Category: Self Employed

You pay tax on Etsy sales in the UK once your gross trading income passes £1,000 in a tax year, counting every shop and fair you sell through, not just Etsy. From there you register for Self Assessment by 5 October after that tax year ends and pay income tax and Class 4 National Insurance on your profit, after deducting materials, postage and Etsy’s own fees. Etsy separately reports sellers with 30 or more sales or €2,000 in a calendar year to HMRC, but that report is a record of your sales, not a tax bill.

YouTubers in the UK pay income tax and National Insurance on their channel profits, and have to register for Self Assessment once their gross self-employed income passes £1,000 in a tax year. Ad revenue, memberships, Super Chat, brand deals and gifted products sent in return for coverage all count towards that figure. Google also withholds 30% US tax on earnings from US viewers unless you submit a W-8BEN in AdSense claiming the UK–US treaty rate, which for UK residents is normally nil.

Maternity Allowance pays up to £194.32 a week for 39 weeks — but what freelancers and company directors actually receive depends on National Insurance record and payroll structure. Here’s how the two tests, Class 2 contributions, and Statutory Maternity Pay eligibility interact.

Spotify royalties are taxable income in the UK. If you are still working as a musician they form part of your trading profits; if they come from a back catalogue you have left behind, they are reported as other income instead. Royalties paid through a US distributor lose 30% to withholding tax unless a valid W-8BEN is on file, and anything already deducted can usually be recovered through double tax relief. A personal Spotify Premium subscription is not an allowable expense, because it fails the wholly and exclusively test.

TikTok earnings become taxable once gross income passes £1,000 in a UK tax year. Here’s when to register for Self Assessment, what counts as income, what you can deduct, and how Making Tax Digital already affects larger creators.

Twitch income is taxable in the UK once streaming becomes a trade rather than a hobby, and that covers subscriptions, Bits, donations, sponsorship and gifted items alike. You need to register for Self Assessment once income passes the £1,000 trading allowance, and for VAT once your combined taxable turnover — Twitch payouts, donations, sponsorship and merch together — crosses £90,000, even if no single income stream looks close to that on its own.

Being a sole trader means you can start trading immediately, keep all your post-tax profits, and run your business with minimal admin: no Companies House

Deciding if an accountant is worth the investment usually comes down to two factors: the complexity of your income and the value of your time.

Artist resale rights pay you a royalty whenever one of your original works is resold for £1,000 or more through a gallery, dealer or auction house. Rates run from 4% down to 0.25% on a cumulative scale, capped at £12,500 per sale, and you collect through DACS or ACS rather than invoicing the trade yourself. The money is taxable income but sits outside the scope of VAT, and the right keeps paying your heirs for 70 years after your death.

If you’re starting a small business, one of your first choices is whether to operate as a sole trader vs limited company. Key Takeaways 1.