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Say goodbye to stuffy suits and jargon-filled conversations you can't understand. I offer financial solutions in a refreshingly straightforward approach, for people who want to reach their business goals faster and achieve financial security without the accounting headache.
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— Pat van Aalst
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Financial security for the self-employed: how to build a savings plan that actually works If you work for yourself, you already know the trade-off: more freedom and flexibility, but none of the protections that come with employment. No sick pay, no holiday pay, no employer pension, and every tax bill is entirely yours to plan for. That’s why financial resilience isn’t just sensible — it’s essential. But the reality is, many people are still operating with little or no backup. The FCA’s latest data shows: 1 in 10 UK adults has no cash savings at all Another 21% have less than £1,000 set aside Around 13 million people are classed as having “low financial resilience” So let’s look at how to fix that with a practical, self-employed-friendly savings framework. 1. Start with a proper cash reserve target Employees are usually told to save 3–6 months of expenses. If you’re self-employed, aim for 6–12 months instead , because you’re covering more risk and more volatility. It helps to split this into two separate pots: A personal emergency fund — covers rent/mortgage, bills, food, childcare, insurance and other essentials. A business buffer — covers your tax bill, National Insurance, software costs, equipment, subcontractor support and other fixed business costs. A simple test: If your income stopped tomorrow, how long could you continue without taking on debt or panic-spending your savings? Your answer = your target. And the key rule: don’t mix this money with your day-to-day spending account . Separate accounts = better discipline. 2. Build a tax pot automatically A lot of tax stress comes from the same mistake: treating tax as a once-a-year surprise instead of a running cost. The fix is simple: move a percentage of every invoice into a separate “tax pot” the day you get paid. That way, the money is there before HMRC ever asks for it. A rough guide: Basic-rate taxpayers: 20–25% of income Higher-rate: 30–35% Additional-rate: 40%+ And remember: if your last Self Assessment bill was over £1,000, HMRC will probably expect payments on account as well: 31 January — balancing payment + first instalment for the current tax year 31 July — second instalment If you miss these, HMRC charges interest. At the time of writing, that’s more than 8% — so keeping a tax pot is much cheaper than borrowing your way out of a deadline. 3. Use tax-efficient savings options Once you’ve got your emergency fund and tax pot running, the next step is to protect and grow longer-term savings. Short-term access cash (for emergencies): Easy-access savings accounts Notice accounts (30–90 days if you want a better rate) Premium Bonds (not a replacement for interest, but a useful add-on) Long-term savings and investments: The annual ISA allowance (£20,000 for 2025/26) — protects interest, dividends and gains from tax Personal pensions — contributions receive tax relief and can pull income back out of higher tax bands Lifetime ISA (if eligible) — a 25% government bonus for first-time buyers or retirement savings Always keep your emergency fund outside pensions, because pension money can’t be accessed until later in life. 4. Plan for illness, injury or life changes One of the biggest financial risks for the self-employed is not tax — it’s loss of income due to illness or injury. Employees get statutory sick pay. You don’t. So consider whether you need: Income protection insurance (replaces a percentage of earnings if you’re unable to work) Critical illness cover (a lump sum if diagnosed with a severe condition) Life insurance (important if you have dependants) For new or expectant parents: you won’t qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay, but you may be able to claim Maternity Allowance if you meet the NI and earnings rules. It pays up to £187.18 a week for up to 39 weeks. 5. A simple step-by-step action plan Open three accounts: everyday spending, tax pot, and emergency fund. Automate transfers every time a client pays you — don’t rely on “leftovers”. Set a goal of 6–12 months’ expenses and track progress quarterly. Once your emergency fund is in place, use ISAs and pensions for long-term saving. Review insurance options to protect income if you couldn’t work for several months. Add the Self Assessment deadlines (31 Jan and 31 July) to your calendar and cashflow plan. Refill the emergency fund before restarting investment contributions if you ever dip into it. The best system is one that runs even when you forget about it — not one that relies on motivation. Final word Being self-employed means you carry more financial risk — but also more control. A proper savings structure means: Tax bills stop being a crisis One bad month doesn’t become debt You can take time off without fear You can build wealth long-term instead of firefighting short-term If you’d like help building a tax pot strategy, pension plan or cashflow system that actually fits the way you work, just get in touch. 📩 Need support with self-employed finances? Let’s talk.
