This guide walks through finding your Self Assessment return in CalCal and submitting it to HMRC — from Tax Years through to a successful submission.
Find your Self Assessment return
In the sidebar, open Tax. You land on Tax Years (Tax Return Periods).
- Tax Return Only accounts show Tax, Log Out, and Help in the sidebar, and open on Tax Years.
- Full accounts also show the bookkeeping menus; Tax is still the entry point for Self Assessment.
Tap a tax year to open Self-assessment Details / SA Submission for that year.
- A year you can file opens the three-step wizard.
- A year already submitted shows your SA302 (tax calculation / summary and downloads).
- If the year cannot be filed here, you see Cannot submit or Subscription required.
Tax years before 2019 open in the older CalCal Self Assessment experience.
The three-step wizard
A submittable year uses a three-step flow. Returning to Set up remounts the wizard for that year.
Step 1 — Set up (“Get set up”)
Here you complete:
- Your Details (your personal details for the return)
- Pre-fill Forms
When the UTR tick is set, CalCal can pull HMRC pre-population into the return.
You can move to Step 2 once Your Details shows a green tick.
Step 2 — Your forms (“Fill out your forms”)
You see the form list and can use Select forms to add what you need. Complete each form on the list.
Step 3 becomes available when Your Details is complete and a calculation amount is present.
Step 3 — Complete return (“Complete your return”)
This step covers:
- Calculation & Adjustments
- Attach Files
- Finish Off
- Check and Send
Step 3 needs Your Details completed and a calculation amount before you can finish the return.
Green ticks
- Your Details and Pre-fill Forms go green from the API when those sections are complete.
- Form rows go green when the form is done or when you have visited it in this session — a green row can mean visited, not only fully completed.
- Attach Files goes green only when the attachment count is greater than zero.
Attach Files
Attach Files is optional. You can open Check and Send without attachments. When you do attach files, they should generally be the forms HMRC expects — typically HMRC’s own PDF forms for that return — not random supporting evidence. Attached files are included with the return XML when you submit.
Save your work
CalCal saves when you use Save or when you leave a form (a save request is sent). Logging out does not autosave unfinished work — use Save or leave the form so the change is stored.
Check and Send — submit to HMRC
- Open Check and Send and review the return.
- Sign in with your Government Gateway user ID (up to 12 characters) and password. This is Government Gateway — not GOV.UK Verify (Verify is closed), and not your GOV.UK One Login email sign-in. If you already use Government Gateway for HMRC Self Assessment, use those same details. If you only use GOV.UK One Login for HMRC, create a unique Government Gateway user ID for commercial software (HMRC steps: check how to submit using commercial software). Sign in or register for HMRC online services: log in or register.
- Choose Confirm & Submit.
- CalCal polls HMRC for the result.
- On success you get the tax summary and downloads (including SA302-style outputs for the submitted year).
Government Gateway for Check and Send
CalCal submits your return with a Government Gateway user ID and password.
- GOV.UK Verify is closed and is not used for filing through CalCal.
- GOV.UK One Login (email and password) is how some people sign into HMRC online — commercial software still needs a Government Gateway user ID. HMRC’s steps to create one are here: Check how to submit a Self Assessment tax return using commercial software.
- Create or recover HMRC sign-in details: Log in or register for HMRC online services.
Quick path
- Tax → Tax Years → choose the year.
- Get set up — Your Details (green) and Pre-fill Forms.
- Fill out your forms — select and complete forms; ensure a calculation amount exists.
- Complete your return — Calculation & Adjustments, optional Attach Files (HMRC PDF forms), Finish Off.
- Check and Send → Government Gateway → Confirm & Submit.