Making Tax Digital · Sole traders
Using portal access links securely: what Avona clients should check
ONLY£15A MONTHUsing portal access links securely: what Avona clients should check: practical guidance and examples.
An emailed access link can make a portal easier to use, but the security of the process still depends on the link, the account receiving it and the way access is controlled. Passwordless access removes one kind of password task; it does not remove every security responsibility.
Understand the actual sign-in process
Avona Concierge describes portal invitations and onboarding. Follow the current product instructions for the access method offered. Do not assume every invitation is a passwordless magic link or that a particular expiry or one-use rule applies without documentation.
Where a service uses an access link, treat it as sensitive. Open it only when expected and confirm unusual invitations through a known contact route. Avoid forwarding it to another person to provide shared access.
Protect the recovery channel
Secure the email or phone account used to receive invitations and recover access. Use the protections available for those accounts and keep recovery information current. A well-designed portal cannot prevent someone with access to your inbox from reading messages sent there.
Ask for separate authorised access when an adviser or colleague needs the portal. That gives a clearer record of who performed an action than a shared link or shared sign-in.
Worked example: an unexpected invitation
A client receives an invitation while not expecting any onboarding work. Instead of forwarding identity documents in reply, the client contacts the practice using its established details and confirms whether the request is genuine.
If legitimate, the client follows the current portal process. The check resolves uncertainty without assuming that every message mentioning the firm's name is trustworthy.
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.
Make responsibility visible at each stage
An effective practice process identifies who supplies the records, who resolves queries, who reviews the figures and who submits. Record those responsibilities in the engagement and workflow. Do not rely on the assumption that somebody else has completed the final step.
Agent authorisation is also separate from client consent to a commercial service. Use HMRC's correct MTD authorisation process and the agent's own access. A client should not hand over their Government Gateway password simply to make the process more convenient. HMRC explains how to authorise an agent.
Track each relevant business and period. A green client-level indicator can hide an outstanding property update if the sole-trade update has been completed. Store the approved figures and acknowledgement against the correct record.
For recurring work, use a short exception list rather than sending the client every transaction again. Give each question a reference, amount and clear request. Access controls and a secure reply route matter, especially where the same practice handles several family members or businesses. Good workflow design reduces repeated questions without replacing professional judgement.
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 access under review
Remove access that is no longer needed and ask support about expired links or recovery problems. Use documented answers for questions about expiry, encryption or audit records. Security claims should describe controls the service actually provides.
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.