diff --git a/app/controllers/notifications-setup.controller.js b/app/controllers/notifications-setup.controller.js
index ad9580d1c2..795fd3eddb 100644
--- a/app/controllers/notifications-setup.controller.js
+++ b/app/controllers/notifications-setup.controller.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 const ReturnsPeriodService = require('../services/notifications/setup/returns-period.service.js')
 const SubmitReturnsPeriodService = require('../services/notifications/setup/submit-returns-period.service.js')
+const InitiateSessionService = require('../services/notifications/setup/initiate-session.service')
 
 /**
  * Controller for /notifications/setup endpoints
@@ -18,6 +19,12 @@ async function viewReturnsPeriod(_request, h) {
   })
 }
 
+async function setup(_request, h) {
+  const session = await InitiateSessionService.go()
+
+  return h.redirect(`/system/${basePath}/${session.id}/returns-period`)
+}
+
 async function submitReturnsPeriod(request, h) {
   const { payload } = request
 
@@ -34,5 +41,6 @@ async function submitReturnsPeriod(request, h) {
 
 module.exports = {
   viewReturnsPeriod,
+  setup,
   submitReturnsPeriod
 }
diff --git a/app/routes/notifications-setup.routes.js b/app/routes/notifications-setup.routes.js
index 857cb3616d..536898673f 100644
--- a/app/routes/notifications-setup.routes.js
+++ b/app/routes/notifications-setup.routes.js
@@ -2,12 +2,24 @@
 
 const NotificationsSetupController = require('../controllers/notifications-setup.controller.js')
 
-const basePath = '/notifications/setup/'
+const basePath = '/notifications/setup'
 
 const routes = [
   {
     method: 'GET',
-    path: basePath + 'returns-period',
+    path: basePath,
+    options: {
+      handler: NotificationsSetupController.setup,
+      auth: {
+        access: {
+          scope: ['returns']
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    method: 'GET',
+    path: basePath + '/{sessionId}/returns-period',
     options: {
       handler: NotificationsSetupController.viewReturnsPeriod,
       auth: {
@@ -19,7 +31,7 @@ const routes = [
   },
   {
     method: 'POST',
-    path: basePath + 'returns-period',
+    path: basePath + '/{sessionId}/returns-period',
     options: {
       handler: NotificationsSetupController.submitReturnsPeriod,
       auth: {
diff --git a/app/services/notifications/setup/initiate-session.service.js b/app/services/notifications/setup/initiate-session.service.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e404a647b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/notifications/setup/initiate-session.service.js
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+'use strict'
+
+/**
+ * Initiates the session record used for setting up a new ad-hoc returns notification
+ * @module InitiateSessionService
+ */
+
+const SessionModel = require('../../../models/session.model.js')
+
+/**
+ * Initiates the session record used for setting up a new ad-hoc returns notification
+ *
+ * During the setup journey for a new ad-hoc returns notification we temporarily store the data in a `SessionModel`
+ * instance. It is expected that on each page of the journey the GET will fetch the session record and use it to
+ * populate the view.
+ * When the page is submitted the session record will be updated with the next piece of data.
+ *
+ * At the end when the journey is complete the data from the session will be used to create the ad-hoc returns
+ * notification and the session record itself deleted.
+ *
+ * @returns {Promise<module:SessionModel>} the newly created session record
+ */
+async function go() {
+  // NOTE: data defaults to {} when a new record is created. But Objection.js throws a 'The query is empty' if we pass
+  // nothing into `insert()`.
+  return SessionModel.query().insert({ data: {} }).returning('id')
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  go
+}
diff --git a/test/controllers/notifications.controller.test.js b/test/controllers/notifications-setup.controller.test.js
similarity index 71%
rename from test/controllers/notifications.controller.test.js
rename to test/controllers/notifications-setup.controller.test.js
index 9603fdba53..d01aeb5e56 100644
--- a/test/controllers/notifications.controller.test.js
+++ b/test/controllers/notifications-setup.controller.test.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const { expect } = Code
 const { postRequestOptions } = require('../support/general.js')
 
