Platform statements reconciled
Marketplace and checkout statements matched against the payouts that actually landed.
Accountants for social sellers and course creators
We handle TikTok Shop, merch, digital products, courses and memberships: stock, VAT and platform fees, with the VAT registration threshold checked every month.
What you get
- Shop statements matched to what actually landed
- What you really make after stock, postage and fees
- The VAT threshold checked every month
- Courses and downloads sold abroad, handled
- Your tax return or company accounts included
- One fixed monthly fee, FreeAgent included
The four figures that set your tax
These four figures govern a seller's tax year.
£90,000VAT threshold, on rolling turnover
TurnoverWhat it is measured against
30 daysTo register once you cross it
An assetWhat unsold stock is
2026/27 figures. See key tax dates and the calculators for the full picture.
Tax dates for online sellers
6 AprilNew tax year. Everything sold from here belongs to the next return.
Every monthRolling twelve-month turnover checked against the £90,000 threshold.
At each stocktakeUnsold stock counted and valued — it belongs on the balance sheet as an asset.
Within 30 daysRegister for VAT once the rolling threshold is crossed.
31 JanuaryReturn, balancing payment and first payment on account.
31 JulySecond payment on account.
Source: gov.uk Self Assessment, trading allowance and VAT guidance, checked July 2026. Rates are 2026/27 from this site's own calculators.
Selling products through social media
Selling through social media is retail. There is stock to finance and count, platform commission on every sale, returns and refunds to handle, and shipping costs that are easy to under-count.
VAT registration usually arrives sooner for sellers. A creator earning from advertising and sponsorship takes a long time to reach the registration threshold, because the threshold is measured against turnover. A creator selling product can get there in one good quarter, because every pound of a sale counts towards it even though most of that pound is the cost of the goods.
What actually moves the numbers when you sell product
These four decide a seller's tax position.
- VAT is measured on turnover
- Registration is required once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in any rolling twelve months. On a product business with thin margins, that can be a year where you kept relatively little. Watch the rolling figure each month so registration can be planned.
- Platform commission and fees are costs
- Marketplace commission, payment processing and fulfilment fees are all allowable, and they are deducted before the payout reaches you. Reconcile the platform statement against the bank to see the real margin.
- Stock is an expense only when it sells
- Money spent on stock that is still sitting in a spare room is an asset at the year end, and it becomes a cost in the year it sells. Getting that wrong makes a profitable year look like a loss and a loss look like a profit.
- Digital products sold abroad have their own rules
- Courses, downloads and memberships sold to consumers outside the UK bring place-of-supply rules with them once you are VAT registered. These differ from the rules for physical goods.
Why a £35,000 year can require VAT registration
£86,000 of sales, and what the threshold is actually counting
A merch and social-commerce year with ordinary retail margins. The registration test looks at only one of these numbers.
- Product sales in a rolling twelve months
- £86,000
- Cost of the goods sold
- −£51,000
- What you actually made
- £35,000
- Turnover the VAT threshold is measured against
- £86,000
- Headroom before registration becomes compulsory
- £4,000
Another £4,000 of sales and registration is required within thirty days. Planning ahead lets you adjust prices and reclaim input VAT on stock. Registering late can mean paying VAT out of sales already made at the old price.
Source: gov.uk Self Assessment, trading allowance and VAT guidance, checked July 2026. Rates are 2026/27 from this site's own calculators.
What we do for online sellers
Margins you can see
Stock, shipping and commission tracked so you can see the margin.
The VAT threshold watched
Rolling twelve-month turnover monitored, so registration can be planned.
Digital product rules
Courses and downloads sold abroad treated correctly.
Stock funding
Finance a launch through our funding portal.
Returns and accounts included
Self Assessment or company accounts, whichever structure you are in.
What creators ask us
Do social sellers need to register for VAT?
Once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling twelve months, yes, and you have thirty days to do it. Product sellers reach that far faster than advertising-funded creators because the threshold counts your sales before any costs come off.
How is selling courses taxed?
Course and digital-product income is trading income like any other. VAT place-of-supply rules for digital products sold to consumers abroad add complexity once you are VAT registered, and we keep it compliant.
Does the platform report my sales to HMRC?
Yes. Digital platforms are required to collect and report seller information to HMRC.
I bought £10,000 of stock. Can I claim it this year?
Only the part that sold. Stock still on the shelf at the year end is an asset rather than an expense, which is why a business that spent heavily on stock can show a profit it does not feel. The accounts are only accurate if the stock figure is right.
Accreditations and partnerships
