2nd Job tax

Hi, I have a main job which pays a full time salary. On the side, I do some consultancy work, however they wouldn't pay me through my full time job and insisted on me setting up for self assessment. The work is paid in lump sums quarterly, amounting to no more than about £4000 a time, although this is variable each time, depending how much work I've done. I need to set up for self assessment but am confused by what to do and when to do it. I received my first payment in April 23. When do I need to register by and when do I pay the tax? Do I have to wait until January 2025 to pay? I'd rather pay the tax and get it gone, rather than having the money just sit there. Please advise! Thank you.

Hi ellieb23,

You can register now, however you wouldn't be able to complete the Self Assessment tax return until the tax year has ended.
The filing deadline would be 31/10/2024 for paper and 31/01/2025 for online.
The payment deadline would also be 31/01/2025.
Please find link to guidance here: Register for Self Assessment

Thank you.