 // Things we need to stub
+const InitiateSessionService = require('../../app/services/notifications/setup/initiate-session.service.js')
 const ReturnsPeriodService = require('../../app/services/notifications/setup/returns-period.service.js')
 const SubmitReturnsPeriodService = require('../../app/services/notifications/setup/submit-returns-period.service.js')
 
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ const { init } = require('../../app/server.js')
 
 describe('Notifications Setup controller', () => {
   const basePath = '/notifications/setup'
+  const session = { id: 'e0c77b74-7326-493d-be5e-0d1ad41594b5', data: {} }
 
   let getOptions
   let postOptions
@@ -42,12 +44,40 @@ describe('Notifications Setup controller', () => {
     Sinon.restore()
   })
 
+  describe('notifications/setup', () => {
+    describe('GET', () => {
+      beforeEach(async () => {
+        getOptions = {
+          method: 'GET',
+          url: '/notifications/setup',
+          auth: {
+            strategy: 'session',
+            credentials: { scope: ['returns'] }
+          }
+        }
+      })
+
+      describe('when a request is valid', () => {
+        beforeEach(async () => {
+          Sinon.stub(InitiateSessionService, 'go').resolves(session)
+        })
+
+        it('redirects successfully', async () => {
+          const response = await server.inject(getOptions)
+
+          expect(response.statusCode).to.equal(302)
+          expect(response.headers.location).to.equal(`/system/notifications/setup/${session.id}/returns-period`)
+        })
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
   describe('notifications/setup/returns-period', () => {
     describe('GET', () => {
       beforeEach(async () => {
         getOptions = {
           method: 'GET',
-          url: basePath + '/returns-period',
+          url: basePath + `/${session.id}/returns-period`,
           auth: {
             strategy: 'session',
             credentials: { scope: ['returns'] }
@@ -56,6 +86,7 @@ describe('Notifications Setup controller', () => {
       })
       describe('when a request is valid', () => {
         beforeEach(async () => {
+          Sinon.stub(InitiateSessionService, 'go').resolves(session)
           Sinon.stub(ReturnsPeriodService, 'go').returns(_viewReturnsPeriod())
         })
 
@@ -75,11 +106,12 @@ describe('Notifications Setup controller', () => {
       describe('when the request succeeds', () => {
         describe('and the validation fails', () => {
           beforeEach(async () => {
+            Sinon.stub(InitiateSessionService, 'go').resolves(session)
             Sinon.stub(SubmitReturnsPeriodService, 'go').returns({
               ..._viewReturnsPeriod(),
               error: 'Something went wrong'
             })
-            postOptions = postRequestOptions(basePath + '/returns-period', {})
+            postOptions = postRequestOptions(basePath + `/${session.id}/returns-period`, {})
           })
 
           it('returns the page successfully with the error summary banner', async () => {
@@ -93,7 +125,7 @@ describe('Notifications Setup controller', () => {
         describe('and the validation succeeds', () => {
           beforeEach(async () => {
             Sinon.stub(SubmitReturnsPeriodService, 'go').returns({ redirect: 'send-notice' })
-            postOptions = postRequestOptions(basePath + '/returns-period', {})
+            postOptions = postRequestOptions(basePath + `/${session.id}/returns-period`, {})
           })
 
           it('redirects the to the next page', async () => {
diff --git a/test/services/notifications/setup/initiate-session.service.test.js b/test/services/notifications/setup/initiate-session.service.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dce38fb4bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/services/notifications/setup/initiate-session.service.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+'use strict'
+
+// Test framework dependencies
+const Lab = require('@hapi/lab')
+const Code = require('@hapi/code')
+
+const { describe, it } = (exports.lab = Lab.script())
+const { expect } = Code
+
+// Test helpers
+const SessionModel = require('../../../../app/models/session.model.js')
+
+// Thing under test
+const InitiateSessionService = require('../../../../app/services/notifications/setup/initiate-session.service.js')
+
+describe('Notifications Setup - Initiate Session service', () => {
+  describe('when called', () => {
+    it('creates a new session record with an empty data property', async () => {
+      const result = await InitiateSessionService.go()
+
+      const matchingSession = await SessionModel.query().findById(result.id)
+
+      expect(matchingSession.data).to.equal({})
+    })
+  })
+})