HMRC has issued a wedding season warning for all UK households, reminding them that income from side hustles may be taxable and could lead to fines if not declared. Anyone earning more than £1,000 from activities such as selling wedding stationery, filming the first dance, or cake-making may need to register for Self Assessment and declare their income to the taxman.
Side Hustle Income Threshold
The £1,000 trading allowance means that if someone earns more than this amount from a side hustle in a tax year, they may be required to complete a Self Assessment tax return. Kevin Hubbard, HMRC’s Director of Small Business & 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."
Case Study: Wedding Content Creator
HMRC highlighted the case of Lianna Dickson, 30, from Livingston, who runs a wedding content creation business called Captured By Fifteen while on maternity leave. After getting married in 2024, she regretted not hiring a wedding content creator and launched her business. Lianna said: "I fell in love with all things weddings following my own and thought it was the perfect way to combine something I loved with the work experience I had."
As a wedding content creator, Lianna captures authentic behind-the-scenes moments on her phone, delivering raw footage and edited highlight reels within 24 hours. She noted: "Couples can wake up and relive their full wedding the very next morning in the most authentic way."
Ease of Filing Tax Returns
Lianna realised her income exceeded the £1,000 trading allowance and completed her Self Assessment tax return online. She said: "I had my tax return done within the hour. It was so much easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would need to input every single transaction and that it would take hours, but it wasn’t the case at all - I had been keeping record of all the numbers, so it was really just a case of filling in information and copying the figures over." She advised others to "just keep track of everything and speak to someone who understands the process — or look up videos of someone explaining it if you struggle with just reading things."
Compliance and Penalties
HMRC's warning underscores that failure to declare side hustle income over £1,000 could result in fines. The tax authority encourages individuals to use online resources to understand their obligations and avoid penalties.
