self-employed

American  

[self-em-ploid, self-] / ˈsɛlf ɛmˈplɔɪd, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

1. earning one's living directly from one's own profession or business, as a freelance writer or artist, rather than as an employee earning salary or commission from another.

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self-employed British  

adjective

1. earning one's living in one's own business or through freelance work, rather than as the employee of another

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Usage

What does self-employed mean? Self-employed means earning one's main income by getting paid directly for one’s work, such as by owning one's own business, as opposed to being an employee and getting paid by an employer.When people describe themselves as self-employed, it typically means that this is their primary way of earning income, and that they do it full-time—as opposed to working as an employee and doing freelance work on the side, for example.The term self-employed is often used by and applied to people who consider themselves business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.Self-employed is sometimes used to collectively refer to self-employed people, as in This program is intended to help the self-employed. The state of being self-employed is self-employment.Example: I love being self-employed—my boss is amazing.

Other Word Forms

• self-employment noun

Etymology

Origin of self-employed

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Millions of people who are self-employed or have more than one source of income are required to file a 2024-25 tax return online by the end of January.

From BBC

An analysis by KFF, a nonprofit that provides health policy information, found that nearly half the adults enrolled in an ACA plan are small-business owners or their employees, or are self-employed.

From Los Angeles Times

The self-employed father-of-five said if he had the money to go private, he would have it fixed, but he does not and he is worried about his children's dental health, too.

From BBC

Employees and self-employed workers may deduct qualified tips they received in jobs that the IRS deems as “customarily and regularly receiving tips,” ranging from parking and valet attendants to hairdressers to plumbers.

From Barron's

That could include self-employed income, investments and itemized deductions where the rules are changing because of the new law.

From MarketWatch