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Foreigner registering as self-employed in the UK: help!
Thread poster: Maaike van Vlijmen
Leo BORGIA
Leo BORGIA  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:47
English to French
+ ...
Thanks!! Nov 2, 2011

Hello Maikke,

Sorry for not answering before today. Could finally open a bank account, and I started to work and Invoice from here even if I don't have a NIN. I will try to apply now for one and go to the HMRC to see what happens.

Leo

Maaike van Vlijmen wrote:

Hi Leo

Welcome to the UK
Yes, opening a (business) bank account is a good start. As you can read in this thread, you need to gather as much paperwork as possible to prove you're running your business. I suggest you visit the HMRC website: there you can find a lot of useful information about starting your own business and setting up as a sole trader.
You can send me a message through my profile if you have more questions.
Good luck!!

Maaike


 
Nigel Wheatley
Nigel Wheatley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:47
French to English
+ ...
In memoriam
to Rute Nov 3, 2011

Rute Fidalgo wrote:

I just have a personal bank account, is a business one better? Can you tell me why?


Your bank probably doesn't allow you to do business through your personal account. As long as you're not doing much business, they will probably turn a blind eye to it, but they will start to complain after a while and if the sums of money get too large. Why? Because British banks don't charge for personal accounts, but do charge for business accounts! So they will want money from you. Apart from this practical consideration, a business accoount will also make it simpler to convince HMRC of your business income and expenditure when you come to doing your accounts, because your business transactions are not mixed in with your grocery bills etc.

I am wondering when I need to do my Self Assessment here, will I only need to do it next year?
I have always done my own tax return in Portugal and was quite used to it there.


Tax returns are usually sent out in April or May, depending on how the HMRC is feeling. If you are filling out the paper form, it must be returned by 31 October: if you do it online, you have until 31 January. So you won't need to worry about this for several months yet, as long as you are properly registered with the HMRC. More information about self-assessment can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa/your-tax-return.htm

I find it strange to not have a taxpayer number, as I had in Portugal. Particularly when it concerns invoices, since most clients in other European countries ask for one.
I cannot use my Portuguese taxpayer number, because I want to pay my taxes here and not in Portugal.
How do you identify yourself on your invoices regarding taxes?
Is your address and national insurance number sufficient?
I know there is no need for a VAT number here, not with my income.


If you're not registered for VAT, there is no need to give a tax identification on your invoices. Your name and address should be sufficient, it always has been for me.

I find it strange, first of all I had to already be working to be able to apply for a national insurance number and I couldn't possible identify myself in any way on my invoices then.


As a Brit, I find it an absolute bloody disgrace! And almost certainly illegal under EU law as well. I know why they're making life difficult for people, and it ain't pretty, but this is not the place for my political rants. You will just have to arm yourself with patience, it will be sorted out eventually because they want your tax and NI contributions, and they can't get those without giving you an NI number! Good Luck!


 
Kim Bakkers
Kim Bakkers
Local time: 16:47
German to English
+ ...
Business banking Nov 3, 2011

Rute, HSBC do a business bank account called Business Direct without monthly charges, and no charges if you mainly do internet and telephone banking, have a look on their website

Kim


 
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Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:47
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
@Maaike Nov 6, 2011

Hello Maaaike,

I also suggest that if you are being paid in euros to a bank account outside of the UK you should use a currency exchange company to transfer yourself your euros from abroad. This will save you a substantial amount of money. I am using Smart Currency Exchange (http://www.smartcurrencyexchange.com/ ) at the moment, to transfer my euros from my Spanish bank account to the U
... See more
Hello Maaaike,

I also suggest that if you are being paid in euros to a bank account outside of the UK you should use a currency exchange company to transfer yourself your euros from abroad. This will save you a substantial amount of money. I am using Smart Currency Exchange (http://www.smartcurrencyexchange.com/ ) at the moment, to transfer my euros from my Spanish bank account to the UK, and it is definitely cheaper than transferring it from one bank to another! My € clients pay me in euros to my account in Spain, and my £ clients pay me to my UK bank. I am saving up to 4% on transfers, which really adds up when you are making transfers of say a thousand euros!

