Business. To be, or not to be?

brightflare

Hi,
I am autistic, and have a number of mental and physical health problems as well. I have not been able to work for over a decade now, as I have social phobia severe enough I rarely leave my home. I currently live on ESA and PIP.
I make a lot of craft items - no specialty, just whatever I feel like making at the time - and would like to sell some of my nicer stuff...mostly as I am running out of storage space in my 1 bedroom flat.
There is a shopping place near me where you can rent a cabinet and display your items, leave the owner instructions on how much to sell them for, how low you are willing to go, that sort of thing, and he will handle all the personal interaction/negotiation for me.
I don't really want to be a business and have to do...tax assessments, and get licences, and...whatever else businesses have to do, as I don't think I could handle all that extra stress. I just want to make stuff, really. I don't expect to make a profit either, just hopefully get a bit of cash back to buy more supplies and make more stuff.
If I can't sell some of my things, I will have to throw them away or donate them to charity shops (space is seriously becoming an issue!), and will most likely have to give up crafting altogether then, since that is basically throwing my limited money straight down the drain...which I really don't want to do, as crafting is sometimes the only thing that keeps me sane!
Would selling in this manner be classed as running a business? Do I have to register with anyone, or inform the DWP, or anything like that? Will doing this affect my benefits in any way, as I couldn't really afford to lose them?
I have had to fight for my PIP every time I have applied for it, despite having enduring disabilities, and really don't need them deciding I am miraculously fine now, just because someone sells some of my stuff for me.
I read somewhere that if you make under a certain amount of profit a year, you don't have to register, or do self-assessments for tax purposes, is this true, and does anyone know where I can find more information about this, please?
Thank you for reading this essay, and any help or advice would be appreciated.

chiarieds

Hi @brightflare - & welcome to the community. You'll find some info on setting up as a sole trader on the government's website: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-sole-trader

As you thought you don't need to register unless 'you earned more than £1,000 from self-employment between 6 April 2021 and 5 April 2022'

However, I would urge you to keep simple accounts as to your expenditure & income. If you can, employ an accountant,who will both advise & deal with the HMRC as needed; do tax returns, etc. You could have a look here: https://find.icaew.com/    I'm sure costs will vary, but to give you an example, my accountant's bill was £91 at the end of this financial year.

With PIP, this won't be affected (unless the work you do contradicts your PIP claim).

With ESA, this won't be affected if you work less than 16 hours a week, & you don't earn more than £152 per week. Please see: https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/working-while-you-claim    As you will see you do have to complete & send this form off if contemplating working:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employment-and-support-allowance-permitted-work-form

May I wish you every success.