Self-employed mobile spray tan technicians face solution, equipment and travel costs against typically part-time income. Full worked example on £14,000 turnover shows a £74 tax and NI bill.
Freelance structural engineers working through their own limited company face Corporation Tax, salary/dividend planning and IR35 risk on site-based contracts. Full worked example on £90,000 revenue shows exactly what's left after tax.
Self-employed tailors and seamstresses juggle machine costs, fabric stock and a mix of alterations and made-to-measure work. Full worked example on £26,000 turnover shows a £2,046 tax and NI bill.
On a £30,000 salary in 2026/27, a Scottish taxpayer takes home roughly £25,122.78 a year, while someone in England, Wales or Northern Ireland takes home about £25,119.60. The two are almost identical — here's the full income tax and National Insurance breakdown showing why.
On an £80,000 salary in 2026/27, a Scottish taxpayer takes home about £51,608.80 a year, while someone in England, Wales or Northern Ireland takes home about £56,957.40 — a gap of £5,348.60. Here's the full band-by-band breakdown showing exactly where that gap comes from.
Freelance transcriptionists run one of the leanest self-employed businesses around — minimal kit, almost no overhead. Full worked example on £24,000 turnover shows why your effective tax rate can bite harder than you expect.
UK dividend tax 2025/26 has a £500 allowance, then 8.75% basic rate, 33.75% higher rate, 39.35% additional rate. Here's how dividends stack with income, ISA shelter and director-owner tactics
Selling restored furniture on Facebook Marketplace, Etsy or from a local shop counts as trading, not hobby income, once you're buying regularly to resell. Full worked example on £22,000 turnover shows a take-home of roughly £16,300 after tax.
Self-employed upholsterers carry heavy material and tool costs alongside a collection-and-delivery van. Full worked example on £34,000 turnover shows a £3,758 tax and NI bill.
Selling vintage and second-hand clothing at scale on Vinted, Depop and eBay is a real trading business, not a hobby. Full worked example on £28,000 turnover plus how the VAT margin scheme works once you register.
Wales has had the legal power to set its own income tax rates since 2019 but has never used it. Here's exactly how the Welsh Rates of Income Tax mechanism works, and the precise scenario under which Cardiff Bay could actually diverge from England.
Freelance web developers mixing project work and contract roles must weigh sole trader vs limited company and watch IR35 status. Full worked example on £55,000 turnover compares both structures.
