The £1,000 trading allowance
Every UK taxpayer gets a £1,000 trading allowance per tax year (6 April – 5 April). If your total gross income from casual self-employment, including hosting: is £1,000 or less, you usually owe no tax on it and don't need to tell HMRC at all.
Over £1,000? Register for Self Assessment
Cross the £1,000 line and you'll need to register for Self Assessment: by 5 October after the end of the tax year you earned it in. When you file, you choose whichever is better for you:
- Deduct the £1,000 allowance from your income (simple, no receipts needed), or
- Deduct your actual expenses: ingredients, decorations, venue hire, equipment, if they add up to more than £1,000.
Keep simple records
Your Wello payout history does a lot of this for you, but keep your own note of dates, gross ticket income and costs per event. Ten minutes a month is plenty.
Platforms report to HMRC too
Under rules that took effect in 2024, digital platforms must report seller information to HMRC once you pass roughly 30 sales or €2,000 (~£1,700) in a year. That's not a new tax. It just means HMRC can see platform income, so it pays to have your side of the story straight.
This is general guidance for UK hosts, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules change and edge cases are real. Check GOV.UK or a professional for your situation. Wello connects hosts and guests; hosts run their own events and are responsible for following the laws that apply to them.