Use case
Self assessment tax return approval
Send the SA100 and SA302 tax calculation to individuals, sole traders, landlords and partners for approval before you file. Clients review the figures and sign on their phone, and you keep a record showing exactly what they approved and when.
The January squeeze
Most self assessment clients are individuals: employees with extra income, sole traders, landlords and partners in a partnership. Each one needs to see the return and the tax calculation, and confirm the figures are right, before you file on their behalf.
The problem is timing. Returns tend to be finished in a rush between November and January, and approval is the step that stalls. Clients open the PDF, mean to reply, and forget. The tax calculation also tells them what they owe on 31 January, often including a first payment on account for the following year, which is easy to miss in an email attachment.
A signed approval pack puts the return, the SA302 and the amount due in front of the client in one place, and gives you an evidence record if a figure is ever questioned.
31 January
The online filing deadline, and the date the balancing payment and first payment on account fall due
Approval first
The client confirms the return is correct before you submit it
Signed on a phone
No printer, scanner or login needed for the client
A typical self assessment workflow
Example: Priya Shah, Self assessment 2025-26
3 documents · 1 signer · Due by 31 January 2027
- 01SA100 Tax Return 2025-26.pdf12 pages
- 02SA302 Tax Calculation.pdf3 pages
- 03Approval and payment summary.pdf1 pages
Recipients
- Priya Shah (Client)Viewed
- 01
Build the pack from your template
Save a self assessment template with a 'Client' signer role and your usual message. For each client, add the SA100, the SA302 and your approval form or payment summary.
- 02
Place the approval fields
Add a signature and date on the approval form, and a checkbox on the return confirming the client has reviewed the figures. For a couple filing separately, send each person their own pack.
- 03
Send, then let the reminders chase
The client gets a secure link by email and can sign on a phone in a couple of minutes. Automatic reminders go out on your schedule and stop once they sign.
- 04
File and keep the evidence
Download the signed pack and its evidence record, then file the return through your tax software. The record shows who approved which version, and when.
Important: PractiSign records the client's approval of the return. It does not connect to or file with HMRC. You remain responsible for filing the SA100 through your usual software.
Self assessment questions
What should go in a self assessment approval pack?
Most practices send the SA100 (with any supplementary pages, such as self-employment, property or partnership pages), the SA302 tax calculation and a short approval form or covering letter. Some add a summary of the balancing payment and payments on account so the client sees what to pay and when.
Can clients approve their tax return on a phone?
Yes. The client opens a personal link from the email, reads the documents on the phone's screen and signs where you placed the fields. There is no app to install and no account to create.
Does PractiSign file the return with HMRC?
No. PractiSign records the client's approval. You file the return through your usual tax software once the pack is complete.
How do I chase clients who leave it until January?
Set automatic reminders when you send the pack, and send a manual nudge from the request page when you need to. Reminders stop as soon as the client signs, so nobody is chased after they have approved.
Get self assessment approvals in before January
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