Do content creators pay tax on gifted products and brand deals?
Brand deals, ad revenue, affiliate links, tips and gifted products you promote all count as income for UK content creators. Here is when you need to tell HMRC and what you can claim.
Hamster blog
Straight answers to the tax questions UK side hustlers actually ask, with links to the official guidance.
Brand deals, ad revenue, affiliate links, tips and gifted products you promote all count as income for UK content creators. Here is when you need to tell HMRC and what you can claim.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. Here is how HMRC works out whether you are in, and why your day job does not count.
A simple rule of thumb for UK side hustlers: 20% of profit if you have a basic-rate day job, 40% if you are a higher-rate taxpayer, and more in your first year because of payments on account.
The government plans to raise the point at which side hustlers must file a tax return from £1,000 to £3,000 by the end of 2029. It has not happened yet, and it will not make £3,000 tax-free.
If you started a side hustle in 2025–26 and have not registered for Self Assessment yet, do it now. Pay what you owe by 31 January 2027 and you will usually avoid a penalty.
Payments on account are advance payments towards next year's tax. They are why many side hustlers' first January bill is half as big again as they expected. Here is how they work.
Selling your own unwanted things is not usually taxable. Buying or making things to sell is, once your sales pass £1,000 in a tax year. Here is where the line sits.
You must register for Self Assessment once your side-hustle income passes £1,000 in a tax year, even with a full-time job. Here are the deadlines and what registering involves.
Uber and Deliveroo drivers pay Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance on their profit after expenses. Here are the 2026–27 rates, mileage allowance and worked examples.
The trading allowance lets you earn up to £1,000 a year from a side hustle tax-free. Here is how it works, when to claim expenses instead, and when you still need to tell HMRC.