Making Tax Digital starts in April.
Your gig records can be ready.
If you're a self-employed performer earning over £50K gross, you need digital records from April 6. Gigflow tracks your income, expenses, and mileage exactly the way HMRC requires — gig by gig, throughout the year.
The content on this page is for information only and does not constitute financial advice. Please speak to a financial advisor or tax consultant for advice on your specific circumstances.
The 60-Gig Problem
You think you earn £35K.
HMRC thinks you earn £51K.
Making Tax Digital thresholds are based on your gross income — the total fees you're paid before commission, expenses, and mileage deductions. Not your profit. Not your take-home. Your gross.
Most performers think in net terms. You know what you actually take home after your agency's cut and your travel costs. But HMRC doesn't see it that way. They see every fee, at full value, before anything comes off.
Do the maths or use our free MTD threshold calculator.
| Gigs / year | Avg fee | Gross income | 2026 (£50K) | 2027 (£30K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | £700 | £28,000 | Below | Below |
| 40 | £800 | £32,000 | Below | Above |
| 50 | £700 | £35,000 | Below | Above |
| 50 | £900 | £45,000 | Below | Above |
| 60 | £850 | £51,000 | Above | Above |
| 70 | £800 | £56,000 | Above | Above |
A performer doing 60 gigs at £850 each has a gross income of £51,000 — over the threshold — even if their taxable profit after commission and expenses is half that.
Important: The £50K threshold applies from 6 April 2026. The £30K threshold follows in April 2027, and £20K in April 2028. If you're a working performer, this is coming for you — it's just a question of when.
What Actually Changes
What Making Tax Digital means — in plain English
MTD replaces the annual Self Assessment scramble with ongoing digital record-keeping throughout the year. It sounds bigger than it is. Here's what actually changes:
Digital records throughout the year
You need to keep a digital log of your income and expenses as they happen — not scraped together from memory and bank statements in January. Every gig fee, every expense, every mileage claim, recorded digitally as you go.
Quarterly summary updates
Four times a year, you send HMRC a summary: total income in, total expenses out. These aren't full tax returns — they're just summary numbers. Your accountant can handle the submission, or you can use HMRC-recognised bridging software.
Final declaration at year end
At the end of the tax year, a final declaration replaces your current Self Assessment. Same idea, but built on the digital records you've kept all year.
The safety net:
HMRC has confirmed a "soft landing" — no penalty points for late quarterly updates in the first year. So there's time to get the hang of it. But you still need digital records from 6 April.
Quarterly deadlines for 2026/27:
Q1 (6 Apr – 5 Jul): due 7 August 2026
Q2 (6 Jul – 5 Oct): due 7 November 2026
Q3 (6 Oct – 5 Jan): due 7 February 2027
Q4 (6 Jan – 5 Apr): due 7 May 2027
How Gigflow Handles This
Your records, sorted. Throughout the year.
Gigflow tracks your gig income, expenses, and mileage digitally — which is exactly what MTD requires for day-to-day record-keeping. You manage your gigs. Your tax records build themselves.
Digital income records
Every gig logged with date, fee, agency, and category. The digital income record MTD requires — created automatically as you track your work.
UK tax year reporting
April-to-April reports aligned to UK tax years. Export as CSV or PDF and hand it straight to your accountant or bridging software.
Agency commission tracking
Tiered commission structures tracked automatically across multiple agencies. Your gross fee, your commission, and your net — always clear, always accurate.
Mileage at HMRC rates
Automatic mileage calculated at 45p per mile (first 10,000) and 25p thereafter, based on your home postcode and the venue's location. Compliant from day one. Most performers recover £50–100/month in mileage deductions they weren't claiming.
Expense tracking with categories
Log expenses with categories and receipt capture. No more shoeboxes of receipts, no more guessing what that £47 charge was for in March.
One-tap invoicing
Generate and send invoices after every gig. The digital paper trail MTD expects, created in seconds.
The Honest Position
Record-keeping, not tax filing. Here's exactly where we stand.
Built by a performer, for performers
Gigflow was created by Lillie, a working vocalist doing 50+ gigs a year, and Sam, a web developer — because the tools that existed weren't built for how performers actually work.
Simple pricing. Start free.
Upgrade when you're ready.
Free for your first 10 gigs — no card required. Go Pro when Gigflow becomes the thing you can't gig without.
That's less than the cost of one unclaimed mileage trip per month.
Most performers recover far more than £9.99 in mileage deductions alone.
