Making Tax Digital · Sole traders
Lost your Government Gateway login? How to recover access
ONLY£15A MONTHAn HMRC sign-in problem is frustrating, particularly when you are trying to connect tax software.
An HMRC sign-in problem is frustrating, particularly when you are trying to connect tax software. Start with the official recovery route and identify which part is missing: user ID, password or access-code method. Creating another account immediately can make the situation more confusing.
Use HMRC's recovery steps
HMRC's sign-in help explains how to recover or reset details. Follow the prompts from the official sign-in page rather than a link in an unexpected message.
If the problem is receiving an access code, the available routes include text, voice call and an authenticator app. HMRC explains how to select help at the access-code stage and change the method. Identity checks may be needed; the documents requested depend on the route.
Repeated incorrect attempts can lock the account. HMRC's guidance says the lock normally clears after two hours and helpdesk advisers cannot unlock it. Use the waiting period to gather the correct information rather than continuing to guess.
Keep software access separate
Your Avona login and HMRC login are different. A working Avona account does not prove that the HMRC authorisation is valid. Similarly, recovering HMRC access does not automatically reconnect an expired software permission.
Worked example: a changed phone
Tara knows the Gateway user ID and password but no longer has the old phone number. The issue is the access-code method, not a missing UTR. Tara follows HMRC's help route at that stage, completes the required checks and updates access.
Afterwards, Tara returns to the software and checks the HMRC connection and taxpayer details before attempting a submission.
Share the information needed for the task
Tax records need to be useful without containing unnecessary personal detail. Keep payment references sufficient to reconcile the accounts, and hold sensitive client notes in the appropriate restricted system. Financial software should not become a second, informal store for clinical notes or identity documents.
Use individual accounts and the access controls available for the service. Remove access when a working relationship ends. A secure product can still be misused through shared sign-ins, forwarded access links or files sent to the wrong person.
For Open Banking, distinguish account-information access from payment initiation. Read the consent screen and check the authorised provider. Account-information permission does not itself authorise moving money, but Open Banking as a whole also includes separately authorised payment services. The FCA explains these different services.
If you need an assurance about encryption, hosting, retention or security testing, ask for the current documented answer. Terms such as “bank-grade” do not tell you which controls apply to a particular service. Choose a workflow whose permissions and responsibilities you understand, and protect the email or phone account used to recover access.
Choose software by the work it needs to do
Start with your actual income sources and records. A sole trade, a UK property business and foreign property can involve different requirements. A product suitable for one set of circumstances is not automatically suitable for every annual-return item you might have.
HMRC's software guidance allows different approaches, including software connected to existing spreadsheets. Check the complete workflow: importing or recording transactions, reviewing the quarterly summary, submitting it, making corrections and completing the annual return.
Try a representative sample that includes a refund, a private transaction, a cash item and an awkward bank description. Ask how the system handles a missing period and how you export records if you leave. These questions are more informative than a long feature list.
Software support and professional tax advice are different services. Confirm who answers each kind of question, when help is available and what the quoted fee covers. Avona.app's entry-level self-service price is £15/month; professional services and additional product capabilities should be checked against the current scope rather than assumed to be included.
Keep the reporting dates separate from payment dates
The standard first update for 2026/27 covers 6 April to 5 July 2026 and was due by 7 August 2026. The second covers 6 April to 5 October 2026 and is due by 7 November 2026. The third and fourth deadlines are 7 February 2027 and 7 May 2027. These are cumulative updates, not four isolated sets of three-month totals.
Calendar periods have different cut-offs and the same filing deadlines. Check the setting for each business rather than assuming the dates from a bank statement. HMRC lists both reporting calendars.
The annual return for 2026/27 is due by 31 January 2028. The earlier 2025/26 return normally remains due online by 31 January 2027. Keeping those years distinct avoids a common transition-year misunderstanding.
Payments on account, where required, follow their own January and July timetable. An update acknowledgement confirms a reporting event; it does not confirm that an outstanding tax bill has been paid. Check your actual HMRC account and payment obligations separately from the software's progress indicators.
Finish with a connection check
Confirm recovery details, check the correct tax account and follow the supported software-authorisation process. Do not give an accountant your password; use agent authorisation. If a deadline is affected, retain the technical details and establish the relevant obligation separately.
Take the next step
Avona.app offers a self-service route from £15/month. Bring your records together, review the figures and choose a workflow that fits your business. For professional help, discuss the scope and total price of Avona Concierge, managed by chartered accountants, before choosing a service.