Do I even need to do a tax return?
Nobody sent you a letter, nobody asked. Here’s the £1,000 rule for creators, what counts towards it, and what to do if you’re over.
You've had a few brand deals, a TikTok payout or two, maybe some affiliate money. Nobody sent you a letter, nobody asked. So do you actually need to do a tax return? Here's the short answer, and then the slightly longer one.
The £1,000 rule
Everyone gets a £1,000 allowance for money they make working for themselves. HMRC calls it the trading allowance. If what came in from your creator work was £1,000 or less, you don't need to tell HMRC about it and there's nothing to do.
Go over £1,000 and you need to register for Self Assessment and send a tax return for that year. It's the money coming in that counts here, not what's left after your ring light and editing apps.
What counts towards the £1,000
Add it all up. It's surprisingly easy to go past £1,000 without noticing, especially once you count samples.
“But I've got a normal job”
Your job takes the tax off your wages before you're paid. That covers your job, and only your job. Your creator money sits on top, so the same £1,000 rule applies to it. Lots of people doing a tax return for the first time are in exactly this spot.
“But I didn't make enough to pay tax”
You might be right. Most people can earn £12,570 in a year before any tax is due. But that's a different question. If your creator money was over £1,000, you still need to send the return, even if the answer at the end is £0 to pay. And if your costs were small, you can take the £1,000 allowance off instead of adding up every receipt.
So what do I do now?
For money you made between 6 April 2025 and 5 April 2026, the return is due online by 31 January 2027. If you've never registered, do it now: you'll need a reference number from HMRC first, and it comes by post. We've written up exactly what to do before 31 January, step by step.
Still not sure? HMRC has a short checker on GOV.UK that asks a few questions and tells you.
Not sure if this is you?
Ask in the Ask Doddl community on Facebook, where creators ask about their own tax situations.
Doddl keeps a running total of your creator money as it comes in, so you know where you are against the £1,000 all year. It isn't in the stores yet, but it's close. Be first in line →
Oli
Founder, Doddl