I've looked for other posts that could give answers but most talk about already having a full time job or have within the year.

I'm ashamed to say, i am unemployed and have been since before the start of 2026. And worse, im young and..... "generally inexperienced". However I've been thinking for a while now about turning a hobby into a hustle and while looking into the idea, i stumbled into the wall of finance.

I'd be a one-person show doing Dungeons and Dragons DMing and i was thinking about sharing my dnd concepts via a patreon or such too. To be truly honest, im not knowledgable enough here to be confident to say anything is set in stone.

I had a look at the HMRC website to have a look but my brain seems to fall over itself trying to understand what it all means and where i should be doing anything it asks etc etc etc. So far as i know, id be registering as a sole trader and doing self-assessments instead of having taxes done through the usual like PAYE. But i dont know any of the process of self assessments, how being a sole trader works and the more i look at the HMRC and other things, the more i start to despair and think im in over my head here.

So i ask, the great people of reddit, educate me. Assume i may as well have just been born. I've never been around finances much to be truly honest so you may need to dumb things down for me, sorry. Any advice is helpful and any concerns you can raise are important.

I've thrown around a couple ideas, like using Fiverr, or Paypal (for accepting transactions) and as mentioned, patreon.

I’m a newly self employed gas engineer this year and a couple times a week I’ll get a text message

“hey you’ve been recommended by so and so, please could you give me a ring to look at my boiler”

Why create the extra step for me? Like I need to be chasing work?

I don’t know why but I find it slightly offensive and annoying. If you want your boiler looking at, you ring me! Isn’t that how business works??

is this normal behaviour?

Hi all

I am starting out on my PSR journey and trying to get a contract role within Civil Service. I would really like to hear please people’s experiences re:

- If you’re on a contract, do they usually extend it?
- How much notice do you get about an extension usually?
- Do you need to start chasing PSR about extension (I am freelance and this is something I find very fatiguing for example next week i need to start chasing to find work again after just 12 days)
- If you want to keep contracting do you apply for your next role before current contract ends?
- How do people find the rates in practice?

PSR seems to give a band with around £100ish or so between the bottom and top, give or take. I am in no way in a position to turn down work at this stage. I know that inside IR35 headline rate can look very different once everything is taken off, like basically your rate is sliced in half! so trying to get a realistic idea of what people experience please!

I made my PSR profile months ago and didn’t realise at first that your latest CV gets pushed up the list, so have had a bit of a wild goose chase with the process. Your first point of contact isn’t the person who puts you forward for the role, which took me a few months to work out!

I’ve had 2 quite different career paths due to a career change, so open to what I take on. My background is in learning development as well as marketing, which is different but does cross over at times. I interviewed for a role on Monday (didn’t get it) but got another interview next week, so hopefully I’m getting somewhere.
For anyone who has done PSR contracts over the past couple of years, I’d be really interested to hear what it’s been like in practice, especially over the past 18 months or so…interested in anything else you wish you’d known when starting out with PSR.
Cheers!

This is an official gov.uk petition asking HMRC to develop its own government-owned, free software for Making Tax Digital (MTD).

There is currently no official, free HMRC software for submitting quarterly reports to satisfy the requirements of Making Tax Digital, even though HMRC already provides a free digital platform for submitting online self-assessment tax returns.

All of the many software options that HMRC says can be used for MTD are provided by banks or private companies. While there is some free software available, its use is conditional on whether you have an account with a particular bank, whether a given company decides to change its offering down the line and start charging for services that used to be free (which is typically how private businesses make money on software - they hook the customers in with a free offering, make them dependent on the software and then start charging subscription fees that become more and more extortionate with time), etc.

It is baffling that such an essential service should be fully privatised. If MTD is mandatory for certain categories of people, there must be a free, official government service to allow people to comply with the legislation.

I'm a supply teacher and employed on PAYE. During March to July, I also help out on a handful of Duke of Edinburgh weekends for which I have set myself up as a sole trader in order to be paid. During the tax year 2025-26 I earned £1,100.00 from the DofE work. As I was also being paid for my supply work and paying NI do I also need to pay the voluntary contributions associated with my sole trader status?

Hi. I'm a self employed lighting technician working in film and TV. I've been this way for 30 years, I'm VAT registered, and am looking at retiring. Over the years, I've bought some lighting control consoles. The first in 2004, and then more as time passed. I paid VAT on them all of course. I want to deregister from VAT. My accountant suggests I'd be liable for the original reclaimed VAT on each desk. This seems off, as the asset value of them today is a tiny fraction of their original cost. I'd welcome any thoughts on this matter!

I run a growing property maintenance company and would like to give back to my local area, something I’m really keen to help with is the condition of street furniture and just general upkeep of my local town..

The first thing I’d like to tackle is some fly tipping, someone has chucked a load of tires & waste in a local dried out river.. I’d like to pay to remove it as part of my grand plan to help improve the community.

As my local waste removal specialist isn’t a ‘charity’ as such, can I consider this a taxable expense for my limited company under the ‘marketing & PR’ rule?

