Online money-makers: taxable?

miwa

I am 100% sure this has been asked before, but after searching I could find no sure-fire answer to my question:

Are tasks you do online - surveys, pay for click sites where you earn points that turn into gift vouchers, selling on ebay or AMP/play.com, writing articles (e.g. clickworker, textbroker) - taxable?

Background a.k.a. life-story: personally, I am 19 years old, I suffer from a variety of health issues which stop me from working/going to uni, but I am not paid any benefits, neither disability or Jobseeker's, either because I am not eligible or because my parents won't let me (long story). Speaking of, I live with my parents. If this bears any relevance (I have no idea if it does): my mother has a part-time clerical job and my father is retired. My parents have over £30,000 in savings, and my father receives a private pension of roughly £20,000 a year. My mother earns around £5,000 a year.

My dad filed my tax report last year, I didn't have a clue what to do, I believe I paid 20 pence on my savings... of which there is little (perhaps £200 in various bank accounts).

Questionably taxable:

I have sold £30 of goods on ebay, and roughly sold £20 through amazon and play.com's marketplaces. I know I am not a trader by HMRC's standards.

Through article-writing services (examples above) I have made roughly £15.

Presently I've had no payouts from surveys but they're expected soon, perhaps around £30, £5 from each company I'm registered with. Some pay in gift cards/vouchers, others pay money through Paypal.

Speaking of vouchers... I registered with several pay-to-click sites (Swagbucks, gifthulk, ect.) I haven't redeemed any 'points' yet but I am aiming for a £25 gift voucher by the end of the month.

Questions:

1. Do I have to pay tax on earnings made as gift vouchers (surveys/SwagBucks)? (£55?)
   
2. Do I pay tax on earnings from writing articles through a brokerage website? (£15)
   
3. How much tax would this be?
   
4. When do I have to amend my tax statement? I am really clueless about filling in tax at the best of times... What if textbroker shuts down or I give up on writing articles? Do I have to register as unemployed?
   
5. I believe with textbroker you have to be registered as self-employed, but honestly, the payouts are so abysmal for the most part. It would be incredibly difficult to live off the payouts from that site. I can hardly get my head around considering it actual employment (obviously if I have to...I will).

I am trying to save up to pay for an online education course where I can try to earn my GCSEs (left school due to health issues), and all the money would go towards that (barring the gift vouchers, which would be used for accessories to the course - headphones, microphone, textbooks, ect).

Thank-you so much for reading this epic post and for any advice in advance. I hope my cluelessness didn't annoy anyone.

[Deleted User]

you are allowed to earn £160 a week this tax year before you pay any tax

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Do your parents own you?

If you are entitled to claim, you flaming well claim in your own right.

wayne0

woodbine wrote: »

you are allowed to earn £160 a week this tax year before you pay any tax

really? is this just online stuff? or anywhere?

also, to OP: on a tax return, if your using the internet to make money bear in mind, you need an internet connection as part of the business... and therefore is "tax deductable"... also, depends on what your selling on ebay... private goods which your finished with etc, you only pay capital GAINS tax... etc..

tax law is complex etc, theres lots of views...

(i always complete a tax return, and can guarentee i will get money back.. but i always feel a little "i hope ive done this right" because even experts make mistakes etc )

wayne0

miwa wrote: »

I am trying to save up to pay for an online education course where I can try to earn my GCSEs (left school due to health issues), and all the money would go towards that (barring the gift vouchers, which would be used for accessories to the course - headphones, microphone, textbooks, ect).

also, if this is your only income then go down the job centre, and claim jsa... you will be able to go to college part time and do adult literacy/numeracy for free ...

obviously these are skills which will help you with your chance of proper employment...

even if you live with your parents your entitled to claim (well, at least ATM... who knows in the future )

but you said that you can hardly get your head around considering actual employment? - for what reason?...

not trying to argue here: but you need to support yourself,.. if you live with parents now... cool if they wanna support you, but they wont be here forever... and people who work for a living do so not because they can get their head around it, but because they have to!

techspec

wayne0 wrote: »

really? is this just online stuff? or anywhere?

In total.

Expected to rise to £190 by the end of this parliament.

jonespaul

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sandraroffey

if your savings amount to only £200 in total, should you be paying ANY tax on them??? even if it is only 20p.

you need a regular income, even if you cant work. get claiming for heavens sake. you dont need your parents permission.

and whatever you are entitled to claim (sounds like DLA may come into play here, as well as the normal income support and things), it wont affect anything they have as income. likewise, their income does not affect YOU. and by claiming, it also means that your stamps that qualify you for a state pension when you are older, get credited to you.

good luck.

PS. the fact that you are submitting a tax return to the tax man, as a self employed person, may mean that they will start chasing you to pay a self employed persons stamp, if you arent already paying it. but someone who knows more than me about that, will come along soon.