Employee, worker or self-employed?
Your employment status dictates your rights and entitlements, and determines your employer's responsibilities.
Confusion can arise because employment status can be different under tax law and employment law. It is possible that you may be regarded as self-employed for tax purposes by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), but as a worker or an employee by an employment tribunal (industrial tribunal in Northern Ireland).
At Gov.uk you can read more about working out someone's employment status, i.e. worker, employee or self-employed. For the purpose of tax, see the HMRC's Employment Status Indicator (ESI) tool.
If you are self-employed, your rights and responsibilities are set out in the contract for services you have with the other party. A self-employed person does not have the same employment rights and responsibilities as an employee.
As a self-employed person the RCN is unable to provide you with workplace representation, nor do we support civil breach of contract claims that are worth less than £10,000 in England and Wales, and £3,000 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.