A £45,000 salary plus an £8,000 side hustle profit can tip you into the 40% tax band. Paying part of that extra income into a SIPP claims pension tax relief and can keep you a basic-rate taxpayer. Here's the worked numbers for 2026/27.
Self-employed sign writers and vehicle wrap installers juggle vinyl stock costs, cutting plotters and a van that doubles as a rolling advert. Full worked example on £52,000 turnover and what's actually deductible.
Handmade soap and cosmetics sellers face a real compliance cost most crafters underestimate: a Cosmetic Product Safety Report, often £50-£150+ per product. Full worked example on £18,000 turnover and what you actually keep.
Freelance social media managers juggle multiple retainer clients and client ad budgets that pass through their hands. Full worked example on £38,000 turnover shows exactly what counts as your income and what to keep aside for tax.
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.