Michael
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Ozgur Sevinc
Ozgur Sevinc  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:47
English to Turkish
+ ...
many thanks Jan 3, 2012

Guys, I can`t thank you enough (especially the Dutch lady) for bringing this NIN issue up in this thread. When I went to the interview today, I was literally bullied by the lady there for not having necessary proof of my self employment in the UK. I spent half an hour trying to explain things to her but she didn`t listen. So the Job Center will much probably reject my NIN application. Again!!!

Having moved to the UK about 5 months ago, I pretty much went through the same thing. Thi
... See more
Guys, I can`t thank you enough (especially the Dutch lady) for bringing this NIN issue up in this thread. When I went to the interview today, I was literally bullied by the lady there for not having necessary proof of my self employment in the UK. I spent half an hour trying to explain things to her but she didn`t listen. So the Job Center will much probably reject my NIN application. Again!!!

Having moved to the UK about 5 months ago, I pretty much went through the same thing. This whole NIN and registration for self-assessment process is absolutely a vicious circle. And none of the information contained on HRMC and other related UK government websites is clear.

- How are we supposed to register as self-employed in the UK without a NIN?
- How are we supposed to provide evidence of self-employment when we are not allowed to register ourselves with the HRMC due to the lack of national NIN?

Now, thanks to your very valuable advice, I will immediately start to work as self employed and deal with this whole NIN thing later when I gather enough proof.

And despite all the research I have done over the last 3 months, I wasn`t able to find any solid advice on the internet related to this particular matter.
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Silvija Matijascic
Silvija Matijascic  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 17:47
Croatian to English
+ ...
Bank account? Nov 9, 2015

Dear all,

I am currently going through all the steps to self-employment in the UK that you've mentioned here and am faced with the following problem. So I'm supposed to issue invoices to my customers to prove that I am working and to be able to obtain my NIN. I only hold a personal bank account in the UK. I was told that I would need a business account to receive payments from invoices. However, I cannot open such an account without a letter from the HMRC, which I do not have and wi
... See more
Dear all,

I am currently going through all the steps to self-employment in the UK that you've mentioned here and am faced with the following problem. So I'm supposed to issue invoices to my customers to prove that I am working and to be able to obtain my NIN. I only hold a personal bank account in the UK. I was told that I would need a business account to receive payments from invoices. However, I cannot open such an account without a letter from the HMRC, which I do not have and will not get before I can officially register with my NIN.
Any thoughts? Did you state your personal bank account details on your invoices or did you have a business account?

Many thanks,
Silvija
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Maaike van Vlijmen
Maaike van Vlijmen  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:47
Member (2009)
Italian to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Santander business account Nov 9, 2015

Hi Silvija,

I opened a business bank account with Santander and at the time I only needed my passport and proof of address. I don't know if things have changed in the meantime, but you could try opening an account with them.
I left the UK in November 2013 and came back in March this year, and everything was so easy compared to the first time. In two clicks I was back in the system. Probably because I already had a NIN...
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Hi Silvija,

I opened a business bank account with Santander and at the time I only needed my passport and proof of address. I don't know if things have changed in the meantime, but you could try opening an account with them.
I left the UK in November 2013 and came back in March this year, and everything was so easy compared to the first time. In two clicks I was back in the system. Probably because I already had a NIN
Good luck!
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Silvija Matijascic
Silvija Matijascic  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 17:47
Croatian to English
+ ...
Thank you Nov 10, 2015

Dear Maaike,

Thank you for your reply. I will try other banks to see if they are some who are more lenient when it comes to opening a business account.

Thanks!


 
Charlie Bavington
Charlie Bavington  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:47
French to English
separate bank account Nov 10, 2015

Silvija Matijascic wrote:

I was told that I would need a business account to receive payments from invoices.


