How do I register as self-employed with HMRC?

Congratulations on your new venture! Now that you are working for yourself you may need to register for self-assessment with HMRC so you can report your income and expenses to HMRC and pay any tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs). 

Use HMRC’s checking service here to see if you need to register for self-assessment now.

When is the deadline to register as self-employed?

You need to register for self-assessment by 5th October after the tax year you started trading.

So, if you started trading on or before 5th April 2026, you will need to register by 5th October 2026. If you started trading on or after 6th April 2026 you may still need to register earlier than 5th October 2026, for instance if you need to prove you are self-employed for reasons such as proving eligibility for Tax-Free Childcare.

Find out more information about whether you need to register for self-assessment and file a tax return here. 

Registering as self-employed is the first tip on our 10 things you need to know if you are self-employed guide - it is simple and does not take long. If you are planning to use an accountant for your accounts or tax return, they may complete this as part of their package. 

Already have an HMRC Personal Tax Account?

If you already have a Personal Tax Account you can use the new faster registration process to register as self-employed here.  Pages will be pre-populated from your existing tax data to make the process speedier.

Don’t have a Personal Tax Account yet?

In order to register with HMRC, here are simple steps to follow. In order to register with HMRC, here are simple steps to follow. You will need your email address, National Insurance number and if you already have one, your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR).

1. If you have a Government Gateway account, you will need your username and password to log-in. If you don’t have a Government Gateway account, you will need to create a GOV.UK One Login account – the style of login that is replacing Government Gateway accounts and the kind of login you are now able to create.
2. Once logged in, create a business tax account. 
3. Once created, sign in to your business tax account and choose ‘add tax to your account to get online access to a tax, duty or scheme’. 
4. Choose the self-assessment option. If you have a UTR choose ‘Yes’ (this may be from years ago and will not change). If you do not, select ‘No’ to register for the first time. 
5. Choose individual or sole trader, and then ‘Yes’ to being self-employed. 
6. To tell HMRC which tax you want to register your business for, choose ‘Self-assessment’. 
7. Then choose ‘self-employed, sole trader/sole proprietor’ as your business type. 
8. Enter the date you started working for yourself. 
9. Complete the ‘About you’ and ‘About the business’ sections, you will need your National Insurance number for this. 
10. Read the declaration and tick to confirm everything is correct. Take a screenshot or photo of this page with your acknowledgement reference. 

Once this is done, you will receive your UTR in the post (if you registered to create a new UTR), or you can view it in your online account once HMRC has processed your application. 

Make sure you read our article on Tax for the self-employed which will give you some more information. 

How TaxAssist Accountants can help

If you need some advice, guidance or help with your accounts and tax return give our experienced accountants a call to arrange a free meeting. Call us on 01159 460024 or use our online contact form and we will get in touch. 

Last updated 22 Sep 2026 | First published 25 Apr 2024

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This article is intended to inform rather than advise and is based on legislation and practice at the time. Taxpayer’s circumstances do vary and if you feel that the information provided is beneficial it is important that you contact us before implementation. If you take, or do not take action as a result of reading this article, before receiving our written endorsement, we will accept no responsibility for any financial loss incurred.

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