If you've earned over £1,000 from self-employment in a tax year, HMRC needs to know. Here's how to register as a sole trader.
When to register
By 5 October in your second tax year of trading. Earlier is fine — many people register the day they invoice their first client.
What you'll need
- National Insurance number
- Government Gateway ID (create one if you don't have one)
- Date you started trading
- Business name (can be your own name)
- Business address
The actual steps
- Visit gov.uk and search "register for Self-Assessment"
- Sign in to your Government Gateway account
- Choose "I'm self-employed (sole trader)"
- Fill in the questionnaire
- HMRC posts your UTR (Unique Tax Reference) within 10 working days
After registration
You'll need to file a Self-Assessment by 31 January of the following tax year. You'll also pay Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance.
Tip: open a separate finance record for business income/expenses on day one. It makes everything 10x easier when you start your books.
Your first week as a sole trader
- Set up a separate business finance record
- Choose bookkeeping software (Ledgerly Pro starts at £5.99/mo)
- Import CSV/Excel files via CSV/Excel imports
- Save 20–25% of every payment in a "tax pot" account
Already trading? Start your Ledgerly Pro free trial and we'll prep your Self-Assessment summary automatically.