Declaring Income Question - Part-time Photographer

jobbingmusician

If you look on the mystery shopping sticky thread at the top of the 'up your income' board, the first post has lots of useful information on how to register with HMRC as self-employed, and what to do.

gohan2091

DKLS wrote: »

How many hours do you put into post-production?

You may find you are working for less than minimum wage if your not careful. But I guess it comes down to whether you want to run a business or a hobby that pays for new kit and covers all costs i.e you never make a profit.

I would estimate at least 5 hours of post production work. It takes me three, 5 hour days of work per week to earn £100. I have earnt this from a 2 hour Wedding and about 4-5 hours post production time. It's better money than my job and for less hours. My aim at the moment is to improve my photographer further and use the money I earn to pay for my equipment. I pay about £80 a year for camera insurance so this is another expense. I am not in this for profit at the moment.

jobbingmusician wrote: »

If you look on the mystery shopping sticky thread at the top of the 'up your income' board, the first post has lots of useful information on how to register with HMRC as self-employed, and what to do.

Thanks, I've taken a look and it says this:

Registering for tax
If you wish to start Mystery Shopping on a self employed basis, even just one job, you need to register with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) within 3 months or you could face a fine of £100. Please don’t think that because you’ll potentially only earn a few quid doing MSing that you needn’t register as self employed – it’s absolutely essential that you do as being caught out can be costly.

Does this mean I'd have to pay £100 fine?