Self Employed
How Do I Know If I'm Self-Employed?
Sometimes, there's a bit of confusion about your employment status. Knowing your worker status can have a grave impact on your taxes and overall success. Here's how to determine if you're self-employed, or also known as a sole trader.
What is my employment status?
Generally speaking, the UK recognises three types of employment status:
- Employee
- Worker
- Self-employed
An employee will work to the terms of a contract of employment and will fulfil the work personally. Whether the contract exists as a formal agreement or implied, it lays out the conditions such as pay, annual leave and working hours.
A worker will also adhere to the terms of a contract of employment and perform the work personally. However, some workers have a limited right to bring in someone else to complete the job, such as a sub-contractor.
A self-employed person runs his or her own business and takes responsibility for its success. Plus, they are more likely to be contracted to provide a service for a client. They will not be paid through PAYE and don't have the same employment rights and responsibilities as employees or workers.
Why do I need to know if I'm self-employed?
Self-employed individuals have a different tax situation compared to an employee. The self -employed usually must pay their National Insurance Contributions in addition to their income tax.
But the self-employed do get some tax perks, too. They can claim many business expenses for tax relief that employees cannot.
If your employment status is wrong, you may face unpaid tax and penalties or lose benefits. Therefore, knowing if you are self-employed, a worker or an employee is an important piece of knowledge.
