Data Bridge User Guide: Import Excel Data for MTD ITSA

Data Bridge lets you bring the figures from your own spreadsheet into your Making Tax Digital (MTD) quarterly update. Instead of re-typing numbers, you upload your spreadsheet, point at the cells that hold each figure, and submit.

In short: choose the business and period → upload your file → click a number in the sheet → pick which MTD field it belongs to → import.

Before you start

You will need:

• A spreadsheet in Excel (.xls, .xlsx) format (CSV files are not supported; open them in Excel and save as .xlsx first) containing your cumulative figures for the period (for example, total income and expenses from the start of the tax year to the end of the quarter).
• Your business to be already set up and connected to HMRC, so that its quarterly obligations can be retrieved.

Tip: Figures should be cumulative (year-to-date), not just for the single quarter.

Step 1 – Start an import

1. Go to Income Tax → Data Bridge (the page titled Cumulative Income & Expense Imports).
2. Use the Tax Year drop-down to choose the tax year you are working on. The grid lists any previous imports for that year (period start and end dates, business type and the date imported).
3. Click Import in the toolbar. The Import Excel File panel opens.

Step 2 – Choose the business and obligation period

1. Business – select the business you are reporting for. Its type (Self Employment, UK Property or Foreign Property) decides which MTD fields are offered later.
2. Obligation Period – once a business is chosen, the periods HMRC expects from you are loaded automatically. Select the period (start date – end date) you are submitting.
   • If you see "No obligations found for this business", HMRC has no open periods for it; there is nothing to import.
3. File – choose your spreadsheet.
4. Click Upload.

All three fields are required. If one is missing, a red message tells you which.

Step 3 – Map your data

After upload, the Map Your MTD Data screen opens full-screen. The title shows the business name and the period you selected.

The screen has two halves:

Moving between sheets

If your workbook has more than one sheet, use the Select Sheet drop-down above the spreadsheet. The sheet loads as soon as you choose it.

• Sheets are labelled S1, S2, S3… in the order they appear, followed by the sheet name.
• Your mappings are kept per sheet. You can map some figures on S1, switch to S2 for others, and come back to S1 – nothing is lost.

Mapping a figure

1. Hover over a cell that contains a number (plain numbers, currency such as £12,450.00, and negatives such as (500) all work). A small link icon 🔗 appears in the cell.
   • Empty cells, text and headers do not show the icon.
2. Click the link icon. A small popup, Map Spreadsheet Value, opens next to the cell showing the cell address (for example B14) and its value.
3. Choose the MTD field from the list:
   • Type in the search box to filter all fields at once (the box is ready for typing as soon as the popup opens).
   • Or use the category tabs (Income, Expenses, Disallowed expenses, etc.). Each tab shows how many fields are mapped, e.g. 3/10.
   • Fields that are not yet mapped are listed first. Green fields are already linked, with the cell they are linked to shown on the right.
   • Keyboard: ↑ / ↓ to move, Enter to select, Esc to close.
4. Click the field. It is mapped and the popup closes immediately.

The cell now gets a green outline. Hover over it to see a tooltip listing what it is mapped to.

Changing a mapping

Click the link icon on an already-mapped cell. The popup shows what the cell is currently mapped to.

• Click the red ✕ next to a field to remove that mapping.
• Pick another field from the list to add it. One cell can feed several fields if needed.
• Choosing a field that is already linked elsewhere moves it to this cell – a field can only come from one cell.

Closing the popup without changing anything

Click Cancel, press Esc, or click anywhere outside the popup.

The Mappings panel (right-hand side)

• The heading shows your progress, e.g. Mappings (7 of 30 mapped), with a progress bar. This is a guide only – you do not need to map every field.
• Use the category tabs to switch between groups of fields.
• Each row shows a ✓ and the cell and value (e.g. B14 · £12,450.00) when mapped, or a dash when not.
• Click a mapped row to jump to its cell in the spreadsheet (it switches sheet automatically if the cell is on another one). The cell briefly flashes so you can find it.
• Click the × on a row to clear that mapping.
• Tick Show unmapped only to see what is left in the current category.
• Fields mapped on a different sheet show the sheet prefix, e.g. S2!B14.

Step 4 – Submit

1. When you are happy, click Import Mapped Data at the bottom of the right-hand panel.
2. A Confirm Submission box lists the categories being sent and the period. Click Submit to continue, or Cancel to go back.
3. A message confirms success. If something goes wrong, an error message explains why and your mappings stay on screen so you can correct and retry.

Only fields you have mapped are sent. Categories with nothing mapped are left out.

Closing early

If you close the screen with mapped data that has not been submitted, you will be asked Discard Mapped Data?. Choose Cancel to keep working, or Discard to leave without submitting.

Tips for faster mapping

• Work down the spreadsheet rather than down the list: find a number, click its link icon, pick the field.
• Use the search box – typing a couple of letters (e.g. "wag") is quicker than scrolling.
• Use Show unmapped only at the end to spot anything you missed.
• Click a row in the Mappings panel to double-check the source cell of any figure.

Troubleshooting