Register with HMRC as soon as possible after you become self-employed. A penalty may be charged if you fail to do so by 5 October (for tax purposes) or 31 January (for national insurance contributions) after the end of the tax year in which you started the business. You can register through your personal tax account (see below ) or by ringing the self-employed helpline (0300 200 3300; Textphone 0300 200 3319). You will be asked to complete a tax return each year. You can find more information at www.gov.uk/working-for-yourself .

If you are currently self-employed, or receive rental income, you may be in scope of HMRC’s new ‘Making Tax Digital for Income Tax’ regime. To find out more about the new system and to see who is affected, see www.litrg.org.uk/making-tax-digital-income-tax . There are exemptions available for some categories of taxpayers.