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Submit your quarterly update and check HMRC has received it

Shannon Brady
  • Updated

Generate the quarterly update on General Ledger → MTD ITSA, check it, submit it, and wait for the status to change from Submitted to Fulfilled.

 

Submit your quarterly update

  1. Make sure all transactions for the quarter are in BrightBooks.
  2. In the left-hand toolbar, select General Ledger, then select MTD ITSA.
  3. Hover over the quarter, open the drop-down menu on the right and select Generate.
  4. From the same drop-down, select Print (or Preview) and check the figures.
  5. From the drop-down, select Submit MTD Return.
  6. Tick the legal declaration that the information is true and complete, and submit.

 

Check HMRC has received it

  1. On General Ledger → MTD ITSA, check the status. It moves from Open to Generated, then Submitted, then Fulfilled once HMRC has accepted it.
  2. Agents: open the return and select View Individual Calculation on HMRC to see what HMRC holds in its Business Tax Account.

 

Correcting an update you’ve already sent

Quarterly updates are cumulative, so correct the transactions in BrightBooks and they’ll be included in your next update. For HMRC’s rules, see GOV.UK: Send quarterly updates.

 

Known errors and how to fix them

Find the message you’re seeing:

  • You can’t see the declaration tick box
  • “Server Error”, HMRC unavailable or planned maintenance
  • You’re told you’re submitting too early (RULE_EARLY_DATA_SUBMISSION_NOT_ACCEPTED)
  • The status stays Submitted
  • Print MTD ITSA Return keeps loading
  • You see an error when you open General Ledger → MTD

 

You can’t see the declaration tick box

What you’ll see

  • The submit screen shows your figures but no declaration tick box.

Why it happens

On smaller browser windows the declaration can sit off screen. We’re fixing this.

How to fix it

  1. Maximise your browser window.
  2. Zoom out: press Ctrl and minus (Windows) or Cmd and minus (Mac).
  3. Scroll down below the figures, tick the declaration and submit.

Still not working? Contact us if: you still can’t see the tick box.

 

“Server Error”, HMRC unavailable or planned maintenance

What you’ll see

  • “Server Error”, a message that HMRC is unavailable or in maintenance, or the submission times out.

Why it happens

HMRC’s service is down or in planned maintenance. After a timeout, HMRC may or may not have received the update.

How to fix it

  1. Check HMRC’s service status pages (links below).
  2. If HMRC lists downtime, wait until the end time shown.
  3. Check the status on General Ledger → MTD ITSA. If it shows Submitted or Fulfilled, don’t submit again.
  4. Try again.

Still not working? Contact us if: hMRC lists no problem and the error continues for more than an hour.

 

You’re told you’re submitting too early (RULE_EARLY_DATA_SUBMISSION_NOT_ACCEPTED)

What you’ll see

  • An error saying the update was sent too early.

Why it happens

HMRC only accepts a quarterly update from 10 days before the quarter ends.

How to fix it

  1. Wait until no more than 10 days before the quarter ends, then submit.

 

The status stays Submitted

What you’ll see

  • The update doesn’t move to Fulfilled.

Why it happens

HMRC hasn’t confirmed the update back to BrightBooks yet.

How to fix it

  1. Refresh General Ledger → MTD ITSA.
  2. Agents: select View Individual Calculation on HMRC to check HMRC has the update.

Still not working? Contact us if: hMRC shows the update but BrightBooks still says Submitted, or HMRC has no record of it.

 

Print MTD ITSA Return keeps loading

What you’ll see

  • The print screen for a submitted update keeps loading or shows a blank page.

Why it happens

This was a BrightBooks issue, fixed on 12 October 2026.

How to fix it

  1. Refresh the page and try again.

Still not working? Contact us if: it still doesn’t load.

 

You see an error when you open General Ledger → MTD

What you’ll see

  • An error page when you open the MTD screens, before anything is sent to HMRC.

Why it happens

We’re investigating reports of this from October 2026.

How to fix it

  1. Refresh the page.
  2. Try a different browser.

Still not working? Contact us if: the error continues after you refresh and try another browser.

 

Still need help?

Contact our support team. Send us the business name, the quarter and a screenshot.

 

Find out more on GOV.UK