Tax Return for Carpenters

Since carpentry is a highly-skilled job, it can be very lucrative. This is especially true when freelancing, since you can work for multiple clients and so earn more than the usual full-time salary.

Carpentry – a highly-skilled job

To be a successful freelance carpenter, you’ll need a number of skills, including:

  • Preparing estimates for clients
  • Keeping surroundings safe and clean
  • Good people skills, for when dealing with customers and subcontractors
  • Knowing and following safety regulations
  • The ability to understand building plans, blueprints, and sketches

Learning to be a freelance carpenter – training and qualifications

A carpentry apprenticeship is the most obvious route into a carpentry career. You’ll get the opportunity to work alongside experts in carpentry, while earning an income.
You’ll also usually be able to study at the same time, and so end your carpentry apprenticeship with college-level qualifications as well as real work experience.

How to find a carpentry apprenticeship

  • Register with the CITB: CITB are the main provider of apprenticeships in the construction industry, including carpentry.
  • Contact local colleges and training providers: Find out which colleges or training providers in your local area offer apprenticeships or education in carpentry.
  • Find local woodworking companies: Search for local woodworking companies on directories such as Yell.com and get in touch with them to see if they offer apprenticeships.

How to find work as a freelance carpenter

Many of your clients will come to you through word of mouth, since carpentry is a highly skilled job. If you do a great job, a client is likely to refer their friends to you. However, this isn’t possible in the beginning, when you don’t have much work to back you up.

Marketing yourself as a freelancer carpenter

In the early days of your career as a freelance carpenter, you’ll have to put a lot of effort into marketing your services. Here are a few ways to go about it:

  • Set up a website: Having a professional website will make you look more credible, and is a place to display your portfolio of work, contact details, and prices.
  • Use social networking: Almost everybody is on at least one social networking website these days, including Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. You can use them to make contacts and show off your work.
  • Business cards: Make business cards to hand out to friends, family, and potential clients. You could give them to your material suppliers too, as they may require your services, or know others who do.

Accounting for freelance carpenters

There are various benefits to freelancing as a carpenter, from the freedom and flexibility to work with a variety of businesses and individuals to more take-home pay. But there is one downside – accounting.
As a full-time employee, your tax is usually taken care of on your behalf in the form of PAYE.
As a freelancer you’ll have to keep a range of financial records and then prepare and pay a Self-Assessment tax return at the end of each business year.
Accountancy can be very confusing and can distract you from developing your craft.

Getting tax and accountancy advice

With most accountants, you’ll pay them to do your year-end accounts, and then they’ll forget about you until the next year. But for your business to be run smoothly and successfully, you’ll need advice on tax and accountancy throughout the year, especially in the early days.

Citi Accounts is different

Citi Accounts provides an affordable and specialist accountancy service designed just for freelancers.
Throughout the year we’ll be on hand to give you any tax and accountancy advice you might need, including things like:

  • Take-home pay
  • Which VAT scheme to register for
  • Tax allowances
  • Choosing between sole trader and limited company
  • Running your business in a tax-efficient way

We charge for our accountancy services in a clear and simple way, which means you’ll never receive an unexpected bill, and you can get in touch for advice whenever you want without the worry of being charged a fortune like you would with many other accountants.