In traditional business accounting, “drawings” refers to money taken out of a business by its owner. This distinction matters because it marks the point at which money moves from belonging to the business to belonging to the individual.
As a self-employed person, this concept doesn’t fully apply to you. You don’t directly pay yourself a salary, or process wages — therefore crucially, any money you take out is not recorded as a business expense.
This is different to a limited company, where a director’s salary reduces the company’s profit on paper.
Instead, as a sole trader, you and your business are legally the same entity. Any money you move from your business bank account to your personal account is simply you accessing funds that are already yours — there’s nothing to declare or record as a transaction.
HMRC will already have your overall income and expense amounts from your accounts, so anything you do with what is left over for personal reasons is up to you.