Closing Self-Employment in the UK: what you need to do

If you stop working as self-employed in the UK, you must officially inform HMRC. Simply ceasing activity is not enough — until you notify HMRC, you are still considered self-employed and may be required to file tax returns.

To close your self-employment status, you need to deregister through your HMRC Self Assessment account or contact HMRC directly. You will also need to submit a final Self Assessment tax return for the period you were trading and declare the date you stopped working as self-employed.

After HMRC processes this update, you will no longer be required to submit Self Assessment returns for self-employment (unless you have other taxable income). All outstanding tax and National Insurance contributions must still be paid before your account is fully settled.

We help self-employed individuals correctly close their HMRC registration, prepare final tax returns, and avoid penalties or missed obligations