Wedding suppliers who have turned their hobby into a money-making side hustle are being urged to check their tax obligations.
With the summer wedding season under way, people earning extra income from activities such as selling wedding stationery, filming the first dance or cake making are being reminded that they may need to register for self-assessment and declare their income to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
If someone has earned more than the £1,000 trading allowance from their side hustle in a tax year, they may need to complete a self-assessment tax return.
The £1,000 threshold is a single allowance that covers side hustle income when combined – so someone earning smaller amounts which, when totalled up, are above this threshold could be liable.
Not all extra income is taxable though, for example HMRC said it would not usually expect people to tell it if they are having a wardrobe clear-out and selling unwanted personal belongings.
However, regularly selling goods for profit, or providing a service for payment, is likely to count as trading and may need to be declared, the revenue body said.
The tax year runs from April 6 to April 5 each year.
New entrants to self-assessment should register for the 2025-26 tax year by October 5 2026 and must file their online tax return and pay any tax due by January 31 2027, HMRC said.
It said an online tool on gov.uk can help people earning extra money to check if and when they need to report their additional income.
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Kevin Hubbard, HMRC’s director of small business and individuals, said: “For many people, a side hustle is a valuable source of extra income.
“If you’re earning more than £1,000 a year from your side hustle it’s important to understand your tax responsibilities, and HMRC wants to make that as straightforward as possible.
“You can check if you need to do a self-assessment tax return by using the tool on gov.uk.
“It takes minutes to use, tells you exactly what you need to do and means no unexpected tax bills later.”
