Do I have to become self-employed?

colinmk

Hi there,
I am currently on JSA however tomorrow I'm doing four weeks of freelance work for someone where I will earn £4k in total. I have never been self-employed before and am not guaranteed of more work after this although I do hope to get some more.

I know I have to phone up the job centre and tell them I have some work but do I also have to become self-employed from now on and is it worth it in the long run if I've got no more work lined up for sure?

I'm a bit confused about it all so any help would be great.

Cheers.

colinmk

No one been in a similar situation?

Kevie192

You'll need to register as self employed and complete tax returns.

It doesn't mean anything other than you will have to do the returns. If you don't work, you simple declare 0 income. Simples!

colinmk

Am I right in thinking if you earn under £7k or so freelance you have no tax to pay a the end of the tax year?

Also if I'm working away from home can I keep dinner receipts etc and claim it back?
Thanks.

tiger_eyes

You are assessed for income tax based on all income that tax year, including both self-employed and employed income, plus I think taxable benefits including Jobseekers' Allowance. There is no separate tax threshold for employed vs self-employed income. The personal allowance is £9440 for the current tax year; after the first £9440 of income, tax becomes due. Hope that helps.