Connect your HMRC account
To submit under Making Tax Digital, you connect your HMRC account to the app once. You can record everything beforehand: connecting is only needed when you are ready to submit.
On this page
How to connect
- Start from the Connect HMRC card on your dashboard, or go to Settings, open the HMRC tab, and click Connect.
- In the Connect to HMRC dialog, enter your National Insurance Number and tick the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy boxes, then click Continue to HMRC.
- On HMRC's own website, sign in with your Government Gateway user ID and password, and grant permission for the app to interact with your Self Assessment data.
- You are returned to the app, now connected. Settings shows your connection status and the HMRC income sources linked to your account.
Important: You enter your National Insurance Number and tick both consent boxes before the "Continue to HMRC" button becomes active. You then sign in on HMRC's site, so the app never sees your Government Gateway password.
What you need
Your Government Gateway user ID and password (entered only on HMRC's website), and your National Insurance Number. The app stores the resulting access tokens encrypted, and refreshes them automatically so you stay connected between visits.
HMRC planned maintenance
HMRC occasionally closes its Making Tax Digital systems for a planned weekend of maintenance. When it has announced one, the app shows a notice on every page from about a week beforehand with the start and end times in UK time, and a red notice while the systems are down. During the window you cannot connect to HMRC, send an update or refresh HMRC data. Recording income and expenses works as normal, and anything you have already sent is unaffected. Try again after the end time shown.
If HMRC says you are not signed up
If HMRC reports that you are not signed up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, the app keeps all your records and shows a friendly notice linking you to GOV.UK to sign up. You can keep adding properties, businesses, income, and expenses in the meantime, then come back and refresh once HMRC confirms your sign-up. If it still shows as not signed up after that, use Reconnect so the fresh authorisation picks up your enrolment. See Not signed up for Making Tax Digital yet?.
Note: Connecting to HMRC is available on both the Free and MTD Lite plans, and submissions are live for both property and self-employment income. You can record properties, businesses, income, and expenses before you connect; connecting is only needed when you are ready to submit to HMRC.
Unexpected HMRC outages
When our team receives confirmation of an unexpected HMRC outage, an outage notice may appear across the app and on the Support page. Connecting, sending updates and refreshing HMRC data may be affected. Recording income and expenses is not affected by the HMRC issue. The notice stays open until recovery is confirmed; there is no assumed end time. Open pages check for notice changes every minute and when you return to the tab. If a refresh fails, the last reported outage stays visible with a message explaining that it could not be refreshed.
Frequently asked questions
Is my connection secure?
Yes. You sign in on HMRC's own website, so the app never sees or stores your Government Gateway password. The access tokens the app keeps are encrypted at rest.
Do I need to reconnect each time?
No. The connection stays active and refreshes itself in the background. If HMRC revokes access you will see a prompt to reconnect in Settings, on the HMRC tab. You should also use Reconnect if you signed up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax after connecting, so the fresh authorisation picks up your enrolment.
Related guides
Still need a hand?
If this did not answer your question, our support team is happy to help.
Get StartedContact supportThis guide explains how to use the app. It is general information to help you use the software, not tax or legal advice. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a qualified accountant or HMRC.