The short answer
Gaffr pays you your full Crew Member fee and deducts no tax or National Insurance. It reports what it pays you to HMRC each year, under the digital platform rules. Whether you owe tax depends on your circumstances. This guide is general information from GOV.UK, not tax advice.
What does Gaffr do about tax?
- Pays your whole fee. Every Opportunity shows "Fee charged to you by Gaffr" as £0.00.
- Deducts nothing. Gaffr doesn't take tax or National Insurance from your fee.
- Reports to HMRC. Each year, Gaffr reports your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number. It adds your UTR if you gave one, and what it paid you.
HMRC's rules require platforms to give each seller a copy of what they report. GOV.UK says: "Platform operators have to give you a copy of the information they have reported to HMRC". It says reports are sent to HMRC "by the following January". It also says a report "does not automatically mean that you owe tax". And: "These reports do not replace your normal business records or tax calculations".
Do I need to send a Self Assessment tax return?
GOV.UK lists when you must send one. One is if, in the last tax year, "you were self-employed as a 'sole trader' and earned more than £1,000". That's "before taking off anything you can claim tax relief on". The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April.
If you need a return and haven't sent one before, GOV.UK says to tell HMRC by 5 October. It says the tax bill is due by 31 January.
GOV.UK describes the trading allowance as "a tax exemption of up to £1,000 a year". It's one allowance per person, not one per company or platform.
What records does GOV.UK say to keep?
GOV.UK lists records of "all sales and income" and "all business expenses". GOV.UK says to keep them "for at least 5 years" after the 31 January deadline for that tax year.
Gaffr Live's Earnings shows each payment Gaffr has sent you.
What's Making Tax Digital?
GOV.UK says when Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies, by qualifying income:
- over £50,000 in the 2024 to 2025 tax year: from 6 April 2026
- over £30,000 in the 2025 to 2026 tax year: from 6 April 2027
- over £20,000 in the 2026 to 2027 tax year: from 6 April 2028
Am I self-employed for tax?
Gaffr doesn't decide that, and this guide doesn't either. HMRC's CEST tool "gives HMRC's view of a worker's employment status, based on the information you provide". GOV.UK says status in tax law can differ from status in employment law.
An accountant can tell you how the rules apply to you.