April 2026

Technical and Client Update

In this issue

Making Tax Digital for income tax – Go Live!

What else is changing in the 2026/27 tax year?

Dividends: HMRC are watching!

Employers: are you ready for a new tax year?

Tax data card 2026/27

Making Tax Digital for income tax – Go Live!

The commencement of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax is now live! This is the new 2026/27 tax year regime for self-employed individuals and landlords if they have business and/or property income (i.e. total takings, not net profits) of more than £50,000 per annum. MTD requires digital record-keeping and quarterly updates to HMRC, with the first such update due by 7 August 2026. 

The final MTD Regulations were laid before Parliament on 24 March 2026.

If you are one of the 860,000 individuals moving into the new regime, HMRC are also keen to stress that a normal annual tax return will still be required for the 2025/26 tax year. This means that in addition to providing HMRC with quarterly updates during the year to 5 April 2027, your annual 2025/26 tax return will still need to be filed by 31 January 2027.

We have been assisting our clients with the move to MTD. Please do reach out if we are not already planning your transition into this new digital regime.

What else is changing in the 2026/27 tax year?

It can be hard to keep track of tax changes, with the start of a new tax year often bringing new rates, allowances and other legislative changes. To make things easier, here is a list of the key tax changes that will take effect from April 2026.

INCOME TAX

In 2026/27 income tax rates, thresholds and bands generally remain at their 2025/26 levels. One key change from 6 April 2026 is the rate of income tax that applies to dividend income. For dividends falling within a taxpayer’s £37,700 basic rate band, the rate increases to 10.75% (from 8.75%). For dividends in the higher rate band (£37,701 - £125,140), the rate increases to 35.75% (from 33.75%). The rate of income tax on dividends above the additional rate threshold (£125,140) remains unchanged at 39.35%.

CORPORATION TAX

The rate of tax (known as the ‘s455’ tax charge) on loans to ‘participators’ (broadly shareholders) in ‘close companies’ (broadly companies controlled by 5 or fewer participators), is set according to the dividend upper rate. This means that the tax charge on loans that remain unpaid 9 months and 1 day after the accounting period end will increase to 35.75% for loans and advances made on or after 6 April 2026.

Another key corporation tax change is the new penalty amounts applicable to late-filed corporation tax returns. For returns with a due date that is on or after 1 April 2026, the penalties are:

Lateness

Penalty at new rate

Missed filing deadline

£200

3 months late

£400

Third consecutive failure, missed filing deadline

£1,000

Third consecutive failure, 3 months late

£2,000

CAPITAL GAINS TAX

The CGT rates applicable to gains qualifying for both Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) and Investors’ Relief (IR) are set to increase again to 18% on 6 April 2026. The rates previously increased to 14% (from 10%) on 6 April 2025.

VAT

From 1 April 2026, a new relief will exclude most donations of business goods to charities from the deemed-supply VAT rules.

Dividends: HMRC are watching!

NEW CONSULTATION ON REPORTING COMPANY PAYMENTS TO PARTICIPATORS

Returning to corporation tax, a new consultation, ‘Reporting company payments to participators’ has been published, inviting views on proposals to introduce new requirements to report transactions between close companies and their participators to HMRC.

The government believes that the risk of error and tax evasion is greatest in close companies, where the legal distinction between the company and its participators is sometimes misunderstood, and the level of control can enable tax avoidance. HMRC's investigations have concluded that they are not receiving the full picture on how close companies interact with their participators.

Under the proposals, close companies will be required to provide HMRC with detailed information on transactions between the company and its participators, including:

  • Payments, via cash, bank transfer or otherwise.
  • Loan repayments and write offs.
  • Sales of assets to the company.
  • Purchases of assets from the company.
  • Dividends or other distributions.
  • Any other transfer of value from the company to the participator.

Salary and wage payments would not need to be reported under any new mechanism introduced, as they are already captured as part of PAYE reporting.

We are monitoring this development closely and will keep you updated as plans develop.

NEW DIVIDEND DATA BEING COLLECTED VIA 2025/26 SELF ASSESSMENTS

Finance Act 2024 introduced powers to enable the collection of additional data on income tax self-assessment and allowed for HMRC to specify the particular information required.

HMRC now have powers to collect additional information from company directors and, as a result, the 2025/26 self-assessment tax returns will require the following information:

  • If the taxpayer was a director of a company;
  • If the company was a close company;
  • The company’s name and registration number;
  • Dividends the taxpayer received from the close company during the tax year; and
  • The highest percentage shareholding that the taxpayer held during the tax year.

Combined with the above consultation and more detailed disclosure requirements for company accounts, we can see that HMRC will have increased access to information on dividends and director transactions. It will pay to make sure that dividend procedures are tight, lawful and compliant. Please do contact us if we can assist in this regard.

Employers: are you ready for a new tax year?

ESSENTIAL PAYROLL TASKS

The end of the 2025/26 tax year will soon be here, which means a few additional tasks to carry out on your payroll, if you run one.

If you run a payroll, you will need to report information on the tax year that is ending to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The tax year ends on 5 April 2026.

You will also need to prepare for the new tax year, which starts on 6 April.

HMRC provide the following handy list of tasks that need to be carried out and when.

  • Send your final payroll report of the year on or before your employee’s payday.
  • Update employee payroll records and payroll software from 6 April.
  • Give your employees a P60 by 31 May.
  • Report employee expenses and benefits by 6 July.

If you would like help with any of these tasks, please do get in touch. We would be happy to help you!

Tax data card 2026/27

A copy of our 2026/27 Tax Rates Card, which summarises many of the rates and allowances fundamental to our business and personal lives is available to download. We are sure that you will find it as a useful point of reference throughout the coming tax year.

Our tax card is intended for use as a quick point of reference. Should you require any further information, have a simple question or require detailed advice, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Download Tax Rate Card

The information provided within our E-Newsletters are general in nature to raise awareness of certain issues that may affect our clients. It is not a substitute for specific advice in your own circumstances. You are recommended to obtain specific professional advice from a professional advisor before you take any action or refrain from action.

Whilst we endeavour to use reasonable efforts to furnish accurate, complete, reliable, error free and up-to-date information, we do not warrant that it is such. We disclaim all warranties.

The information can only provide an overview of the regulations and matters for consideration in force at the date of publication, and no action should be taken without consulting the detailed legislation or seeking professional advice.