How ClearYear works

From choosing how to file to a submitted, HMRC-confirmed return — no accountant, no jargon, no guesswork. Click any step below.

1

Choose how you want to file

Making Tax Digital (MTD) — HMRC's newer REST API route via Government Gateway login — or Traditional Self Assessment, HMRC's classic XML-based route. Traditional Self Assessment is fully live; MTD is currently in testing.

2

Choose your nation

England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. This matters because Scotland uses its own Income Tax bands, different from the rest of the UK — we use the correct rates for your calculation either way.

3

Personal details

Your name and contact details.

4

Income

Your self-employment earnings for the tax year, plus any State Pension or other taxable state benefits you need to declare alongside it.

5

Expenses

Your business costs and allowable deductions — office, travel, tools, materials, vehicle costs, and more, broken down by category. If you're under CIS, your deductions are calculated automatically here too.

Vehicle costs — pick one method, not both: if you claim mileage (a flat rate per business mile), don't also enter fuel, insurance, servicing, or other running costs for that same vehicle separately — that would double-count the same expense. Use mileage or actual vehicle costs, never both for the same vehicle in the same year.
6

Review

We calculate your tax owed (or refund due) instantly, using the correct bands for your nation, and show you exactly how the figure breaks down before you go any further.

7

Pay

A single, secure one-time payment for the filing itself — no subscriptions, no hidden fees. Card details are handled entirely by Stripe; we never see or store them.

8

Connect to HMRC

You'll log in with your Government Gateway ID (for MTD) or we submit directly via HMRC's Transaction Engine (Traditional Self Assessment) — either way, nothing is filed without your final confirmation.

Before this step, make sure you have your Government Gateway user ID and password ready. If you don't know them, you'll need to recover or reset them directly with HMRC first — recover your Government Gateway details here. If an accountant has filed for you before, they may already have these details on file — ask them for your user ID and password rather than creating a new account, since a new one won't be linked to your existing HMRC tax record.
9

Confirmation

Your return is filed directly with HMRC. You get an emailed confirmation and a downloadable audit PDF as proof of filing, with a reference you can look up any time.

Traditional

Self Assessment

HMRC's classic XML-based (GovTalk) filing route. Fully live and production-ready — this is the recommended route for most filers right now.

Making Tax Digital

MTD

HMRC's newer REST API route via Government Gateway login. Currently in testing — available, but Self Assessment is the more established option this filing season.

Start Tax Return · £29.99 →