AM I TRADING? CHECKER
AM I TRADING? Checker
Six questions on HMRC’s badges of trade. Find out whether your selling is a hobby or a business, and what the £1,000 allowance covers.
Am I Trading?
Selling your old things is not trading and never has been. Buying things to sell them is, from the very first sale. Six questions, based on the tests HMRC actually applies, and a straight answer at the end.
Answer the six questions
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Indicative only. Trading is decided on the whole picture rather than on six answers, and the boundary cases are genuinely arguable. If you are near it, the cheap move is to ask before HMRC does.
What to do next
Register for Self Assessment by 5 October following the end of the tax year you started in, then keep records from the first sale rather than reconstructing them later. The new seller checklist covers the whole of it in about two hours.
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