the final act

How to Do Your Tax Return

The last step in running your own business. Tea at the ready? We'll walk you through the whole self-assessment, screen by screen — no stress, no drama.

timing matters

Deadline: 31st January

31st January is the deadline for submitting your self-assessment AND paying your tax and National Insurance bill. You don't have to do it all in one go — you can log back in and do a bit more whenever you like. Just don't leave it until the 30th!

gather the props

Before You Start

Your Login

Your Government Gateway user ID and password — you got these when you registered as self-employed. Keep them somewhere you can find them!

Your Numbers

Your income and expense totals for the tax year. In the SansDrama App: 'MTD and Reports' → 'Tax Return' — every number you need, ready to copy over.

Two Tabs

Keep this guide open in one tab and your actual tax return in another, side by side. And tea. Obviously tea.

Good to know before you start. The self-assessment form is used by ALL self-employed people in the UK — so a lot of it simply isn't relevant to performers. If a question like "Are you a practising barrister?" isn't pricking your ears up, you can move on feeling confident you're doing it right. We'll flag the bits that matter.

the full performance

Screen-by-Screen Walkthrough

Here's the whole show, from sign-in to the final SUBMIT. We'll match each HMRC screen with a friendly note so you always know exactly what to click next. Grab a cuppa and follow along — you don't have to know exactly what you're doing, we've practically done it for you.

act one

Sign In

Two tabs open? Then click the button below to reach the HMRC login page. What's my password again…?

HMRC Login →

Log in with Government Gateway

Use the Government Gateway user ID and password you got when you registered as self-employed. If you get directed through extra security checks here, don't worry — it's annoying, but it isn't the end of the world. Pleeeease keep those login details somewhere you'll find them next year!

Step 1 of 5

act two

Tailor Your Return

First HMRC asks about you and what income you've had this year — then it builds a return with only the sections YOU need.

Welcome

This screen just checks you're here to do your self-assessment. Scroll down and click 'Start Now'.

Step 1 of 5

act three

Employed Income

Only did self-employed work this year? Skip ahead to act four. Otherwise: for each employer there are two pages — 'Enter income' and 'Enter additional information'.

Enter income

May be pre-filled with the employer name, PAYE reference and what HMRC thinks you were paid and taxed. Check it against your records — every employer should have given you a P45 or P60 to match it up with. Not pre-filled? No panic: enter it straight from the P45/P60.

Step 1 of 3

act four

Self-Employed Income

This is where your record-keeping pays off. In the app: 'MTD and Reports' → 'Tax Return' — every number ready to copy straight over.

Turnover & special circumstances

One page, three quick things. Annual turnover of £90,000 or more? We can all dream — but for most performers it's 'No' (a 'Yes' means you should be VAT registered, so grab an accountant). Affected by basis period reform? Almost certainly 'No'. Then a long list of special circumstances a self-employed person might operate under — we can't see any that obviously apply to performers, so review them and tick 'None of these apply' at the very bottom. Save and continue.

Step 1 of 8

act five

Final Questions

Foreign income (only if you paid tax abroad), then the closing questions everyone gets. We're so close now — stages 5 to 8 are just for clicking through!

Foreign income (if it applies)

Paid tax on income from working abroad? Include that income in employed/self-employed as usual, and complete the foreign section to claim Foreign Tax Credit Relief: tick 'Employment, self-employment and other income which you paid foreign tax on', then give each item a name (e.g. 'Germany tour'), the country, the tax paid and the income — all converted to GBP. Our Foreign Income guide has a converter to help.

Step 1 of 6

act six

Check, Calculate & Submit

The home straight! Stages 5 to 8 of the return: check it, see your calculation, save a copy, and hit the big button.

Check your return

Run down the summary and make sure you've got a lovely line of blue 'ENTERED' boxes. Most importantly, check the statements at the top are correct — if they're wrong, you won't have been given the right boxes to fill out.

Step 1 of 4

one last thing

Don't Forget to Pay

Submitting isn't paying. 31st January is the deadline for both. Go to your 'Business Tax Summary' page, find the amount you owe under 'your balance' in the self-assessment section, then click 'Make a self-assessment payment' and choose your preferred payment option.

Nasty shock at the calculation stage? Have a think about how you track your tax situation through the year — the SansDrama App shows you how it's going at any point, so you can set cash aside as you earn and stay ahead of the game.

Submitted? NOW... GO, RUN, DANCE, BELT!

You've done your tax return — take a bow, and give us a shout out on social media! If this guide helped, you can keep it free forever by sending a tip or using the SansDrama Web App.

take the drama out of tax

Your tax, sorted.

The tax app built just for performers, creatives and side-hustlers — track your income, expenses and live tax bill in one tidy place, ready for your return.

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