This is certainly generally recommended, to keep business and personal money separate, to make transactions easier to monitor, and so on.

However, if you are self-employed, it is not actually compulsory to have separate bank accounts. Under the circumstances, it seems you have little choice in the short term, other than to use one bank account for everything.

Also worth mentioning you do not have to open a "business" bank account in the way that adjective is used by high street banks, as distinct from personal banking. "Business" bank accounts usually start to incur transaction charges at some point; personal banking is still essentially free in the UK. If you are self employed, your separate business account could be different personal account. Hope that is clear


 
Silvija Matijascic
Silvija Matijascic  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 17:47
Croatian to English
+ ...
Did not know that Nov 10, 2015

Charlie,

I agree that it is best to keep the two separate, but I had no idea that I could use two personal bank accounts. I guess banks are the ones who are putting the pressure on people to open business accounts because they charge fees for such accounts.

This has been most helpful, thank you!


 
Max Hellwig
Max Hellwig  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:47
Member (2013)
English to German
+ ...
Has anyone tried this recently? Jun 4, 2018

Hi everyone!
has anyone been in this situation recently? I'm just going through it and Santander now requires a business to be registered to open a business bank account, for which you need to register which HMRC, for which you need a NINo... Feels a bit kafkaesque.
@Charlie: The lady that gave me the NINo interview appointment said I had to bring proof of a business bank account to prove I am actually self employed. So while it's not a legal requirement when running a business, it d
... See more
Hi everyone!
has anyone been in this situation recently? I'm just going through it and Santander now requires a business to be registered to open a business bank account, for which you need to register which HMRC, for which you need a NINo... Feels a bit kafkaesque.
@Charlie: The lady that gave me the NINo interview appointment said I had to bring proof of a business bank account to prove I am actually self employed. So while it's not a legal requirement when running a business, it does help at the NINo interview.
And yeah, apparently even the abbreviation of the National Insurance Number changed in the meantime...
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:47
Member (2008)
Italian to English
One bank account Jun 5, 2018

Max Hellwig wrote:

Hi everyone!
has anyone been in this situation recently? I'm just going through it and Santander now requires a business to be registered to open a business bank account, for which you need to register which HMRC, for which you need a NINo... Feels a bit kafkaesque.
@Charlie: The lady that gave me the NINo interview appointment said I had to bring proof of a business bank account to prove I am actually self employed. So while it's not a legal requirement when running a business, it does help at the NINo interview.
And yeah, apparently even the abbreviation of the National Insurance Number changed in the meantime...


I only have a personal bank account. It's very easy to keep track of business transactions and other transactions. It would be overkill for me to have a separate business account.

It's more important to keep your monthly book-keeping in good order. That way you'll have a clear record of all your business transactions.


 
Max Hellwig
Max Hellwig  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:47
Member (2013)
English to German
+ ...
Thanks, Tom Jun 5, 2018

I've heard that elsewhere too in the meantime. I hope it's true, I'm really not keen on paying for an account.

 
Ondrej Pisa
Ondrej Pisa
Czech Republic
Local time: 17:47
Member (2013)
English to Czech
+ ...
More info about this Jan 7, 2019

[quote]Marijke Singer wrote:

You can pay taxes in Holland and run your business from there while residing in the UK. Your domicile for tax purposes is the Netherlands and you reside in the UK.

This will solve your VAT issue immediately because you can use your Dutch VAT number.



Hi, I find this really interesting! I would like to move to Northern Ireland for 1.5 year to my GF (she has been living there for 3 years now as a resident) and run my business from Czech Republic (I have Czech VAT number) while residing in Northern Ireland. Can I get NIN, do I need it? Should I pay some contributions? I would be really thankful if you could give me more information about this situation (if this is more complex, we can take this conversation to PM)

Thank you!


[Upraveno: 2019-01-07 13:50 GMT]

[Upraveno: 2019-01-07 13:55 GMT]


 
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Foreigner registering as self-employed in the UK: help!






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