{"id":6324,"date":"2023-01-30T12:18:45","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T12:18:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/musician-updates\/?p=3221"},"modified":"2023-01-30T12:18:45","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T12:18:45","slug":"stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Musician Tax Return Guide: Your Top Questions Answered"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_57_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-6a63c0da8f953\" ><span class=\"\"><span style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input aria-label=\"Toggle\" aria-label=\"item-6a63c0da8f953\"  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-6a63c0da8f953\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/#%E2%80%9CWhat-is-an-allowable-expense%E2%80%9D-plus-other-top-FAQs-answered-%F0%9F%91%87\" title=\"\u201cWhat is an allowable expense?\u201d plus other top FAQs answered \ud83d\udc47\">\u201cWhat is an allowable expense?\u201d plus other top FAQs answered \ud83d\udc47<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/#What-is-your-Tax-%E2%80%9CSelf-Assessment%E2%80%9D-%F0%9F%A4%94\" title=\"What is your Tax &#8220;Self-Assessment&#8221;? \ud83e\udd14\">What is your Tax &#8220;Self-Assessment&#8221;? \ud83e\udd14<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/#How-do-I-submit-my-Self-Assessment-%F0%9F%93%9D\" title=\"How do I submit my Self-Assessment? \ud83d\udcdd\">How do I submit my Self-Assessment? \ud83d\udcdd<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/#What-will-I-need-for-my-Self-Assessment-%F0%9F%97%83%EF%B8%8F\" title=\"What will I need for my Self-Assessment? \ud83d\uddc3\ufe0f\">What will I need for my Self-Assessment? \ud83d\uddc3\ufe0f<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/#What-is-an-%E2%80%9Callowable-expense%E2%80%9D-%F0%9F%92%B7\" title=\"What is an &#8220;allowable expense&#8221;? \ud83d\udcb7\">What is an &#8220;allowable expense&#8221;? \ud83d\udcb7<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/#How-accurate-do-the-amounts-in-my-Tax-Return-need-to-be-%F0%9F%94%8E\" title=\"How accurate do the amounts in my Tax Return need to be? \ud83d\udd0e\">How accurate do the amounts in my Tax Return need to be? \ud83d\udd0e<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/#Whats-the-difference-between-claiming-back-expenses-in-my-self-assessment-and-claiming-back-VAT-%F0%9F%98%B5%E2%80%8D%F0%9F%92%AB\" title=\"What\u2019s the difference between claiming back expenses in my self-assessment and claiming back VAT? \ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcab\">What\u2019s the difference between claiming back expenses in my self-assessment and claiming back VAT? \ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcab<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/#I-want-to-know-more-about-VAT-Where-can-I-get-more-information\" title=\"I want to know more about VAT! Where can I get more information?\">I want to know more about VAT! Where can I get more information?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/#Some-handy-resources-%E2%AD%90%EF%B8%8F\" title=\"Some handy resources \u2b50\ufe0f\">Some handy resources \u2b50\ufe0f<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhat-is-an-allowable-expense%E2%80%9D-plus-other-top-FAQs-answered-%F0%9F%91%87\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>\u201cWhat is an allowable expense?\u201d plus other top FAQs answered \ud83d\udc47<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">If you\u2019re a Self-Employed Musician, Group or <a href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/hire\/djs\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"Hire DJs\">DJ<\/a>, you\u2019ll probably know that the 31st January each year marks your deadline for your Online Tax Return, which always comes around more quickly than you think!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means you need to declare all earnings and business expenses from the last tax year ending in April. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services\/register\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HMRC<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will then automatically calculate how much tax you owe (or are owed) and the difference will need to be settled.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Musicians aren\u2019t accountants. This stuff can be seriously confusing. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> it\u2019s really important to get it right \u2013 there can be benefits! As with anything relating to tax, please do consult your accountant, as nothing in this article should be used as tax advice.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Contents<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"#what-is-self-assessment\"><em>What is your Tax &#8220;Self-Assessment&#8221;?\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"#how-do-i-submit\"><em>How do I submit my Self-Assessment?<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"#what-will-i-need\"><em>What will I need for my Self-Assessment?<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"#what-can-i-claim\"><em>What is an &#8220;allowable expense&#8221;?<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"#how-accurate\"><em>How accurate do the amounts in my Tax Return need to be?<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"#difference\"><em>What\u2019s the difference between claiming back expenses in my self-assessment and claiming back VAT?<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><em>I want to know more about VAT! Where can I get more information?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"#resources\">Some handy resources<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-is-your-Tax-%E2%80%9CSelf-Assessment%E2%80%9D-%F0%9F%A4%94\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">What is your Tax &#8220;Self-Assessment&#8221;? \ud83e\udd14<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">In the UK, if you\u2019re a self-employed Musician, once a year you\u2019ll need to settle your taxes with HMRC in a process called Self-Assessment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">This includes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Completing your tax return and detailing your taxable income and expenses.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Paying the calculated tax by January 31st.