How does “A period's four steps” work on the HMRC Dues page?

Each company × tax × period is one row on Returns, and its drawer walks it through Check, File, Pay and Match. Check runs the pre-submission checks against Xero so the figures are right before anyone files. File records the filing made elsewhere — the date, the figures, and the return document itself, which Upload filed returns can also drop in bulk. Pay adds the filed liability to a payment run on the Payments tab. Match ties the bank payment Xero recorded back to the period, which is what finally turns the row Paid. An old link to any of the earlier tab layouts still lands on the right place. Where: HMRC Dues (/accounts/hmrc-dues).