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Become a sole trader with HM Revenue and Customs - your legal responsibilities if you run a business as a self-employed sole trader.

• What a sole trader is

  A sole trader is a type of business. It’s the simplest business structure…

• Choose your business name

  You can trade under your own name, or you can choose another name for your…

• Register as a sole trader

  You register as a sole trader by registering for Self Assessment. You must…

Records and paperwork you must keep if you're self-employed as a sole trader or partner in a business: income, costs, profit, how long to keep records.

• Overview

  You must keep records of your business income and expenses for your Self…

• What records to keep

  You’ll need to keep records of: all sales and income all business expenses…

• How long to keep your records

  You must keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31 January…

Choosing a legal structure when you're starting a business: the differences between being a sole trader and a limited company, including legal risk, registration and taxes.

Director sentenced for theft and fraudulently removing company property must repay funds

• Updated: 3 December 2025

Incorporate a private limited company - register it with Companies House and rules on directors, shares, articles of association and telling HMRC about the company.

What you must do when you sell your company, partnership or sole trader business

Steps to help grow your business - finding finance, mentors, increasing sales and developing products and services

Small businesses can record income and expenses when money is actually paid rather than when they've invoiced or received

What you need to do if you start working for yourself.

Business expenses you can claim if you're self-employed