YouTube, TikTok & OnlyFans Tax UK: What You Must Declare to HMRC
Earning money as a content creator feels different from a "proper job" — but HMRC treats it exactly the same. If your creator income exceeds £1,000 per year, you must register for Self Assessment and declare it.
HMRC receives data directly from platforms
YouTube (Google), TikTok, OnlyFans and payment processors like PayPal and Stripe are required to share creator earnings data with HMRC. You cannot hide this income — and the penalties for not declaring it can be severe.
Free Gig Economy Tax Calculator
Select YouTube / TikTok / OnlyFans — enter your income, tick your expenses, get your estimated tax bill instantly. No login required.
What counts as taxable creator income?
All of the following are taxable income that must be declared on your Self Assessment:
- YouTube AdSense — monthly payments from Google for ad revenue
- TikTok Creator Fund / Creativity Program — payments from TikTok for views
- OnlyFans subscriptions and tips — all income received, before OnlyFans takes their 20% cut
- Twitch subscriptions, Bits and donations
- Brand deals and sponsored content — whether paid in cash or free products (free products above £250 are taxable at market value)
- Affiliate commissions — e.g. Amazon Associates, discount code links
- Patreon and Ko-fi — all subscription and tip income
- Merchandise sales — profit from selling branded products
The £1,000 Trading Allowance — do I qualify?
If your total creator income is under £1,000 per tax year, you are covered by the Trading Allowance and do not need to declare it or register for Self Assessment. This is your gross income — not your profit.
If your income exceeds £1,000, you must register with HMRC as self-employed and file a tax return. You can either deduct your actual expenses, or use the £1,000 Trading Allowance as a flat deduction (but not both).
What expenses can content creators deduct?
You pay tax on your profit, not your gross income. These expenses are fully deductible:
Camera, lighting & microphone
Fully deductible if exclusively for business
Video editing software
Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve
Music licensing
Epidemic Sound, Artlist subscriptions
Broadband (business %)
Proportion used for creating content
Phone (business %)
Business proportion of your bill
Home studio (£6/week)
HMRC flat rate — no receipts needed
Travel to shoots / events
Transport for filming locations & brand events
Props, costumes & sets
Items purchased for content only
Note on OnlyFans: The 20% platform fee deducted by OnlyFans is a legitimate business expense — deduct it from your gross income before calculating tax.
How much tax will I pay?
As a self-employed content creator, you pay Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance on your profit (income minus expenses). For 2025–26:
- First £12,570 of profit: 0% tax (Personal Allowance)
- £12,571 – £50,270: 20% Income Tax + 6% NI = 26%
- Above £50,270: 40% Income Tax + 2% NI = 42%
Use our free calculator to get your exact figures — it handles all the thresholds and also warns you if you'll owe a Payment on Account in January.
Key deadlines for content creators
Calculate your creator tax bill — free
Select YouTube / TikTok / OnlyFans in our Gig Economy calculator. Enter your income, tick your expenses, get your 2025–26 tax estimate instantly.