<a id=\"how-do-i-submit\"><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How-do-I-submit-my-Self-Assessment-%F0%9F%93%9D\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">How do I submit my Self-Assessment? \ud83d\udcdd<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Your tax return needs to be submitted through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/browse\/tax\/self-assessment\">the HMRC online portal<\/a> and paid by 31st January. There is <strong>no<\/strong> <strong>fee<\/strong> for filing through the official HMRC website, so avoid unofficial sites that charge you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">You\u2019ll be taken through a number of questions about your income and expenses before it shows you your tax calculation. Finally, you\u2019ll have the option to submit your return and pay your tax.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><em>Need to dash in the middle of your tax return?<\/em> Don\u2019t worry, you can save your return at any point and return to it.<a id=\"how-do-i-submit\"><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-will-I-need-for-my-Self-Assessment-%F0%9F%97%83%EF%B8%8F\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">What will I need for my Self-Assessment? \ud83d\uddc3\ufe0f<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">You\u2019ll want to dig out your financial records for the period 6th April 2021 to 5th April 2022, plus your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), National Insurance number, records of expenses, contributions to charity or pensions, and any records showing income you&#8217;ve already paid tax on (part-time work pay-slips etc).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">You can gather invoices from your <a href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/dashboard\/payments\">Payment Dashboard<\/a> (desktop only).<a id=\"what-can-i-claim\"><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-is-an-%E2%80%9Callowable-expense%E2%80%9D-%F0%9F%92%B7\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">What is an &#8220;allowable expense&#8221;? \ud83d\udcb7<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">If you\u2019re self-employed or part of a company, you can include &#8220;allowable expenses&#8221; in tax returns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Allowable expenses are essential business costs that are not taxable. Allowable expenses aren\u2019t considered part of a company\u2019s taxable profits, so you don&#8217;t pay tax on these expenses. These are expenses that were incurred <em>exclusively<\/em> and\u00a0<em>wholly\u00a0<\/em>in running your business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">For example, a musician has earned \u00a315,000 for gigs this tax year. They spend \u00a33,000 on allowable expenses like travel, accommodation when staying away for gigs and guitar cables. They only pay tax on the remaining \u00a312,000.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Most small businesses can claim tax relief on allowable expenses, but there are exceptions. If a company benefits from the \u00a31,000 tax-free &#8216;trading allowance&#8217;, they can&#8217;t claim additional allowable expenses. Also, limited companies have specific rules for allowable expenses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/musiciansunion.org.uk\/finance-and-tax\/tax-and-accounting\/claiming-expenses\">this guide to Claiming Expenses as a Freelance Musician<\/a> from the Musicians\u2019 Union.<a id=\"can-i-claim\"><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How-accurate-do-the-amounts-in-my-Tax-Return-need-to-be-%F0%9F%94%8E\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">How accurate do the amounts in my Tax Return need to be? \ud83d\udd0e<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Very<\/strong>.<a id=\"difference\"><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">HMRC will initially check for obvious errors, but they also do a lot of random enquiries (investigations) each year. If they make a further enquiry with you, the inspector won\u2019t tell you whether yours is random or an investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">If you get selected for an enquiry, you\u2019ll need to provide extensive evidence and documentation, as well as answer a lot of questions about your expenses. Make sure they check out. If your return isn\u2019t calculated correctly, you\u2019ll get hit with some hefty penalties or interest on your payments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Keeping all your payment records in one place will make the process so much quicker and easier every year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Check out the Musicians\u2019 Union\u2019s advice on Tax Return Enquiries <a href=\"https:\/\/musiciansunion.org.uk\/legal-money\/finance-and-tax\/tax-advice-and-guidance-for-musicians\/tax-returns-and-enquiries\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats-the-difference-between-claiming-back-expenses-in-my-self-assessment-and-claiming-back-VAT-%F0%9F%98%B5%E2%80%8D%F0%9F%92%AB\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a id=\"difference\"><\/a>What\u2019s the difference between claiming back expenses in my self-assessment and claiming back VAT? \ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcab<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">VAT is a separate tax (with its own separate rules) to the tax you pay through self-assessment. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">When you\u2019re running a business through self-employment, you must always ensure you\u2019re paying your income tax and any national insurance due through self-assessment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">How much income tax you pay through self-assessment depends on how much you\u2019ve earned and how much goes through allowable business expenses during the tax year. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">If you\u2019re turning over less than \u00a390,000 a year, you also do not have to register for VAT, unless you choose to do so. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">If you are VAT registered, you can claim back VAT on business costs, but you must also charge VAT to all your clients. The difference between what you collect and pay in VAT should either be paid to or reclaimed from HMRC, usually every 3 months.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"I-want-to-know-more-about-VAT-Where-can-I-get-more-information\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>I want to know more about VAT! Where can I get more information?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out our guide to VAT registration here, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/how-vat-works\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HMRC\u2019s website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is always a great place for up to date information.