Your First Login

What this is

The first time you sign in as an individual, aligned.tax walks you through a short setup wizard: verify your sign-in, choose how you will add your figures, connect to HMRC, and file your first update. When the wizard is done, or if you skip ahead, you land on Home, which tracks the same steps until they are complete.

What you see on screen

The setup wizard has a rail on the left with five steps:

1. Create your account - already ticked
2. Secure your account - confirm your sign-in on the aligned.tax sign-in page; accounts still on the earlier flow verify a mobile number by text message, or use a code sent to the verified account email
3. How you add figures - shows “Chosen” once you have answered
4. Connect to HMRC - “So we can fetch your deadlines”
5. File your first update - “Using transactions or a summary spreadsheet”

The How would you like to add your figures? step offers these choices and a Continue button. Record each payment appears only when Transactions is switched on for your account; otherwise the step offers the other two, and the last rail item reads “Using a summary spreadsheet”:

• Record each payment - add your income and expenses in aligned.tax as they happen, and aligned.tax totals them for each update. You can type payments in, upload a photo or PDF, or import a spreadsheet or CSV; where they are switched on, you can also send receipts by email or Telegram. Help setting those up comes once you are connected to HMRC.
• Upload a summary spreadsheet - fill in category totals in a spreadsheet and upload it each quarter.
• Not sure yet - you choose when you do your first update.

You can change this later.

The Connect your HMRC account step shows a National Insurance number field, a “What happens next” list (sign in at HMRC, we fetch your businesses and deadlines, you come back here ready to file), the Connect to HMRC button, and an I’ll do this later link. If a National Insurance number is already saved on your account, the field is filled in for you.

Home, until setup is complete, shows a You’re nearly set up checklist with a progress bar: create your account, verify your mobile, connect to HMRC, check your HMRC data, file your first quarterly update. Each step has its own action button. If your figures come from recorded payments (for example you chose Record each payment) and receipts by email or Telegram are switched on for you, the checklist also has Choose how your receipts reach us, with a Set up button that opens the email and Telegram options on Transactions; it is ticked once email or Telegram is connected.

How to get started

1. Sign in with the method you registered or securely linked to your account.

2. Secure your account: on the Keycloak sign-in page, choose an available verification method. The Remember this device for 7 days box starts unticked. Select it only on a personal device. If you leave it unticked, closing the browser normally ends that sign-in, and aligned.tax asks you to sign in again on your next visit. While the browser stays open, aligned.tax asks you to confirm your sign-in again after 12 hours: Confirm your sign-in appears, and Continue to sign in takes you back to the sign-in page. Your setup and saved work are unchanged. Some browser settings restore the previous session after closing; always log out on a shared or public computer. If you see the earlier mobile verification flow instead, enter your number and the text message code. That flow also offers Use email instead where configured. An email code expires after 10 minutes and does not verify your mobile number or remember the device. If neither method is available, contact support.

3. How would you like to add your figures?: choose “Record each payment” (when it is offered), “Upload a summary spreadsheet” or “Not sure yet”, then click Continue. Your answer becomes the starting way your quarterly updates are worked out once you connect to HMRC; Not sure yet leaves the choice to your first quarter.

4. Connect to HMRC: the step first reminds you to Sign up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (the link opens GOV.UK’s sign-up guidance) using the same user ID and password you use for Self Assessment, then to connect with that login. Enter your National Insurance number in the format AB 12 34 56 C and click Connect to HMRC. You are sent to HMRC to sign in with your Government Gateway user ID and password and give aligned.tax permission. HMRC then sends you back. If you come back from HMRC without finishing, for example with the browser’s back button, the step stops showing “Connecting…” and is ready for you to try again. If HMRC sends you back with an error, for example because you cancelled on HMRC’s page, the step shows “The HMRC sign-in was not completed, so nothing has changed” with your number still filled in, and you can connect again when you are ready.

5. Wait while aligned.tax checks your MTD status, businesses and quarterly obligations. When the checks finish, the page shows either Your HMRC account is connected or Your HMRC connection needs attention. If HMRC answered that aligned.tax is not authorised to act for you, a Fix the HMRC connection panel appears above the results. HMRC does not say why it refused, so the panel gives three steps to try in order: check or edit your National Insurance number (saving an edited number checks with HMRC again at once, and This number is right moves you to step 2), connect again with the login you used to sign up for Making Tax Digital (the same user ID and password as for Self Assessment, which also fixes it if you connected before your sign-up was finished), or sign up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax on GOV.UK and connect again. Anything that needs attention is listed under that heading, and View HMRC checks opens by itself so you can read the detail; otherwise it stays closed until you select it. If a check could not be completed, Try again repeats it. Select Continue to dashboard to reach Home. You can still use the rest of aligned.tax while an HMRC result needs attention. If you followed a link from a quarterly update reminder before signing in, Continue to dashboard reads Continue to your quarterly update and takes you to the quarter the reminder was about instead of Home.

6. File your first update: open Quarterly updates in the sidebar, choose the quarter that is open, use your Summary XLSX spreadsheet or eligible saved transactions, check the figures and confirm submission. See Uploading a Spreadsheet.

If you click I’ll do this later at the HMRC step, Home keeps the checklist and a Connect to HMRC button until you come back to it. Nothing about your deadlines can be shown until HMRC is connected.

Get help with your records

After setting up your individual account, open Settings and choose Manage accountant access. Invitations start with View only selected. Choose Manage my records if you want the adviser to upload, review and correct your existing saved records. You can change an existing adviser’s permission with confirmation. Neither option gives them permission to connect HMRC, submit returns or manage your account. See Accountant access in Settings.

Things to know

• You need a Government Gateway account registered for Self Assessment. If you do not have one, create it at gov.uk before connecting.
• Your Government Gateway password never touches aligned.tax. You type it on HMRC’s own site. aligned.tax receives an authorisation token, nothing more.
• Account verification is separate from HMRC and sign-up email verification. Confirming your email address when you register does not complete the sign-in challenge. If text messages are unavailable, use the email verification option when it appears. If neither method is available, contact support.
• The tax year selector in the header defaults to 2026/27, the first Making Tax Digital for Income Tax year. Check it before you upload anything.
• HMRC’s sign-in may add an identity check. HMRC sometimes asks extra questions during sign-in. That is HMRC’s process, not aligned.tax’s.
• Your dashboard and Transactions have a short guided tour. It shows itself the first time you open each page. To see it again, go to Settings and select Take the tour. See Navigating the App.

FAQ

What is Government Gateway?

It is HMRC’s sign-in service. If you already file Self Assessment online, you have one. If not, create one at gov.uk.

Why does aligned.tax need my permission with HMRC?

Making Tax Digital requires that software acting for you has your explicit consent. The Government Gateway step records that consent with HMRC.

My HMRC connection stopped working. What now?

Authorisation tokens expire. When that happens the header shows Not connected and you are taken to a Reconnect to HMRC page with your National Insurance number already filled in. Click through HMRC’s sign-in again and everything carries on where it was.

Can I file for more than one business?

Yes. Every business HMRC holds for you appears under My businesses, and each has its own quarters.