Online Sellers & Christmas crafters urged to check the tax rules
Posted 12/11/2025
- Online sellers & side hustlers need to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if earnings exceed £1,000 a year
- HMRC’s Help for Hustles campaign supports people earning extra income to understand tax obligations
- The Online checker tool can clarify if and when side hustlers need to report their additional income
People making money from online sales, Christmas crafts, or seasonal market stalls are being urged to check if they need to tell HMRC about their earnings.
Platforms such as Etsy, Vinted, eBay and even media platforms such as Instagram, are now required to report seller earnings to HMRC.
HMRC’s Help for Hustles is reminding anyone earning extra income from activities like making Christmas decorations, upcycling furniture for seasonal sales, or running market stalls, that they will need to tell HMRC if they earn more than £1,000.
The campaign’s guidance explains the important distinction between simply decluttering homes by selling unwanted personal belongings – which doesn’t usually require reporting to HMRC – and trading activities like making items to sell for profit, which may be taxable.
Anyone who earned more than £1,000 from side hustles in the 2024 to 2025 tax year will need to register for Self-Assessment as a sole trader, file their return and pay any tax due by 31 January 2026. This £1,000 threshold applies to all trading activities combined – so someone earning £600 from craft sales and £500 from content creation would need to register as their total exceeds £1,000.
To check if you need to tell HMRC about your income from online platforms, please see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-need-to-tell-hmrc-about-your-income-from-online-platforms
The Help for Hustles Campaign information can be found at https://taxhelpforhustles.campaign.gov.uk/
For further updates, please follow us at: