Hello

Hello

In all polite societies it is appropriate to introduce yourself when you are new to a group, so here goes ...

I am Michael, I am an alcoho ... opps wrong group ... in all seriousness, I am a Freelancer ... in these times of economic woe, life has not been a complete bed of roses, however its not all been bad.

I could bore you with the facts ... essentially I closed my business after six years in the summer of 2008, and have continued to work in a freelance capacity since.

So here's to sharing my knowledge and wisdom and participating in discussions ... why has it taken me so long to find this site.



Best wishes

Michael

Hello Rachelle

Thanks for your message.

Can you clarify what you mean by PO, as that is an abbreviation that can be used for a few different things, certainly in my work it could mean about four different things.

In terms of being a freelancer, persumably you know you have ro tell HMRC that you are working on a self-employed/freelance basis and need a tax reference, you only have three months to do so, otherwise there are financial penalities, there should be a link below.

If you don't have a tax reference, companies may not use you, or you may find it difficult to earn any money.

I usually find I have to give my Tax Reference Number and proof from HMRC that I am self emloyed.

On completion of the work you will have to submit an invoice, I actually use paper invoices, where I write on them with a pen, as I automatically have a duplicate copy (cost about £4 or £5 usually for a book of 50), and just post the invoice out.

You could use typed invoices and send them in a PDF format, not as easy to alter in a PDF format as they are in word, I used to use word invoices and had a client reverse the numbers so I got paid a smaller amount - fortunately i kept the original copies and was able to prove they'd changed it.

As for self-employed income, if it is low in this tax year, you may be eligable for tax credits next year, and maybe some help this year too.

I hope this has been useful. You can contact me by private message if you want more information or advice.

Good luck and best wishes.

Michael

Rachelle

it would appear the link didn't work ... I have not posted enough messages yet ... I'll send you a private message with the link.

Michael