How do I register as a sole trader?

Online, through gov.uk. You register for Self Assessment as a self-employed person, which registers you as a sole trader at the same time. There is no separate sole trader registration and nothing to pay.

What you need to hand

• Your National Insurance number.
• Your address and date of birth.
• The date you started trading, which is the date you took your first delivery job, not the date you signed up to the app.
• A rough description of the work. "Delivery driver" or "courier" is enough.

What happens next

1. You get a Government Gateway user ID if you do not already have one. Keep it somewhere safe, because resetting it is slower than setting it up.
2. HMRC posts your UTR, usually within a couple of weeks.
3. HMRC posts an activation code for the online Self Assessment service. It expires, so use it when it arrives.
4. From then on you file a return each year, covering 6 April to 5 April.

Being a sole trader means you and the business are the same legal person. There is no company, no Companies House filing and no separate bank account required, though a separate account makes the bookkeeping considerably easier.

Set up as a sole trader (opens in a new tab) is the official starting point.