Overview
- HMRC relaunched its Help for Hustles messaging ahead of the summer wedding season, telling people on Tuesday to check whether extra income from activities like photography, baking or content work must be declared.
- The £1,000 trading allowance applies to all side‑hustle income combined, so several small earnings that add up above that threshold will usually trigger a Self Assessment requirement.
- HMRC promotes a free GOV.UK tool called 'Where is your additional income from?' that takes minutes to show whether you need to register, and it explains how to sign up if a tax return is required.
- New Self Assessment entrants for the 2025–26 tax year should register by 5 October 2026 and must file and pay any tax owed by 31 January 2027, and HMRC warns failure to register or file can lead to penalties.
- HMRC cites research showing about one in ten people work in the hidden economy and uses a real case study of wedding content creator Lianna Dickson to show that keeping simple records makes registering and filing much easier and can avoid unexpected bills.