Over the last few years, online shopping and eCommerce businesses have grown exponentially, reaching all-time high levels of activity and promoting a huge demand for self-employed delivery drivers.
Self-employment brings a world of its own benefits – so, if the thought of being on the road earning money sounds like something you would like to do, here are our top tips on how to become a self-employed delivery driver.
Salary expectations
Being self-employed could potentially mean you have a fluctuating income, unlike someone working in traditional employment. According to Talent, the average salary of a self-employed courier driver in the UK in 2022 is £33,800 equivalent to £17.33 per hour.
Working for yourself as a self-employed delivery driver means that how much money you earn is completely dependent on how many routes you drive throughout any given week or month.
Of course, being a self-employed subcontractor you need to look after your own invoicing and deal with HMRC to make sure you’re staying compliant. You can find out more about the different aspects of finance within self-employment here.
Being your own boss
One of the greatest benefits of working for yourself is flexibility, with many people seeking self-employment so that they are able to manage their own time and work around other commitments, setting their own schedule. Whether you have family commitments to prioritise or just want to have greater control over your work-life balance, self-employment could be the ideal solution.
Financial security
Some people can be put off self-employment due to the responsibility and accountability around their income that comes with this. When you work for yourself your paycheck can differ monthly and you are in charge of making sure that your invoices are raised correctly and that you’re on top of your self-assessment tax return. It is also worth thinking about having savings to fall back on, for the worst-case scenario of having a low paycheck.
We recently conducted a survey where we found 37% of people are put off self-employed due to worrying about being unable to pay their bills. Wise allows you to save money on a range of products and services whilst also reducing stress as we also take care of your taxes and invoices.
Get a vehicle
First things first, you will need to have a reliable vehicle. Your mode of transport needs to be suitable for the type of packages you need to be delivering, with some main contractors having fleets available for hire.
You must ensure you have completed the appropriate vehicle checks such as a valid MOT, full service, insurance, and tax before you hit the road.
Find work
Starting a career in self-employment can seem daunting at first, but making sure you have a regular stream of work can take some of that pressure away.
Currently, there is a huge demand for self-employed delivery drivers, however, it is well worth researching the different opportunities available to you online and comparing these. There are a number of great websites where you can look for work such as Indeed.co.uk, Google Jobs, Courier Exchange and Check-a-salary.co.uk to name a few.
Managing invoice & accountancy
We know that managing invoicing and accountancy can be one of the most stressful elements of being a self-employed subcontractor – that is why we’ve created an integrated platform complete with different products to provide genuine relief to self-employed individuals.
By choosing one of Wise’s products, you can take all of the hassles out of dealing with the taxman and be sure that you won’t have any nasty HMRC headaches lurking at the end of the year. To learn more about our services and to see a full list of their benefits, click here.
