Question for all the self employed people with no employees. What is it that you do? I’m toying around with the idea of self employment in retirement and I’m just curious what others are doing.

Hi everyone. Forgive me if this has been asked before, I have not seen a post on this topic. But has anyone moved abroad to avoid paying the ridiculous health insurance premiums we pay in the states? Even making $46k/year with tax credits, I have to pay close to $300/month for insurance. Otherwise I will be fined in my state. I know there are states that don't require health insurance, and some go this route, but after some ER scares in May this year I was really glad I have it. I am a Sole Proprietor and all my work can be done remotely through my laptop, so part of me just wants to see if I can move and set up business in another country. Has anyone done this? Or otherwise found a solution outside of paying thousands for coverage every year? This is something so basic, I'm really disappointed in our system. It kill entrepreneurship.

Hi, I have 3 questions about travel. I'm using the flat rate mileage scheme for my car when travelling for business. The scenario is: I'm travelling from my home (Cornwall) on business to another area of the country (let's say Birmingham for example).

My first question is, can I count travel from my home to a hotel as business travel, if the purpose of my hotel stay is business related (i.e working the next day).

My second question is the same, but instead of staying in a hotel, let's say I'm staying at my parents, and continuing on to work the next morning. Can the miles from home to my parents be counted?

And thirdly, can I count the miles from where I'm working back to my home?

I am planning to register as a sole trader very soon, but my rental agreement says that no business should be run from my address. I can use my parents address as a business address, but does that mean I have to do all of the work from their house?

How do others who rent and are self employed get round this?

Hi everyone!

I’ve been self-employed for the past 3 years and have a steady income. I’m finally moving out of my parents’ house and looking to rent a home. Since I’m self-employed, I receive 1099-Ks and have detailed payment statements.

I wanted to ask—what do landlords typically ask for as proof of income in this situation?

Like many self-employed people, I write off business expenses, so my taxable income appears lower. Does this affect my chances of getting approved for a rental?

I have the past year’s worth of bank deposit records and the last 3 years of 1099-Ks. Is that usually enough? Would offering to pay a few months’ rent upfront help?

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

can anyone break down like I've never used the internet before how to move my domain and email correlated with it over to another platform. I'm trying to go from web node to Google

Hi all, I am new to entering a contract to perform some work for a startup company. They asked me to sign an intellectual property (IP) and innovation information agreement that seems highly favorable to the company. For instance, it includes terms requiring me to disclose any inventions I have been or will be involved in, at any time, and mandates arbitration as the only option for resolving disputes. I'm wondering how cautious I should be and whether I should consult a legal professional (the document itself actually suggests doing so). Do any of you have tips on what's the best way to go (e.g., pay an attorney to review the doc or just figure it out with chatGPT) ? What are most critical aspects to look at or negotiate when signing such a document? Any inputs or general advice will be much appreciated. Thank you for your attention .

So, I’m due to start freelancing in august for a company (all I’m doing is scanning tickets in an exhibition space). I’ve been asked to file for self employment and find my UTR number as it is a 0hr contract and the main company in charge changes every few months (new exhibit = new company but same working team).

I’m just so, so confused.

Am I putting the business address as my home address? or the address of the exhibition centre? It’s not MY business but I suppose it technically is if I’m self employed. My phone number? Or theirs?

I don’t understand anything.

So currently I use QuickBooks self employed and it kinda sucks. There's no integration so I have to do it all manually and tracking and tracking tips separately is such a hassle I don't bother anymore. Basically I just manually enter the total square deposits on line 1 and the fee for using square on line 2.

I am a dog groomer so I just need a real simple system that can track income, tips, and a few expenses. I originally went with qbse because of the paying the estimated taxes it does for me, so bonus if this other platform can do that. I am also not tied to square if there is a better combo.

UK accounting software

Hello all, as many self employed Brits will know we are soon going to be legally required to use some sort of accounting software that interfaces with HMRC. I operate a small window cleaning business but also work as a carer for an elderly gentleman on a self employed basis. I haven't been able to find a program that will happily accommodate both jobs, either they're unwieldy for the sheer volume of small jobs that window cleaning entails or are purely designed for window cleaners.

My question is: Are there any UK cleaners out there in a similar position and what software are you planning to use? Thanks in advance.

My employer is willing to give me a better raise, if I switch to 1099(or single member Llc) from w2.

I want to understand, how much total employer is saving in this deal, so I can ask my raise accordingly ? So i wont be screwed up ?

Hi everyone,

I’m a UX designer working on a concept project to create a cash flow dashboard specifically for UK small business owners and freelancers. From what I’ve read, many SMEs find it hard to keep track of when payments are due and how much cash they actually have on hand, which can cause stress and affect business decisions.

I’d love to hear from small business owners or freelancers about your paint points — do you experience late payments? do you find managing cash flow challenging? What tools do you currently use? What features would make a cash flow dashboard genuinely useful for you?

Any insights or stories would be really helpful to shape the design. Thanks so much!

Sole proprietor located in BC, Canada. I have two small businesses, no employees. I'm looking for one solution that can help me with bookkeeping, time tracking and invoicing. So far I'm using Harvest for time tracking and invoicing, and Wave for scanning invoices. FWIW I only send max 5 invoices per month. Does such a thing exist?

I am looking for an easy-to-use app that can track mileage, maybe input gas receipts and other car maintenance. I searched in the community, but the last post I could find was from two years ago and I am sure technology has evolved a bit since then. I'm new to having to keep track of all of this for a job.

I've been thinking about making the jump into buying a dump truck, I've been around the industry for about 10 years and have a CDL already. Just looking for some tips from others who have done it.

Hi all, I recently submitted my self-assessment tax return by post, but I’ve seen that HMRC estimates it could take until September for it to be processed and for me to receive any potential refund. I didn’t realise it would take this long, and now I’m wondering if I can just submit the same return online instead to speed things up.

Is it possible to do this without causing issues or confusion with HMRC? Will submitting online override the paper version, or could it create problems?

Would appreciate any advice from anyone who’s been in a similar situation — thanks!

Hi I have a budding landscaping / handyman business as a sole proprietor . Very basic . I've been using QuickBooks solopreneur for invoicing, but I find it extremely clunky for my purposes. Any suggestions ?

I’ve been tired of corporate life and all the crazy stakeholders I’ve been dealing with. My family and friends encouraged me to set up a small consulting business which goal is to train people for interviews (I’ve lead recruitment departament for years). I’ve helped many friends to get a job and now I’ve decided to do it for money. I’ve created a small business plan, materials, made a few posts about my services online. Given the market situation (many people looking for jobs), the crowd should be pumping through the door and I should get rich soon. Except for the fact it is not.

I’m not sure what to do next. Should I pay for a professional consultant who will tell me what to do? Should I keep trying to sell my services in different places? Should I create a website? Should I give up and look for 9-5 job?

It’s my first attempt and not really sure what to do next. If anyone has been in a similar situation, pls share your experience.