There are two easy ways to find out when you registered as self-employed. Knowing when you registered is crucial to knowing what your responsibilities are and avoiding penalties.
If you want to check if someone else is self-employed? Read this guide
Table of contents
I’ve updated this post on 22 June 2020
1. What Are Your HMRC Responsibilities When You’re Registered as Self-Employed?
If you are registered as self-employed you are responsible for:
- Telling HMRC that you are self-employed and receive untaxed income;
- Paying income tax as well as Class 2 and Class 4 national insurance on your profits by 31 January and 31 July each year;
- Completing a self-assessment tax return online by 31 January each year and paying any tax due.
There are penalties for failing to file a tax return and pay your taxes.
If you are worried you have missed filing a tax return because you are not sure when you registered as self-employed, then check when you registered in one of these 2 ways:
2. Check Your Paperwork to Find Out When You Registered as Self-Employed
When you first registered as self-employed, HMRC will have issued you a UTR number. A UTR number is a 10 Digit code posted to you in a letter.
This letter confirms you successfully registered as self-employed, so will give an indication of when you first registered.
3. Call HMRC to Find Out When You Registered as Self-Employed
HMRC will have a record of when you registered as self-employed. You can call them on 0300 200 3310 and you’ll need to have your UTR number ready to get through security.
4. How to Check Whether You Need to File a Tax Return
Once you find out when you registered as self-employed, then next thing to do is to double-check whether you need to file a tax return. The easiest way to check is to login into your .GOV gateway account which you would have set up when you registered as self-employed. Once logged in, your dashboard will tell you which self-assessment tax returns you need to file and when they are due.
