31 January is coming. Here’s exactly what to do.

Your first creator tax return, step by step: the dates that matter, the one step not to leave until January, and the bill that catches people out.

Oli Scott

14 October 20264 min read

If you made more than £1,000 as a creator between 6 April 2025 and 5 April 2026, you've got a tax return to send. The deadline is 31 January 2027. That sounds ages away. It isn't, mostly because one of the steps involves waiting for the post.

Here's everything, in order. No jargon, nothing you need to have done before.

The dates that matter

Both happen on the same day: you send the return and pay the bill by 31 January. There's no extra grace period.

Step by step

1. Register, if you haven’t. First return ever? Register for Self Assessment on GOV.UK. HMRC posts you a reference number (your UTR), and that can take a couple of weeks. This is the step not to leave until January.

2. Add up the money you made. Platform payouts, brand deals, affiliate commission, and samples you kept, for 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026. Your payout history in each app is a good place to start.

3. Add up what you spent on your work. Editing apps, props, the ring light, a share of your phone bill. Or, if that comes to less than £1,000, just take the £1,000 allowance off instead.

4. Send the return. Online, through your HMRC account. The creator part is the self-employment section: money in, money spent.

5. Pay by 31 January. HMRC tells you the number when you send it. The earlier you send, the longer you know it before you have to pay.

The bit that catches people out

If your bill is over £1,000, HMRC usually asks you to pay towards next year at the same time. These are called payments on account: half of this year's bill again, due on 31 January, and the same again on 31 July. It's not extra tax, it's paying next year's early, but it can make your first January bill look like it's doubled. Better to know now than on the day.

What if I miss it?

Send it late and there's a £100 penalty straight away, even if you don't owe any tax, and it grows the longer it goes on. Pay late and interest starts adding up from 1 February. If you're running late, send it anyway as soon as you can. Late is much better than never.

Not sure if you need to do one at all? Start with do I even need to do a tax return?

Stuck on a step?

Ask in the Ask Doddl community on Facebook, where creators help each other with their own tax returns.

Join the community

Doddl does steps 2 to 5 for you: swipe your payments as they come in, and it fills in and sends your return. It can do your 2025–26 return too. It isn't in the stores yet, but it's close. Be first in line →

Oli
Founder, Doddl