Connecting to HMRC for Making Tax Digital
Enter your NINO and MTD Enrolment ID, authorise KinderStart with HMRC, and work through the MTD readiness roadmap.
ℹ️Who this is for
Childminders who need to send Making Tax Digital (MTD) updates to HMRC. Connecting KinderStart to HMRC needs the Standard plan. Have your National Insurance number, your MTD Enrolment ID and your Government Gateway sign-in ready. It takes about ten minutes.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax means sending HMRC quarterly updates from compatible software, then a final declaration after the tax year ends. This guide gets KinderStart connected and your readiness checklist ticked off.
1. Open Making Tax Digital
Open the Finance tab and tap the HMRC MTD card. Until you've set it up, it says Not enrolled. This opens Making Tax Digital.
Tap How does MTD affect me? for a short explanation of what MTD is and how quarterly updates work.
2. Work through the roadmap
The roadmap lists five steps. Tap a step to tick it off. Your Compliance Readiness score goes up as you do.
- Register for Self Assessment
- Get a Business Bank Account
- Choose MTD-compatible software (KinderStart)
- Connect KinderStart to HMRC: this one ticks itself once you're connected.
- Keep digital records of all expenses
Registering with HMRC happens on HMRC's side, not in KinderStart. Tick those steps off here once you've done them.
4. Authorise KinderStart
Tap Authorise KinderStart. You'll leave KinderStart to sign in with your Government Gateway account and give KinderStart permission to send your records. You sign in on HMRC's own page, so KinderStart never sees that password.
When you come back, the roadmap shows you as connected. If you need to change your details later, open the panel again and tap Edit Settings.
⚠️If your connection expires
HMRC connections don't last for ever. If yours has expired, KinderStart shows
HMRC Connection Expired. Tap
Authorise Now, then the authorise button in the settings panel, and sign in again.
5. Check the tools are unlocked
Once you're connected, the MTD Toolbox tiles (Settings, Adjustments, Losses, Dividends, Tax Estimate, Calc History and Submission History) open. Before that, tapping one tells you to connect your HMRC account first.
Your quarterly periods then appear under Your Obligations.
✅Why KinderStart does it this way
HMRC only accepts MTD updates from software you've authorised on its own sign-in page. Connecting once from the Finance tab lets KinderStart send updates built from the invoices and expenses you already record.
What to do next
- Sending MTD updates and your final declaration: send your first update once you're connected.
- Logging expenses and mileage: keep the digital records your updates are built from.
Next guide
Sending MTD updates and your final declaration
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KinderStart strives for accuracy. Competitor features and pricing comparisons are based on publicly available information as of May 2026. Details are subject to change by respective providers.