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❤ HMRC AFTER DARK ❤
YOUR LATE NIGHT LEDGER WHISPERER • 28 SEPTEMBER 2026
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THIS WEEK AFTER DARK
Your tax return isn’t due until January.
This week is just the hello.
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Picture it. Last year you opened your page. A handful of subscribers became a few hundred, and somewhere around the third payout a small voice whispered, “I should sort the tax side at some point.”
Lovely instinct. And here’s the good news first: nobody wants your numbers yet. There are two dates in play, and they do two very different jobs.
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TWO DATES, TWO JOBS
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THE BIG ONE
31 JAN 2027
This is when you actually declare your income. If you started earning in the 2025/26 tax year (6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026), your first online tax return is due by 31 January 2027, and any tax you owe is due to be paid by the same date.
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THE HELLO • COMES FIRST
5 OCT 2026
Before HMRC can receive a return from you, it needs to know you exist. So you register by Sunday 5 October 2026. No figures, no declaring. In return you get your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), the number you’ll use when January comes.
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IS THIS YOU?
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The 5 October hello is for you if you were self employed in 2025/26 and earned over £1,000, and either you’ve never sent a tax return before, or you registered before but didn’t need to send one for 2024/25.
And a gentle reminder: HMRC has no category called “adult creator”. You’re self employed, you earned money creatively, and you report it under the same rules as a florist or a plumber. Same form. Better content.
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THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST
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Check whether you need to send a return with HMRC’s free tool: Check if you need to send a tax return
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Register online if you do. HMRC’s improved service sends your UTR within 72 hours online, compared with up to 15 days by post. Register for Self Assessment
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Keep your records tidy between now and January, so the return itself is a calm afternoon rather than a scramble. |
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■ HEADS UP
GOV.UK says that if you tell HMRC after 5 October, you could get a penalty. Registering on time is free. Easy win.
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“Registering doesn’t mean you owe anything yet. It means your work officially exists on paper, and the value you built gets counted.”
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★ ONE MORE THING: FOUND MONEY
There could be money with your name on it.
On 23 September HMRC said 827,000 Child Trust Funds are still unclaimed, with an average value of £2,310. If you were born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, the government put at least £250 into one for you. Once you’re 18, you can track yours down for free in about five minutes.
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PRODUCTS
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BEGINNER FRIENDLY
HMRC After Dark Tax Tracker
Just starting out with simple income? Log your earnings and expenses in one Excel file, with categories built for creators, so January feels like admin, not archaeology.
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Questions about your own situation? Message me at @hmrcafterdark and let’s talk it through.
Keeping your own records for the first time? Start with The Adult Creator’s UK Tax Survival Guide 2026/27, your beginner info pack. It’s in your welcome email, and it’s free at hmrcafterdark.kit.com.
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You built the value. My role is to make sure it is counted, and that you keep what is yours.
Melissa ❤
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SOURCES
GOV.UK: Register for Self Assessment
HMRC: Improved Self Assessment registration service launched (9 September 2026)
HMRC: Agent Update 147 (18 September 2026)
HMRC: Child Trust Fund press release (23 September 2026)
This newsletter is general information, not personal tax advice.
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HMRC AFTER DARK • hmrcafterdark.kit.com • @hmrcafterdark
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