Reply To: Self-employed for less than three years

Hi Hannah,

If your partner was self-employed only in the last tax year, and so hasn’t yet submitted a return, he unfortunately won’t be eligible. At the moment, the only financial support he could claim is Universal Credit – which he can still claim if he is still working in his self-employment. Income is assessed monthly and worked out based on profit (after expenses), so if he has a slow month then Universal Credit can top up his earnings. In months where he earns above the limit, he won’t get any UC – but his claim won’t automatically close, in case the following month is low again. If he does earn above £569.22 in any assessment period, he can also apply for the Help to Save bank account. I’ve written a guide about that here – it means up to £1200 free from the Govt, over the next 4 years.