Connecting HMRC
How to connect Work Planner to HMRC to send your VAT returns and Income Tax updates under Making Tax Digital, what the connection lets it do, connecting again every 18 months, and disconnecting.
Connecting HMRC lets Work Planner see when your VAT returns and Income Tax updates are due and send them to HMRC for you, under Making Tax Digital. It's up to you: if your accountant sends them, you don't need to connect. Without it, the VAT page still works out your VAT returns for you to download and mark as sent, and the Income Tax page still works out your Self Assessment figures.
You connect from the HMRC connection step in Settings > Accounts & tax, or from Settings > Connections > HMRC (Making Tax Digital), which Manage the HMRC connection on that step opens. Both only show when your plan includes Making Tax Digital. If you manage more than one business, each one connects separately: choose the business at the top first.
Before You Connect
- For VAT: Your VAT number, under VAT in Settings > Accounts & tax.
- For Income Tax: Your National Insurance number, under Income Tax details in the same place.
- Your HMRC sign-in: The Government Gateway user ID and password you use for your business tax account with HMRC.
Connecting
- Start: Choose Connect to HMRC. You go to HMRC's own website to sign in, so Work Planner never sees your HMRC password.
- Give Work Planner access: HMRC asks you to allow Work Planner to see and send your VAT and Income Tax. Allow it to finish connecting.
- Back in Work Planner: You come back to the HMRC connection page, which says Successfully connected to HMRC! If you cancelled, or HMRC turned it down, it says HMRC authorization failed: with HMRC's reason, and you can try again.
What the Connection Lets Work Planner Do
Under What Work Planner can do, the page and the step list what you allowed:
- See when your VAT returns and Income Tax updates are due
- Send your VAT returns
- Send your Income Tax updates
If it was only allowed for VAT, the Income Tax page says Your HMRC connection is for VAT only. Connect HMRC again in Settings › Accounts & tax to send your Income Tax updates from here. Choose Connect again and allow Income Tax as well.
Connecting Again Every 18 Months
HMRC asks for the connection to be made again every 18 months. The step says when, such as Connected on 3 October 2026. Connect again by 3 April 2028, as HMRC asks every 18 months., and the HMRC connection page shows Connect again by. A month before, everyone whose role can send your tax is reminded with HMRC connection needs renewing, in the notifications bell, on their phone and by email.
To renew it, choose Connect again on the step or the HMRC connection page, and sign in to HMRC as before. The new connection takes the place of the old one and is good for another 18 months. Your records and earlier submissions stay as they are.
When It Stops Working
Once the 18 months are up, or if the access is taken back at HMRC, HMRC stops accepting the connection. Work Planner finds out when it next tries to use it, and then:
- The step and the HMRC connection page say HMRC has stopped accepting this connection, so nothing can be sent to HMRC until you connect again.
- The notifications bell, phones and email say HMRC connection has stopped working, the next morning at 8am.
- The VAT and Income Tax pages say Your HMRC connection has run out. Connect HMRC again in Settings › Accounts & tax. when they ask HMRC.
Choose Connect again and sign in to HMRC to put it right. Until then the VAT reminders follow your VAT quarters, as they do without HMRC.
Disconnecting
On the HMRC connection page, choose Disconnect. The popup asks Are you sure you want to disconnect your HMRC account? and says This revokes Work Planner's access to submit to HMRC on your behalf. Your records and any previous submissions are unaffected. You can reconnect at any time. Choose Disconnect to confirm, or Cancel.
Who Can Do What
- Connecting, connecting again and disconnecting: A role that can manage HMRC, which owners and admins have. Anyone else sees Someone who can manage HMRC for your business can connect it.
- Sending VAT returns and Income Tax updates: Submit under HMRC, which owners and admins have. They're also the ones sent the tax reminders.
- Seeing the updates HMRC lists: View under HMRC, which members have too.
See Editing a Role to change who can do what.
Related articles
- Accounts and Tax Settings: Your VAT number, National Insurance number and the HMRC connection step.
- VAT Returns: Sending your VAT returns once HMRC is connected.
- Income Tax: Your quarterly updates and final declaration once HMRC is connected.
- Notification Settings: Switching tax reminders, and the HMRC connection warnings, off or on.