DooYoo, Ciao, Bubblews, Swagbucks - Are they Taxable?

Ainat

So I'm a little confused...

I've just read somewhere about if you use online survey or writing sites the earnings you make are taxable.

This was a guy in America posting this. I am unsure if this applies here in the UK. To be honest, I never thought about it before. But I guess it is a source of income, so should it be taxable?

I used to write on DooYoo before it changed, enough to get a few £20 Amazon Vouchers, but not overly so (literally 3 vouchers over like a year). I have recently discovered Bubblews and have not written on there enough to even redeem once yet. I don't write on these sites for the money. I do it for fun when I have a bit of free time. For the sake of how much I use the sites I'd rather just give them up. It's not worth the hassle. I like writing in my free time, but I'll stick to an online blog or something.

In short, basically what I want to know is... Is any income from these sorts of sites taxable?

toastking

Legally speaking everything you earn on these sites is taxable and I could only say you should be paying tax on it all, a lot of people here at least claim to be paying their taxes on these earnings. Strictly speaking you should be paying taxes on eBay sales but I don't think many do.

However if I was to be a gambling man, I'd predict that way over 90% never pay their taxes on it and don't get found out as they never get personally checked!

Ainat

Thank you for your reply toastking.

I just genuinely had never thought of it before, especially as the amount I use the sites are minimal.

I don't sell on eBay, so that's not an issue for me, but again, not something I'd thought of.

System

I declare my earnings. I am registered as self-employed and when I signed up on the HMRC website it asked me what exactly it was I did so I just said something along the lines of 'surveys, tasks, product trials and anything else I can find' which they accepted fine.

The tax system has been simplified now so you can claim a set amount of money depending on how many hours you spend working on such websites online.

Basically you have to state your total incomings, any expenses and anything you're claiming using the simplified tax system.

I pay voluntary national insurance contributions, around £2.65 per week I believe, as I want to be able to use maternity benefits when my husband and I have our children. Because I'm self employed I will receive a flat rate of around £130 a week, and can keep undertaking my work alongside this, which isn't something you can do when you take maternity leave from a normal employment job.

With regards to eBay sales you need to declare for tax purposes items you are buying and selling for a profit. If you making a little bit each year selling your personal items then you don't have to.

I was told by HMRC when I phoned them that if you are completing surveys and such like on a 'commercial basis' then you need to declare. The example they used was that if you are a member of YouGov and receiving £50 a year then you don't need to worry. However if you are joining numerous websites to earn money from home then you do need to declare. I'm definitely doing it on a commercial basis so I declare. I keep track of my cashouts on a spreadsheet as well as any expenses incurred (new laptop for example) and then I claim £26 a month, a flat rate set by HMRC, for working more than 102 hours per month. You can find more information out here https://www.gov.uk/simpler-income-tax-simplified-expenses/working-from-home

The information I'm providing here was provided direct via telephone calls to the self-assessment helpline, which is answered surprisingly fast when it isn't tax return time. If in doubt you can call them and speak to them directly, just take down a name and any dates and times that you called in and what they said. I found that a lot of what people said on here was just hearsay so I called them myself and then subsequently signed up as self-employed.

It actually isn't that much hassle to be self-employed these days. If you are just declaring £500 or £1000 a year it should be quite straight forward for you. I used to worry it was difficult but when I started making decent earnings I knew I wanted to give up my job and declare my earnings.

Sugarplum634

You have to earn something like £5k a year before you pay tax I think.

toastking

Sugarplum634 wrote: »

You have to earn something like £5k a year before you pay tax I think.

Thats assuming you have no other source of income whatsoever. Most people will have something coming in.

Ainat

Thank you Katykicker.

I have a full time job, which I obviously do pay my taxes on. The writing thing was just a little extra when I had spare time as I enjoy doing it type of thing. It is in no way a main source of income for me, and not on a commercial basis.

I haven't actually been on any sites in a couple weeks again now anyway as I've been so busy with my job that when I do actually get time to chill out and relax I haven't really been online.

QuackQuackOops

Ainat wrote: »

So I'm a little confused...

I've just read somewhere about if you use online survey or writing sites the earnings you make are taxable.

This was a guy in America posting this. I am unsure if this applies here in the UK. To be honest, I never thought about it before. But I guess it is a source of income, so should it be taxable?

I used to write on DooYoo before it changed, enough to get a few £20 Amazon Vouchers, but not overly so (literally 3 vouchers over like a year). I have recently discovered Bubblews and have not written on there enough to even redeem once yet. I don't write on these sites for the money. I do it for fun when I have a bit of free time. For the sake of how much I use the sites I'd rather just give them up. It's not worth the hassle. I like writing in my free time, but I'll stick to an online blog or something.

In short, basically what I want to know is... Is any income from these sorts of sites taxable?

For what you are doing, no, you don't have to declare it.