How to Connect ThisQuarter to HMRC
Step-by-step guide to connecting the ThisQuarter desktop app to HMRC — as an accountant using an Agent Services Account, or as an individual using your own Government Gateway login.
The short answer
To connect ThisQuarter to HMRC, open Settings → HMRC Connection and choose Agent (accountants) or Individual (sole traders/landlords). ThisQuarter opens your system browser to HMRC's sign-in page, you log in and grant consent on HMRC's own screens, and HMRC redirects back to the app to complete the connection. Your access token refreshes automatically for 18 months before you need to re-authorise.
Before you can retrieve obligations or submit anything, ThisQuarter needs to be connected to HMRC. This is a one-time setup (per agent, or per individual) that uses HMRC's official sign-in — ThisQuarter never handles your password.
Choose your connection type
There are two distinct ways to connect, and it's important not to mix them up:
- Agent — for accountants and bookkeepers. You sign in once with your Agent Services Account (ASA). To act for a specific client, that client grants you authority via an invitation (a one-time step per client).
- Individual — for a sole trader or landlord filing for themselves. You sign in with your own Government Gateway login. No agent relationship, no invitations.
Step by step
- Open Settings → HMRC Connection and pick Agent or Individual.
- Click Connect to HMRC. ThisQuarter opens your system browser at HMRC's official sign-in page.
- Sign in and grant consent on HMRC's own screens. ThisQuarter never sees your username or password — HMRC's rules require the human to complete login and consent themselves.
- Return to the app. HMRC redirects back to ThisQuarter's local listener and the connection is confirmed.
- Add clients (agents) or your business (individuals) and start working.
What happens behind the scenes
ThisQuarter uses HMRC's documented pattern for desktop apps: it opens a real
browser, HMRC redirects back to a local localhost listener with an
authorisation code, and ThisQuarter exchanges that code for a secure token
inside the app. Tokens are stored as secrets, never in plain text.
Access tokens last 4 hours and refresh automatically. The refresh token lasts 18 months — ThisQuarter prompts you to re-authorise before it expires.
For accountants: adding your first client
After connecting your ASA, use Add Client and enter the client's proof of knowledge (name, National Insurance number and postcode). HMRC sends the client an invitation, which they accept once via their own Government Gateway login. After that, your own (auto-refreshed) authorisation covers that client — no repeated client logins.
Troubleshooting
- Nothing opens in the browser: check that a default browser is set on the machine.
- Connection fails at the redirect: a corporate HTTPS-intercepting proxy can look like a man-in-the-middle attack to HMRC's TLS validation. Ask IT to exclude the app, and confirm outbound HTTPS to HMRC's hostnames is allowed.
- "Re-authorise" prompt: your 18-month refresh window has lapsed — just run the connection again.
Once connected, head to the guide on submitting a quarterly update to file your first update.
Step by step
- 1
Open HMRC Connection in Settings
In ThisQuarter, go to Settings → HMRC Connection. Choose whether you're connecting as an Agent (accountant) or as an Individual (sole trader or landlord filing for yourself).
- 2
Start the sign-in
Click Connect to HMRC. ThisQuarter opens your default system browser at HMRC's official sign-in page. ThisQuarter never sees or handles your Government Gateway username or password.
- 3
Sign in and grant consent on HMRC's screens
Log in with your Government Gateway credentials and approve the access ThisQuarter is requesting on HMRC's own consent screen. Agents sign in with their Agent Services Account.
- 4
Return to the app
HMRC redirects back to ThisQuarter's local listener and the app confirms the connection. You're now authorised to retrieve obligations and submit updates.
- 5
Add clients or your business
Agents can now add clients and send authorisation invitations. Individuals can add their own business details and start entering figures.
Frequently asked questions
Does ThisQuarter see my HMRC password?
No. HMRC's own sign-in and consent pages handle your login in your system browser. ThisQuarter only ever receives an authorisation code, which it exchanges for a secure token — it never sees or stores your Government Gateway username or password. HMRC's rules forbid software from automating those login screens.
How often do I have to reconnect?
Access tokens last four hours and ThisQuarter refreshes them automatically in the background. The refresh token lasts 18 months, after which HMRC requires a full re-authorisation — ThisQuarter will prompt you when that's due.
What's the difference between the Agent and Individual connection?
Agents connect once with their Agent Services Account and then act for many clients (each client grants authority via an invitation). Individuals connect with their own Government Gateway login to file only for themselves, with no agent relationship or invitations.
A firewall is blocking the connection — what do I do?
ThisQuarter connects out to HMRC's hostnames over TLS and uses a local loopback listener to receive the redirect. Ask your IT team to allow outbound HTTPS to HMRC and not to place an intercepting HTTPS proxy in front of the app, which HMRC's TLS checks will reject. The About/Diagnostics dialog lists the exact hostnames and local port.