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Expenses What expenses can I claim as self-employed? Most self-employed people overpay tax simply because they don't know which costs they're allowed to deduct. Here's a plain-English breakdown of what counts, what doesn't, and the one rule that ties it all together. 3 min read Tax planning How much tax should I save each month? Unlike employees, the self-employed receive no tax deducted at source. That means you're responsible for setting aside money throughout the year so that the bill in January doesn't come as a shock. Here's a simple, reliable way to think about it. 3 min read Getting started Do I need to register as self-employed? If you earned more than £1,000 from working for yourself in a single tax year, yes, you need to register with HMRC. Below that figure you usually do not. This page covers who has to register, the exact deadline, and what registering actually sets in motion. 6 min read Getting started The £1,000 trading allowance explained The trading allowance lets you earn up to £1,000 a year from self-employment without paying tax on it or registering with HMRC. Over £1,000 you register, and then you choose between a flat £1,000 deduction or your actual expenses. 5 min read Getting started Do I register as self-employed if I have a job? Yes. If you earned more than £1,000 from self-employed work in a tax year, you register with HMRC even if you also have a PAYE job. The two incomes are taxed together on one Self Assessment return, with the tax already taken from your wages set against the bill. 6 min read Getting started What happens if you register as self-employed late? Register now, before HMRC contacts you. The late notification penalty is a percentage of the tax you should have paid, and for an honest disclosure that you make yourself it is often reduced to zero. Leaving it longer only raises the risk. 6 min read Getting started How to register as self-employed with HMRC You register online through the "Register for Self Assessment" service on GOV.UK. It takes about ten minutes with your National Insurance number to hand, and HMRC then posts you a Unique Taxpayer Reference within about ten working days. 5 min read Getting started What is a UTR number and how do I get one? A UTR, or Unique Taxpayer Reference, is a ten-digit number HMRC uses to identify you for Self Assessment. You cannot apply for one on its own. You get one automatically when you register for Self Assessment, and HMRC posts it to you. 4 min read Making Tax Digital Making Tax Digital for sole traders: what do I need to do? Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is the biggest change to UK tax reporting in a generation. If you're a sole trader, here's what's actually changing, when it affects you, and what you need to do. 5 min read Making Tax Digital Does Making Tax Digital apply to me? Not every sole trader needs to sign up for Making Tax Digital at the same time. Whether it applies to you — and when — depends on one number: your gross income from self-employment and property combined. 4 min read Tax planning Do sole traders pay tax on turnover or profit? Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance are charged on profit: turnover minus allowable expenses. Turnover still decides whether you have to register, and whether VAT or Making Tax Digital apply. Mixing the two figures is how people either overpay or miss a deadline. 6 min read Tax planning Class 2 vs Class 4 National Insurance Self-employed National Insurance comes in two classes. Class 4 is a percentage of profit, paid with your Self Assessment bill. Class 2 is about your State Pension record: above £7,105 profit it is treated as paid, and you do not hand over a separate weekly amount. 6 min read Self Assessment How does Self Assessment work? Self Assessment is HMRC's system for collecting tax from people who are not fully taxed through PAYE. You report what you earned and spent, they work out the bill, you pay it by 31 January. This page is the first-timer version: who files, which dates matter, and what actually goes on the return. 7 min read Tax planning Payments on account explained Payments on account are two advance instalments towards next year's Self Assessment bill, each usually half of what you owed last year. They are why a first January can look like one and a half bills. They are a prepayment, not a penalty, and you can ask HMRC to reduce them if this year's profit has fallen. 6 min read Tax planning How to reduce payments on account Payments on account copy last year's bill. If this year is genuinely quieter, you can ask HMRC to drop the two instalments. Do it because profit has fallen, not because January is awkward. Guess too low and you will owe interest. 6 min read Deadlines What happens if you miss the Self Assessment deadline? File the return today, even if you cannot pay the bill yet. Late filing and late payment are separate charges, and they stack. The £100 filing penalty lands the day after the deadline, including on a return with nothing to pay. 6 min read Deadlines What if I can't afford my tax bill? File the return on time even if the money is not there, then ask HMRC for a payment plan. They would rather have instalments than silence. Interest still runs, but a plan stops the situation turning into debt collection. 6 min read

Expenses Can I claim home office costs as a sole trader? If you do any work from home — admin, client calls, accounts — you're entitled to claim a proportion of your household costs against your self-employment income. Here's how to do it correctly. 4 min read Expenses Can I claim mileage as self-employed? (And what's the rate?) Yes — if you use your own vehicle for business journeys, HMRC's approved mileage rates let you claim a flat rate per mile. Here's what qualifies, what the rate is, and how to keep the records HMRC expects. 4 min read

Barber Self-employed barber tax UK Chair rent vs PAYE, tools, and why the black T-shirt is not a uniform. Beauty therapist Self-employed beauty therapist tax UK Mobile vs salon, treatment products, insurance, and mileage between houses. Cleaner Self-employed cleaner tax UK Cash houses, mileage between jobs, products, and why “I only do a few hours” still counts. Electrician Self-employed electrician tax UK CIS, test kit, NICEIC-type memberships, van, and certificates as part of the job. Freelancer Freelance sole trader tax UK Invoices, platform fees, home office, and MTD if your gross income is already over the line. Hairdresser Self-employed hairdresser tax UK Chair vs mobile, colour stock, and the HMRC employment-status questions salons still get wrong. Personal trainer Self-employed personal trainer tax UK Gym desk fees, CPD, kit versus clothing, and online coaching income. Photographer Self-employed photographer tax UK Bodies and glass, second shooters, travel to jobs, and editing software. Plumber Self-employed plumber tax UK CIS, van, materials, and why the site paying you does not mean they did your tax. Tattoo artist Self-employed tattoo artist tax UK Chair rent, guest spots, cash tips and kit: the bits generic sole-trader articles skip.