HMRC has now launched its new online service allowing people to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) through Pay As You Earn (PAYE) instead of Self Assessment — a change first announced in the Spring Statement 2025. The update is designed to help taxpayers who only complete a tax return because of HICBC, removing the admin burden for thousands of families. ✅ Who the charge applies to HICBC kicks in when either you or your partner has adjusted net income above £60,000 . From 2024/25: Charge starts at £60,000 Fully removes child benefit by £80,000 The clawback rate: 1% of the benefit for every £200 earned above £60,000 🔄 What’s changed? Until now, the only way to settle the charge was through Self Assessment — unless the amount was under £2,000 and could be coded out via PAYE. Under the new system, PAYE taxpayers who don’t need a tax return for anything else can now pay HICBC directly through their tax code . To use the service, you must: De-register from Self Assessment (if that’s the only reason you're filing) Wait 24 hours for HMRC systems to update Opt in to paying via PAYE HMRC will be writing to around 100,000 people who appear liable but aren’t currently in Self Assessment , so expect contact if you're affected. ⚠️ One quirk to note: If your charge spans 2024/25 and 2025/26, you could briefly see two HICBC deductions in your tax code. HMRC says this will correct itself over the year. 🧠 Don’t forget: opting out of payment isn’t the same as opting out of claiming Some parents choose to stop receiving the benefit to avoid the charge — but it can still be worth registering because: You receive National Insurance credits if you’re not working Your child is automatically issued an NI number before 16 So even if you're not being paid the benefit, the registration still matters. 📌 What to do next If you: File Self Assessment only because of HICBC → you may be able to stop Are unsure whether you're affected → now is the time to check your adjusted net income Want PAYE to handle the charge → you’ll need to de-register before enrolling If you’re not sure whether you're caught by the rules — or whether switching to PAYE makes sense — just get in touch and I’ll walk you through it. Need help reviewing your HICBC position? ✅ Check whether you're liable ✅ Confirm whether PAYE is now suitable ✅ Avoid penalties for missed declarations 📩 Message me or book a call — happy to help.
Why the Treasury Keeps Looking at National Insurance Every few months, someone at the Treasury “discovers” National Insurance again — usually when they need to raise money without appearing to raise taxes. It’s predictable, and it’s clever, because NI is the perfect middle ground between visible tax and quiet revenue grab. Let’s unpack why it keeps coming up, and what it means for employers, workers and landlords. 1️⃣ The political disguise National Insurance sounds like something you get back — pensions, sick pay, NHS. That makes it far less toxic than calling it “extra income tax”. But make no mistake: for most people, NI is income tax by another name. Employees pay it, employers pay it, the self-employed pay it — yet politicians can tweak the rules and still claim “we haven’t touched income tax”. That’s how we ended up where we are now: Employer rate up to 15 % from April 2025. Thresholds frozen. Wider talk about extending NI to other income types. 2️⃣ The self-employed gap Roughly one in seven UK workers is self-employed. They pay less NI overall because there’s no “employer” contribution on their earnings. From the Treasury’s point of view, that’s a hole — and holes are meant to be filled. That’s why you keep hearing about bringing self-employed Class 4 NICs closer to employee levels, or inventing a brand-new charge on partnership and LLP profits. It’s sold as “fairness”. In practice, it’s revenue. 3️⃣ The landlord problem Rental income currently attracts no NI at all. So, when the Chancellor promises not to raise “rates for working people”, it leaves a nice loophole: you can invent a new NI category on unearned income and say the pledge still stands. If you own property personally, that’s worth watching. Even a 5 % “contribution” on rental profits would raise billions — and quietly shift thousands of landlords towards incorporation or exit. 4️⃣ Employers as easy targets Employers can’t move abroad, and they can’t vote. So an extra percentage point here or a threshold tweak there often goes unnoticed by staff. A 1 % change in employer NI raises more money than most headline tax moves — with far less political pain. If you run payroll, it’s already eating into margins. Expect the pressure to continue, particularly through PSAs and benefits-in-kind rules. 5️⃣ Data makes it easy NI is collected in real time through payroll and digital records. It’s efficient to administer, hard to avoid and cheap to enforce. From a policymaker’s point of view, it’s almost irresistible. That’s why we’ll likely see integration — pulling benefits and expenses into payroll, merging NI classes, or eventually combining NI and income tax entirely. ⚙️ What to take from this NI isn’t going anywhere — expect the base to widen rather than the rate to rise. Employers should plan for the long game: higher costs per head and fewer reliefs. Self-employed clients should budget as if NI parity with employees is only a matter of time. Landlords should at least run the numbers: “What if rent became NI-able?” And remember: whenever a Chancellor says “we’ve kept our promise not to raise income tax”, the translation might be “we’ve changed National Insurance instead.”
