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Taxation for the Self-Employed

By: J.A.J Aaronson - Updated: 24 Apr 2019 | comments*Discuss
 
Self Employed Self-employed Tax National

With the introduction of Pay As You Earn, or PAYE, the system of income tax payment became far simpler for employees; no action on the part of the taxpayer was required, as the entire process was carried out by the employer, who simply paid the tax out of wages. The benefits of PAYE have not, however, been passed onto the self-employed. In these cases, it is your own responsibility to pay your income tax and National Insurance contributions.

Registering as Self-Employed

In the first instance, you must ensure that you are registered as self-employed with HM Revenue and Customs. You can do this online or by post, and you must do it promptly - if you fail to register within three months of the end of your first month of self-employment, you run the risk of incurring a penalty.

As soon as you are registered, you become a Self Assessment taxpayer. This means that you are required to fill in a form at the end of every tax year, detailing your income. This must then be returned to HMRC in order that they can calculate how much tax you must pay. You will receive a Self Assessment every April and, if you send it back by 30th September, HMRC will calculate your bill for your. Otherwise, you will have to work it out yourself, but you must still return it by 31st January to avoid a penalty.

You will receive one of two Self Assessment forms, depending on the complexity of your tax affairs. If your affairs are fairly simple, you will only be required to fill in a four page form. Otherwise, you will receive a ten-page document which will require more detail. In either case, it is vitally important that you keep good records of all of your income and expenditure throughout the year in order that you can fill in your return accurately.

National Insurance

If you are self employed, you will also pay your National Insurance Contributions (NICs) in a different way. Employees pay one Class of NIC, with the size of their contributions depending upon their income. As a self-employed individual, however, you will probably be required to pay two separate Classes. You will have to pay Class 2 NICs at a flat rate of £2.85 per week, unless your earnings are below £6,025. Furthermore, you will have to pay Class 4 contributions at a rate of 9% on all earnings between £8,164 and £45,000, and at a rate of 2% on all earnings above that. It is also worth noting that Class 2 NICs pay for benefits like the State Pension and Maternity Leave; they do not count towards the additional State Pension, Statutory Sick Pay or Jobseeker's Allowance. As a result, you may wish to consider taking out a personal pension in addition to your National Insurance contributions.

Although the process of paying your tax as a self-employed person may seem complex, you should bear in mind that you are not alone - many thousands of people fill in the same form every April. Ensure that you keep good records throughout the year, and you shouldn't have any major problems. Good luck!

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I am PAYE and Self Employed through CIS. I earned £41k in PAYE and a mere £3500 self employed, (before tax) I have a company car from my PAYE Employer, my tax code changed throughout the 2018/19 tax year because i changed employer (i had a company car with my previous employer) I work as self employed for extra income. Do i need to file a self assessment tax return, as the self assessment website states that i do NOT, but i fit the criteria on their checklist to file a return. Before i turned to PAYE (5 years ago) i was solely Self Employed through CIS and always carried out a self assessment i retrieved a nice tax rebate. I have tried to complete a self assessment and the calculation states that i owe money, i am confused by this as it is defeating the object of being self employed to earn extra income. I have received all tax receipts and have proof of earnings etc... Why would this be? Thanks
Dave - 24-Apr-19 @ 11:24 AM
I’m a construction worker on cis can I claim back my 20% tax back on my first 12k tax is deducted before I’m paid although I’m classed as self employed
Oggy - 1-Apr-19 @ 5:05 PM
Im registering self employment as of the 10th september 2018 i was wondering when i need to pay my yearly tax and NI bill will it be janurary 2019 or be in by janurary 2020
Mike - 3-Sep-18 @ 7:32 PM
Jonny - Your Question:
Hi I have just been offered 2 hours working a week on a saturday but it need to be self employed, with invoicing? Is it worth it? And would I pay tax?

Our Response:
Much depends upon whether you are earning above the £11,850 per annum personal tax allowance and whether you can attribute expenses to your extra hours (which you can offset against tax). You would have to be clearer on what you earn currently and can expect to earn to have a more accurate answer.
MoneyExpertise - 3-Sep-18 @ 11:43 AM
Hi i have just been offered 2 hours working a week on a saturday but it need to be self employed, with invoicing? Is it worth it? And would i pay tax?
Jonny - 1-Sep-18 @ 2:42 PM
jordo - Your Question:
I am a full time student. I have been offered some holiday work with a construction company. I know that I would be under the threshold for income tax but what about CIS tax do I have to pay it and can it be claimed back

Our Response:
The link here should help answer your question.
MoneyExpertise - 31-Jul-18 @ 2:23 PM
I am a full time student. I have been offered some holiday work with a construction company. I know that I would be under the threshold for income tax but what about CIS tax do I have to pay it and can it be claimed back
jordo - 31-Jul-18 @ 10:09 AM
reyna - Your Question:
Hi I'm self employed as a builder each pay day I get 20% tax taken off me. so when doing a tax return I should get back 20% of my first £11500 made in that year is this right.

