Register if you’re self-employed

If you have to send a tax return and did not send one last year, you need to register for Self Assessment and Class 2 National Insurance. Register by 5 October in your business’s second tax year. You could be fined if you do not. If you have not filed a return online before Register online - you’ll need to sign in to your business tax account and add Self Assessment. You’ll need a Government Gateway user ID and password to sign in. If you do not have a user ID for a business tax account, you’ll be able to create one. You’ll receive a letter with your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number within 10 days (21 if you’re abroad). You’ll need your UTR to file a return. You’ll then receive another letter with an activation code for your account. You can get a new activation code if you do not receive it or you lose it. Once you’ve activated your account, you can file your tax return any time before the deadline . If you’ve filed a return online before Re-register online (form CWF1) if the work you plan to do is different from what you did before. You’ll need your 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference ( UTR ) from when you registered before. You can find your UTR if you do not know it. You’ll receive a letter with a new account activation code 10 days later (21 if you’re abroad). Once you’ve reactivated your account, you can file your tax return any time before the deadline . If the work you plan to do is the same as you did before, sign in to your account . If you’ve filed before but you did not use the online service Create an account for the online service using your UTR . You can find your UTR if you do not know it. You’ll receive a letter with an activation code for your account. Once you’ve activated your account, you can file your tax return any time before the deadline . Other ways to register You can fill in this form on-screen then print off and post to HMRC . You’ll need to have all your information ready as you cannot save a partly completed form. If you’re using an older browser, for example Internet Explorer 8, you’ll need to update it or use a different browser. Find out more about browsers .

Register if you're not self-employed

If you have to send a tax return and did not send one last year, you need to register for Self Assessment by 5 October. If you have not filed online before Register using form SA1 . After you register, you’ll receive your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number in the post within 10 working days (21 if you’re abroad). Create your online account . Sign up for Self Assessment online - you’ll need your UTR to do this. You’ll get an activation code for your new account in the post within 7 working days of signing up (21 if you’re abroad). When you get the code, sign in to send your return. You can replace an activation code if you do not receive it or you lose it. Once you’ve activated your account, you can file your tax return any time. If you’ve filed online before Sign in to your existing account.

Register if you're a partner or partnership

You must register for Self Assessment by 5 October if you’re a partner in a partnership. You’ll need your partnership’s 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference ( UTR ). You can find a UTR if you’ve lost it. You must also register your partnership if you’re the ‘nominated partner’. There are different ways to register: for limited liability partnerships if you’re a partner that’s not an individual, for example a company or a trust

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Register for Self Assessment

Overview

You must register for Self Assessment if you have to send a tax return and did not send one last year.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

There are different ways to register if you’re:

self-employed
not self-employed
registering a partner or partnership

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