Self-Employment Hub/Running Your Business
Curriculum · Running Your Business
Running Your Business
Financial and digital literacy — built for self-employed PTs and prison leavers. Unlock the next section by completing the current one.
Section 01 · Financial Basics
Make the money make sense.
Tax, bookkeeping, and getting paid — without the jargon.
- If you earn more than £1,000 self-employed in a tax year, you must register with HMRC for Self Assessment.
- Register by 5 October following the end of the tax year you started trading. Miss this and you may receive a penalty even if you owe no tax.
- File your online return by 31 January following the end of the tax year. The 2025/26 return is due 31 January 2027.
- Paper returns must be filed by 31 October — three months earlier.
- Miss the January deadline: automatic £100 fine, even if you owe nothing. Daily £10 penalties apply after 90 days.
Allowable expenses for a self-employed PT include: equipment, travel (not commuting), phone (business portion), public liability insurance, CPD courses, platform subscriptions, marketing. Expenses must be wholly and exclusively for business use.
From April 2026: Making Tax Digital (MTD) is mandatory for sole traders earning over £50,000. This means quarterly digital submissions to HMRC — not just one annual return. MTD expands to those earning over £30,000 from April 2027.
Mock Self Assessment · 2025/26 rates
See what you'd actually owe
Annual income
Allowable expenses
Estimated bill
- Total expenses
- £2,220
- Profit
- £25,780
- Income tax
- £2,642
- Class 4 NI
- £793
- Total to HMRC
- £3,435
- Take-home
- £22,345
Estimate only. Class 2 NI (£3.50/wk voluntary) not included. Confirm with HMRC or an accountant before filing.
Section 02 · Digital Presence
LockedGet found. Get booked. Get paid.
Your digital footprint is your shopfront. 82% of jobs now require digital skills — for self-employed PTs, this is how clients find you, how bookings arrive, and how you get paid.
Section 2 unlocks when Section 1 is complete
Mark each of the 6 financial-basics cards above as complete to unlock Google Business Profile, social media playbooks, GDPR templates, and the rest of Section 2.
0 / 6 complete
Section 03 · Protect Yourself
LockedDon't learn this the hard way.
Contracts, insurance, and handling situations before they become problems.
Section 3 unlocks when Section 2 is complete
Mark each of the 7 Digital Presence cards as complete to unlock contracts, insurance, DBS guidance, and difficult-client scripts.
0 / 7 complete
Section 04 · Mindset & Resilience
LockedThe stuff nobody else will tell you.
Short reads. No fluff.
Section 4 unlocks when Section 3 is complete
Work through Protect Yourself first — contracts, insurance, DBS, and difficult-client scripts.
0 / 4 complete
Section 05 · Knowledge Check
LockedDid it land?
10 questions across all four sections. Pass at 7/10 to unlock your completion certificate.
The quiz unlocks when Section 4 is complete
Read the three Mindset & Resilience articles, then come back to test what stuck.
0 / 3 complete