Our Response:
If you are self-employed, you are responsible for paying your own tax and would not have to pay tax through your employer. You would have to discuss why your employer is taking money, with your employer directly.
MoneyExpertise - 16-Apr-18 @ 3:48 PM
hi I'm self employed as a builder each pay day I get 20% tax taken off me . so when doing a tax return I should get back 20% of my first £11500 made in that year is this right .
reyna - 13-Apr-18 @ 9:57 PM
Hi I am retired and receive ££126 per week state pension.I have no further income. I have savings income of about £1500 p a for this past year . This does not include my ISAs.which are still invested. My husband is still working part time and pays tax at 20%. I have looked at the government website but am confused about the contents. it says that if my taxable income is less than £17500 I will not have to pay tax on any savings income. Do I have to complete a form for the tax inspector informing them of my various savings interest earned or do I just ignore it.Help would be appreciated.
Duster - 13-Mar-18 @ 1:03 PM
I am not in currently work due to illness and receive benefits. I have been offered the opportunity to cook a few meals a week for an elderly neighbour and would earn £20 a week. Benefits has informed me that it will not effect my benefits. Do I have to register as self employed? What would it entail?Would I end up paying more in NI than I earn?
Em - 5-Dec-17 @ 12:20 AM
JW - Your Question:
As a self employed person my profit and taxable income is £12,000How much do you think I'll pay in tax and NI please ?

Our Response:
Much depends upon your expenditure to do with your business and what you can offset in allowable expenses. You will not pay tax on anything you earn up to £11,500 as this constitutes your personal tax allowance. If, for instance you earned £12,000 and had spent £500 on expenses to do with your business for that particular tax year, then you would pay no tax. You can see how much you would pay in NI here.
MoneyExpertise - 23-Oct-17 @ 3:34 PM
As a self employed person my profit and taxable income is £12,000 How much do you think I'll pay in tax and NI please ?
JW - 21-Oct-17 @ 12:12 PM
As self employed I will earn approx £12,500.00 this tax year do I pay 20% and NI on the whole amount or just the £1000 over the allowance??? Thank you
Confused - 17-Oct-17 @ 1:44 AM
Hicks - Your Question:
If I on 500 a week hm I have to pay

Our Response:
As a general rule - if you earn £26,000 in 2016/2017 over the year you'll pay £3,000 income tax and £2,153 in National Insurance (£58 tax £41 NI per week). However, if you are self-employed this will differ and will be based on your annual self-assessment tax return.
MoneyExpertise - 11-Aug-16 @ 11:16 AM
@linnet - you would need to fill in a self-assessment tax form which you can do online through the HMRC. You wont need to file the self assessment for this year's earnings until next year, (latest Jan 31 2017).
Jim - 16-Dec-15 @ 11:39 AM
Hi just. Started a new job and Wi'll be self employed for the first month. Then dorky employed from Feb. I do 30 hours a week at £8 an hour how much tax and ni will I have to pay and how do I sort it?
linnet - 15-Dec-15 @ 1:19 PM
I started new job last week and my first weeks wages should be paid this week. It is a new business and the employer is going to pay us As self employed for themonth and go to employed from Feb. I have never been self employed and worried about getting into debt . I will be paid £240 a Week for 30 hours. What tax and insurance would I have to pay and how would do it?
linnet - 15-Dec-15 @ 1:09 PM
Jola - Your Question:
Hi as self employed after deductions I have earned £11129.09 how much tax I am going to pay Thank you

Our Response:
I'm a little confussed about your question. If you are self-employed you do not have deductions taken from the money you earn, as you self-assess what tax you will pay. As specified in the article, in the first instance, you must ensure that you are registered as self-employed with HM Revenue and Customs. You can do this online or by post, and you must do it promptly. As soon as you are registered, you become a Self Assessment taxpayer. This means that you are required to fill in a form at the end of every tax year, detailing your income. This must then be returned to HMRC in order that they can calculate how much tax you must pay.
MoneyExpertise - 30-Oct-15 @ 11:30 AM
Hi as self employed after deductions I have earned £11129.09 how much tax I am going to pay Thank you
Jola - 28-Oct-15 @ 9:52 PM
sheen - Your Question:
Hi I will be self employed soon and will be earning £8000 per year so how much NIC would I have to pay?

Our Response:
You don't have to pay National Insurance if you earn below a certain amount - in 2015-16, this is £8,060.
MoneyExpertise - 1-Oct-15 @ 3:01 PM
Hi I will be self employed soon and will be earning £8000 per year so how much NIC would I have to pay?
sheen - 30-Sep-15 @ 10:10 PM
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