Retained Self-Employed
Which benefits?
If you have right to reside as a retained self-employed person, you can claim:
If you have a right to reside as a retained self-employed person and you are ordinarily resident in the UK, you can claim:
Do I have a right to reside as a retained self-employed person?
If your work has stopped or it is no longer genuine and effective, you may be retained self-employed as long as one of the following applies:
- You are unwell and will return to work
- You are injured and will return to work
- You are in the late stages of pregnancy
If you’re not sure whether your work is genuine and effective, or whether you retain your self-employed status, you should seek specialist advice. You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find an adviser near you.
How long am I a retained self-employed person?
You are only retained self-employed if it is clear that you will be returning to work. This is called a “genuine prospect of work”.
If you have worked in the UK for less than one year, you can retain your self-employed status for a maximum of 6 months as long as you have a genuine prospect of work.
If you have worked in the UK for more than one year, you can retain your self-employed status for 6 months as long as you have a genuine prospect of work. After 6 months, you can only continue to be retain your self-employed status if there is compelling evidence that you will be returning to work.
If you no longer retain your self-employed status, you may need to show that you have a different right to reside to start or continue your benefit claims.
You can check whether you have another right to reside on our Types of Rights to Reside page.