Standard or Calendar Quarters: Which Should You Pick?

When you join Making Tax Digital for Income Tax you can send your quarterly updates on standard quarters or on calendar quarters. The amount you report over the year is the same either way, but the dates are different.

Standard quarters

Standard quarters follow the tax year, which starts on 6 April:

• 6 April to 5 July — update due by 7 August
• 6 July to 5 October — update due by 7 November
• 6 October to 5 January — update due by 7 February
• 6 January to 5 April — update due by 7 May

Calendar quarters

Calendar quarters end on the last day of the month instead. The first period starts on 6 April and the last ends on 5 April:

• 6 April to 30 June — update due by 5 August
• 1 July to 30 September — update due by 5 November
• 1 October to 31 December — update due by 5 February
• 1 January to 5 April — update due by 5 May

How to decide

Calendar quarters line up with month-end bookkeeping and bank statements, which makes them tidy if you reconcile monthly. Standard quarters give you a couple of extra days before each deadline, which some people like. Neither is better for tax. It's purely about what fits your routine.

Setting it up

You choose your quarters through your software. Make the choice before you send your first update of the tax year, and check HMRC's current guidance if you want to change it later. AppyTax supports both options.