Sketchbook does. It's not “another guide”. It's 11 parts and 61 drawn topics, and at the end five worked cases with fictional people, the ten common mistakes and the checklists.
Because what your brain sees organised, it remembers.
MTD on one page, who's in, what counts as qualifying income, the £50k, £30k and £20k staircase, which tax return puts you in and how to use the book.
The tax year clock, four cumulative updates, standard vs calendar periods, the 7th-of-the-month deadlines, from the fourth update to the return, and the 2026-27 timetable.
What a digital record holds, recording before each deadline, digital links, the five-year rule, correcting mistakes and daily gross takings for retailers.
Turnover and other business income, the 13 expense categories, simpler categorisation under £90,000, mixed-use costs, the £1,000 trading allowance and cash basis vs traditional accounting.
Property income and expense categories, residential finance costs, jointly let property, the income-only option for joint owners, the property allowance and Rent a Room.
Record-keeping vs bridging software, spreadsheets plus bridging step by step, a neutral checklist for choosing, the 18-month reconnect, error prompts and in-year estimates.
What to gather, the sign-up journey in six steps, volunteers and agents, HMRC sign-ups from September 2026 and adding or ceasing an income source.
The penalty points ladder, no quarterly points in 2026-27, how points expire or reset, late payment penalties at day 15 and day 30, the rates and the volunteer threshold.
Automatic exemptions, digital exclusion, temporary exemptions until April 2027, partnerships and others not yet in, and opting out after three years below.
A plumber, a landlord with two flats, a joint owner, trading plus letting and joining mid-year: fictional people, no tax calculations.
Ten common mistakes, the quarterly pre-flight checklist, the year-end return checklist, your 2027-28 calendar and where to check the official guidance.
At the end of the book: 5 worked cases with fictional people, the 10 common mistakes, 2 checklists and your 2027-28 MTD calendar.
One printable page with the four update deadlines and the 31 January tax return date on a single year wheel, to pin up and check at a glance.
Go over the words that cause frequent mix-ups (qualifying income, digital links, bridging software, update period): the term on the front, a one-line definition and a tiny sketch on the back.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
PDF by email: The Making Tax Digital Sketchbook reaches your inbox as a PDF, and the two free books come by email too. One-time payment, no installments or hidden costs.
In from April 2027 or April 2028? See whether you're in, which return decides it and what to gather, one page at a time, before you sign up.
The four income boxes, the expense categories and your share of a jointly let property, drawn so you know where each figure goes.
The year wheel, the four update deadlines and the checklists to keep to hand, print and pin up next to the wall planner.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
30-day guarantee: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You have 30 days to try The Making Tax Digital Sketchbook and the two free books. If it doesn't work for you, email us, tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100% of what you paid. One-off payment, no subscriptions and no surprises.
You receive The Making Tax Digital Sketchbook as a high-resolution PDF by email, at the address you enter when you pay, to read on your phone or print. The two free books, The MTD Year Wall Planner and 250 MTD Terms on Cards, come by email too.
A one-off payment of US$ 37. No instalments and no subscription.
For UK sole traders and landlords getting ready for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: tradespeople, landlords with one or more properties, joint owners and people with both trading and letting income, whether you're in from April 2026, 2027 or 2028. Have a look at the contents above to see the topics.
Yes. It's based on HMRC's guidance on GOV.UK for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: who needs to use it, qualifying income, quarterly updates, digital records, penalties and exemptions. Everything was checked on 11 November 2026. Rules can change, so the last part of the book shows you where on GOV.UK to check.
No. It's an independent drawn guide. We're not affiliated with HMRC or GOV.UK, it uses no official logos and it doesn't recommend any software.
No. It's an educational guide, not tax or financial advice, and it doesn't calculate any tax. It follows the same HMRC rules your accountant works with, so it helps you understand what they ask you for and talk to them with the basics clear. For your own situation, check GOV.UK or your accountant.
No. The five cases (a plumber, a landlord with two flats, a joint owner, trading plus letting, and joining mid-year) use fictional people and were written for this book. They show only the qualifying-income check, the categories and the deadlines.
Yes. It's a printable PDF: print the whole book or just the pages you need, and pin the wall planner up where you'll see it.
You have 30 days: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You don't have to reread the same page hoping it sticks this time.
You don't have to memorise deadlines you can't picture.
And you certainly don't have to reach your start date without knowing where to begin.
There's a simpler way. And it's one click away. Now it's your turn.
One-time payment: US$ 37 · Guarantee: 30 days · PDF by email
YES, I WANT THE MAKING TAX DIGITAL SKETCHBOOK FOR US$ 37📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
