What is Self-Employment?
Information about self-employment, useful links, and grants that may help you start or grow your enterprise.
Working for Yourself
From the UK Government website, you’re probably self-employed if you:
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Run your business for yourself and take responsibility for its success or failure
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Have several customers at the same time
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Can decide how, where and when you do your work
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Can hire other people at your own expense to help you or to do the work for you
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Provide the main items of equipment to do your work
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Are responsible for finishing any unsatisfactory work in your own time
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Charge an agreed fixed price for your work
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Sell goods or services to make a profit
Many of these also apply if you own a limited company, but you’re not classed as self-employed by HMRC. Instead, you are both an owner and an employee of your company.
You can be both employed and self-employed at the same time, for example if you work for an employer during the day and run your own business in the evenings.
You can check whether you’re self-employed: online using the check employment status for tax tool or by phone.
List of Grants
Funding and support opportunities for self-employed people, founders and social entrepreneurs.
UnLtd finds, funds and supports social entrepreneurs with solutions for a better society.
Starting up: up to £8,000.
Scaling up: up to £18,000.
There are usually four application rounds every year. Check the website and apply early.
Funding and support to grow your impact
Search for grants and finance. It is free to search.
Check your local council’s website. Many councils have information on funding for local businesses.
Creative Wales helps creative industries with funding, resources, support and guidance.
The funding page is regularly updated.
Get in touch with Creative Wales
Maximum grant: £50,000 for individual projects.
Applicants must have a track record, such as producing TV for young audiences and being commercially distributed within the past three years.
Supports the development of bilingual animation and live-action programming for children and young audiences.
Funding: up to £10,000 seed and start-up funding.
Focuses on young people. The grant panel meets four times a year.
Check who they fund
Funding: up to £2,000.
Grants for young people aged 25 and under.
Also have a look at the loans and social investment section.