Which self-employed workers in the UK are mandated to enroll in the government digital ID for the 2025/2026 tax year?

1. What ministers have announced: digital ID as the default right‑to‑work proof

The government has announced a compulsory digital ID scheme that will be used by employers as proof of someone’s right to work and said people will not be able to work in the UK without it once the scheme is in force; national reporting summarises the Prime Minister’s announcement that every employee will be required to hold a digital identity document and that digital ID will be mandatory for right‑to‑work checks ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

2. How reporting frames the “who” problem for self‑employed people

News outlets and specialist commentators highlight uncertainty about whether and how self‑employed people — sole traders, freelancers, contractors and gig workers — must obtain and present the digital ID. Some reporting and employer‑sector analysis flag that the government’s stated aim to “toughen” checks could extend compliance obligations to previously exempt areas, potentially covering self‑employed and gig workers who are engaged by firms ^{[5] [6]}.

3. Explicit claims in the coverage about self‑employed exemptions — mixed signals

Several practical guides and business pieces suggest self‑employed workers who do not have employees and who handle their own tax affairs may not routinely be subject to employer right‑to‑work checks — for example, one business guide notes that sole traders and self‑employed individuals “do not need a right‑to‑work check” in the current system — but that commentary is describing present practice, not a legally updated mandate under the new scheme ^[4]. The government’s announcements make the digital ID the default proof of right to work; they do not publish a clear list of categories exempted from presenting that proof for 2025/26 in the materials at hand ^{[1] [7]}.

4. Legal and operational context: right‑to‑work checks vs tax status

Parliamentary research explains the digital ID will be mandatory for proving right to work and will build on existing GOV.UK identity services; right‑to‑work checks have long been employer obligations separate from tax‑status rules, and the new scheme is designed to replace current patchwork processes ^[8]. That means whether a person must present a digital ID depends on whether someone is required to perform a right‑to‑work check in that engagement — a point commentators say could broaden when employers treat short‑term contractors or platform workers as people they need to verify ^{[8] [5]}.

5. Where experts warn change may bite self‑employed people

Employment and immigration lawyers cited in reporting warn the new system “could extend compliance obligations to previously exempt areas, such as self‑employed freelancers and gig workers,” exposing businesses and platforms to liability if an engaged worker cannot obtain or verify a digital ID before starting work ^[5]. Industry groups and commentators also warn the move could pull large groups of payrolled and non‑payrolled workers into new verification regimes ^{[6] [9]}.

6. What is not in the sources — official 2025/26 rules for self‑employed

Available sources do not contain a definitive statutory list or a formal guidance document that states exactly which self‑employed categories (sole traders, subcontractors, gig‑platform workers, limited company directors acting as contractors, etc.) are mandated to hold digital ID specifically for the 2025/26 tax year; public guidance and the trust framework are described at a program level but the precise operational exclusions or transitional arrangements for self‑employed people are not published in the material provided ^{[7] [8]}.

7. Practical takeaway and next steps for self‑employed readers

Given the government’s stated intent to make digital ID the mandatory means to prove right to work and the reporting that it will apply to anyone taking a new job once live, self‑employed people who are engaged by others, who supply labour to employers, or who become “workers” under client contracts should prepare to obtain a digital ID; but for a definitive determination about your category in 2025/26, consult official GOV.UK guidance and the forthcoming public consultation documents and regulations, which the government says will set scope and timing ^{[1] [7] [10]}.

Limitations: this summary relies solely on the cited reporting and guidance snapshots and notes ambiguity in how the scheme will treat various forms of self‑employment — a precise legal list for the 2025/26 tax year is not present in the available sources ^{[4] [5]}.