National Insurance for the Self Employed

National Insurance for the Self-Employed in 2023/24

Nobody enjoys seeing deductions come out of their hard-earned cash, but paying National Insurance is one of the necessary evils of self-employment. The amount that you pay towards NI depends on how much you earn, and even how you earn it, such as through an employer or as someone who works for themselves. Why do…

Do Shareholders Pay Tax on Dividends?

Dividends can be a great way for company shareholders to earn money in a tax-efficient way, but they are still subject to tax – just at a different rate to other types of income. What are dividends? Dividends are payments that limited companies can make to qualifying shareholders from the profits that the company earns….

What is a Digital Handshake for Agents?

Many self-employed individuals and businesses opt to use an agent to deal with HMRC on their behalf. This could be for several reasons from wanting to focus solely on their business, to needing an extra pair of eyes to ensure their taxes are accurate. Before an agent can act on your behalf, you’ll need to…

Can I Apply for Gross Payment Status?

If you’re a subcontractor in the construction industry, then the contractor you work for will normally take CIS deductions from your pay each month, and pay these towards your income tax and National Insurance. In some cases you can opt to handle your taxes independently without the contractor making CIS deductions, but only if you…

Do I Need to Register for PAYE?

Pay As You Earn (or PAYE for short) is the process used by employers to collect Income Tax and National Insurance on behalf of HMRC. Employers make tax deductions from the wages they pay to employees, and then pay the deductions to HMRC, but not all employers need to register. Who needs to register for…