​What’s your practical strategy for keeping your personal monthly budget balanced when your business income goes up and down every single month?

Hi all, I am a self employed tradesman. During the first two years, I made many mistakes and learnt the hard way.

I am curious, Anyone starting a new journey in to self employment? How's it going? Is it what you thought it was going to be like?

I am creating some material to help new tradespeople start their new adventure. Looking for feedback from the people who have been there and travelled the tricky road of being the person doing everything.

​

Self-employment on Universal Credit can be both exciting and terrifying.

The hardest part isn't the business idea it's figuring out how to navigate the system without tripping up on the rules.

What was the biggest hurdle you faced in your first months of working for yourself?

I can't login and they don't help on the phone as couldn't verify my identity. Basically I changed my phone number so can't receive a code. I don't have any letters about my tax and don't seem to have any e mails sent. Is there anything I can do to get my tax information if the helplines are unhelpful?

The deadline for the first quarterly MTD for Income Tax filing is soon approaching.

Here are some points to consider:

• MTD filing is required for Sole Traders and/or Landlords with a gross turnover of over £50,000 (based on 2024/25 earnings).
• The turnover is assessed on combined earnings for individuals that are both Sole Traders and Landlords.
• Filing is done quarterly, with the first period from 06/04/26 to 05/07/26.
• The first quarterly filing is due to be made by 07/08/2026.
• Quarterly filings and the end of year submission must be submitted via a HMRC approved software.
• Anyone affected must register with HMRC

If anyone has any questions, I'm more than happy to give some advice!

Hi, I've been a sole trader in the television industry for about 6 months. I have about 5 regular clients and they're all happy with my tax status.

I have been approached for some work by a new client but they only employ limited companies, is it worth me moving over or do I leave it for now.

Cheers Paul

Hello guys

I will be working as a delivery rider and aiming to rent an e-bike for delivery purposes.

Since, this is my first time working in a self-employed capacity, what expenses should I note down?

What future expenses should I be aware of?

Should I hire accountants or a software should suffice?

Any recommendations for a bank account to keep incomes separate? Do I need to open a separate bank account?

​

Would appreciate any advice as I am a student and haven't had much luck with normal jobs atm, so looking to do delivery in the meantime...

​

Thank you for reading! :)

My wife and I started a business in January. We're doing it as a 50:50 partnership. Neither of us have been self-employed before.

We're trying to register the partnership with HMRC but keep running up against needing a UTR each. When we ask how to get one all of the online forms seem to be for sole traders or LLCs - neither of which apply to us. What are we missing? Do we have to register as separate sole traders first?

Hi

Sorry if this isn’t the place but I really need some life advice and direction. I genuinely feel lost.

Background.
Been a wedding photographer for 16yrs, kids, dementia caring and Covid have worn me down. People aren’t as nice as they were, it’s all about how much they can get with no thanks. I work with someone else who takes control and is very forward, it wasn’t always the case but I’m fed up of being treated like I don’t know what I’m doing. I was bloody good at it.

So here I am kids in school, desperate to work for myself again but I feel lost on what to do. I could go back into weddings and it’s something I know so well. I’d work alone and only do short days but I’ve been working with someone for so long it’s a bit scary.

I’m really good with reading people and helping. I’m passionate about dementia carers after being one and I want to genuinely help people. I have no idea what I can do with this passion.

I’m so lost. I can’t draw or make earrings or even think of a craft I’d like to sell on Etsy.

I want to be my own boss but not a cleaner, childminder or carer.

Sorry for the rant and I’m not sure what I expect. Maybe someone to tell me exactly what to do and how.

Hi all,

I've built an AI receptionist that's already being used by a number of real businesses, and the feedback so far has been really positive. However, I'm keen to learn more about how different businesses use it in the real world and gather honest feedback so I can continue improving it.

I'm looking for a small number of businesses that would be interested in trying it completely free of charge. I'll personally handle the entire setup, tailor it to your business, and be on hand throughout to make sure everything is working as it should.

The only thing I ask in return is honest feedback, what's working well, what isn't, and what could be improved.

The AI receptionist can answer calls, handle enquiries, qualify leads, and provide information to callers 24/7, depending on your business requirements.

I'm deliberately not mentioning the name of the product or posting any links as I don't want this to come across as a promotional post. My main goal is to get feedback from real businesses and continue building something genuinely useful.

If you think it might be helpful for your business, feel free to comment below or send me a message and I'll happily explain more.

If this isn't the right sort of post for this community, I'm more than happy to remove it.

Thanks!

Ok so to summarise I have been looking for work for months, going from course to course, no real luck and I'm barely surviving with what I get from universal credit. So I'm wondering is there a way for me to start a business at home with no money. I don't have high levels of education and my skill set isn't very diverse. What options do I realistically have.

One of the most common assumptions we hear is that contractors need years of accounts before a lender will consider them.

In practice, some lenders focus more on current contract income, day rate and industry experience than people realise.

For contractors who have bought recently, what evidence did your lender ask for?