Self employment and benefits - Self employed people and national insurance

If you or your partner are working, or thinking of starting work, as a self employed person you might qualify for welfare benefits to top up your income.

Contents list

Contents list

1. Am I employed or self employed?
2. Do I need to register as self employed?
3. What benefits can I claim if I am self employed?
4. Self employed people and national insurance
5. How do I calculate my hours of work - self employment?
6. How do I calculate my earnings - self employment?
7. What if I have less work than usual?
8. Can I get Working Tax Credit if I am self employed?
9. Universal Credit and self employment
10. Self employment and benefits: Frequently asked questions

Self employed people and national insurance

National insurance is a scheme in which working people make payments that count towards certain benefits. If you are self employed, you are responsible for paying your own national insurance contributions. As a self-employed person, you will usually pay Class 2 national insurance contributions (NICs) and you will also have to pay Class 4 NICs if you earn above a certain amount.

For information about the benefits your contributions count towards, read our guide on National Insurance Contributions.