Making jewellery to sell advice needed.

[purpleheart12]

Hi,
I currently make my on handstamped jewellery and pet tags that I give away to family and friends. I'm contemplating trying to sell some although I have no idea where to begin. I'm really bad at maths and the thought of HMRC brings me out in a cold sweat! I really don't think I could cope with tax returns. Is it worth getting a accountant? Are they expensive? Thank you

Quickbooks can keep track of everything for you, as long as you put the information in. If you’re selling on Etsy you can integrate the account so all of your Etsy sales are automatically recorded on Quickbooks.

The tax return itself isn’t too complicated if you’re just a little business without the complications of staff, grants, charity donations etc etc.

You only need to register as self-employed if your takings (not profit) is over £1000 per year.

Look at getting product liability insurance (and possibly public liability insurance as well if you want to sell at markets).

I wouldn’t bother with an accountant until you’re established and know how much money you’re likely to make. You may not need one at all.

Definitely get public liability insurance. It’s not expensive
I just do my accounts the old fashioned way on paper. The tax return is straight forward and if you get stuck hmrc have a free helpline. They have loads of free resources and webinars to help. I’ve been fine for years doing my own tax return but made a total hash of last years and I just phoned the helpline explained the problem and they sorted it.

You can earn up to £1k from self employment without having to declare it but keep meticulous records right from the start - everything in and out. Set up a seperate bank account - mine is with starling and it's excellent. QuickBooks self employed is well worth the money, starling integrates with it so it automatically updates with all transactions. Get good product liability insurance and also public liability if you're selling at craft fairs. Get canva to design yourself a logo, very easy to do for free.