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out the government\u2019s article on claiming back self-employed expenses <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/expenses-if-youre-self-employed\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and their article on reclaiming VAT <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/reclaim-vat\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Some-handy-resources-%E2%AD%90%EF%B8%8F\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Some handy resources \u2b50\ufe0f<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Here is a list of recommended articles around Tax Returns, Being a Self-Employed Musician and VAT:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/help.encoremusicians.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/4486612612625-VAT-What-s-the-deal-\"><strong>Encore &#8211; VAT: What\u2019s The Deal?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">An article on the pros and cons of being a VAT-registered Musician on Encore<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/musiciansunion.org.uk\/legal-money\/finance-and-tax\/tax-advice-and-guidance-for-musicians\">The Musicians\u2019 Union &#8211; Tax Advice and Guidance<\/a><\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">The MU\u2019s Advice Centre for self-employed Musicians<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/charge-reclaim-record-vat\"><strong>GOV.UK &#8211; Charge, reclaim and record VAT<\/strong><\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">The Government\u2019s official help centre for VAT-registered businesses<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@HMRCgovuk\/playlists?view=50&amp;sort=dd&amp;shelf_id=1\"><strong>HMRC &#8211; Self-Assessment Help Videos<\/strong><\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">A library of videos from HMRC to walk you through the self-assessment process<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWhat is an allowable expense?\u201d plus other top FAQs answered \ud83d\udc47 If you\u2019re a Self-Employed Musician, Group or DJ, you\u2019ll probably know that the 31st January each year marks your deadline for your Online Tax Return, which always comes around more quickly than you think! This means you need to declare all earnings and business [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":3226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Musician Tax Return Guide: Your Top Questions Answered | Encore Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/stressed-about-your-online-tax-return-fear-not\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Musician Tax Return Guide: Your Top Questions Answered | Encore Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cWhat is an allowable expense?\u201d plus other top FAQs answered \ud83d\udc47 If you\u2019re a Self-Employed Musician, Group or DJ, you\u2019ll probably know that the 31st January each year marks your deadline for your Online Tax Return, which always comes around more quickly than you think! 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Highlighting the need for extra help, Encore Musicians\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Musician Guides&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Musician Guides","link":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/category\/musician-guides\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"musician DJ yang-cooper","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/DJ-Jodie-Yang-Cooper-2-.png?fit=948%2C622&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/DJ-Jodie-Yang-Cooper-2-.png?fit=948%2C622&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/DJ-Jodie-Yang-Cooper-2-.png?fit=948%2C622&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/DJ-Jodie-Yang-Cooper-2-.png?fit=948%2C622&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6091,"url":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/spring-budget-2024-self-employed-musician-tax-calculator\/","url_meta":{"origin":6324,"position":1},"title":"Spring Budget 2024: Self-Employed Musician Tax Calculator","author":"Dan Willis","date":"7th March 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In light of Hunt's Spring Budget announcement yesterday, many of you may be wondering how this impacts you and your finances, particularly those of you who are self-employed.\u00a0 At Encore, 91% of our musicians are either self-employed, employed and self-employed or freelance and to help them get a better grasp\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Musician Guides&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Musician Guides","link":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/category\/musician-guides\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"taxreturn2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/taxreturn2-.webp?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/taxreturn2-.webp?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/taxreturn2-.webp?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/taxreturn2-.webp?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/taxreturn2-.webp?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":121,"url":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/musician-finance-2-saving-for-retirement\/","url_meta":{"origin":6324,"position":2},"title":"Musician Finance 2: Saving for Retirement","author":"Jonny Venvell","date":"22nd November 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Ever wondered how to go about saving for retirement? 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For the second instalment of this 3-part blog series on musician's finances, I talked to two financial\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Musician Guides&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Musician Guides","link":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/category\/musician-guides\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thing.png?fit=700%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thing.png?fit=700%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thing.png?fit=700%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thing.png?fit=700%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":132,"url":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/musician-finance-3-using-an-accountant\/","url_meta":{"origin":6324,"position":3},"title":"Musician Finance 3: Using an Accountant","author":"Jonny Venvell","date":"7th February 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Ever wondered whether it's worth the money to hire an accountant? 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I\u2019ve just done them! 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