Navigating the App

What this is

Aligned uses a sidebar-based layout with a header bar at the top. The sidebar provides navigation to all the main sections of the app, while the header gives you quick access to the tax year selector, notifications, and the help assistant. Depending on whether you are an accountant or an individual, the sidebar shows different items and labels.

The app layout

The app has three main areas:

Sidebar (left) - your main navigation menu with links to all sections
Header (top) - contains the Aligned logo, tax year dropdown, notifications bell, and help icon
Content area (centre) - the main working area where pages are displayed

The sidebar can be collapsed to icon-only mode by clicking the chevron arrow at the top of the sidebar. This gives you more room for the content area. Click the arrow again to expand it back.

On mobile devices, the sidebar slides in from the left when you tap the menu icon and can be dismissed by tapping outside it or pressing Escape.

The sidebar is organised into sections. Some sections are shared between both user types, while others differ.

MTD Quarterly Updates

This is the main section, visible to everyone. It contains:

Dashboard - your home screen
Businesses - manage income sources (label differs by user type - see below)
Quarterly Statuses - view obligation statuses for all quarters
Upload Quarterly Data - upload spreadsheets with your quarterly income and expense data
Past Submissions - review previously submitted returns
Tax Estimate - see an in-year estimate of your tax position

Year-End

This section provides access to year-end features. Currently shows as “Coming Soon” while these features are being developed.

If you’re an accountant

As an accountant, you will notice these differences in the sidebar:

The logo at the top of the sidebar links to your multi-client workspace
Businesses is labelled “Income Sources” - reflecting the fact that you manage income sources across multiple clients
Client management features are available for adding and managing your client list

Agent sidebar

If you’re filing for yourself

As an individual, the sidebar is slightly simpler:

The logo at the top of the sidebar links to your personal dashboard
Businesses is labelled “My Businesses” - reflecting that these are your own income sources
No client management section - you do not need to manage clients because you are filing for yourself

Individual sidebar

The header bar

The header bar runs across the top of every screen and contains:

Tax year selector

The tax year dropdown is the single source of truth for which tax year you are viewing. Changing the tax year updates the data shown across the entire app - obligations, submissions, and calculations all reflect the selected year.

Make sure you have the correct tax year selected before uploading data or reviewing submissions.

Notifications

The bell icon in the header shows your notifications and messages. Click it to see any recent updates or alerts.

Help assistant

The help icon (question mark) is available on every screen. Click it to open the help assistant, which provides context-aware answers based on the page you are currently viewing and your user type. You can ask questions in plain language and get guidance on how to use the current screen.

Things to know

Collapsed sidebar persists. If you collapse the sidebar, it stays collapsed when you navigate between pages and across sessions.
Active page is highlighted. The sidebar highlights the current page so you always know where you are.
Tooltips in collapsed mode. When the sidebar is collapsed to icons only, hover over any icon to see a tooltip with the section name.
The help assistant knows your context. It can see which page you are on and what user type you are, so its answers are tailored to your situation.

FAQ

Can I rearrange the sidebar items?

The sidebar layout is fixed and cannot be customised. The sections are ordered to match the typical workflow - from dashboard through to submission history.

Where is the settings page?

Account settings can be accessed from the settings page. This is where you can manage your account details and preferences.

I cannot see a section that I expected. Why?

Some sections are only visible to certain user types. For example, client management features are only visible to accountants. If you chose the wrong account type during sign-up, contact support to discuss your options.