Creators on their first paid deal
Who have never sent an invoice before.
How to invoice a brand as a UK influencer
A brand has said yes and accounts want an invoice. Here is what a UK creator's invoice legally needs, when VAT applies and how to get paid on time.
- ICAEW/ACCA regulated
- Chartered Accountants
- Fixed monthly fees
- MTD-ready
- 4.9 on Google
Part of our guide to creator tax guide UK.
Quick answer
A UK influencer invoice needs a unique number, your name and any trading name, your contact details, the brand's name and address, a description of the content, the supply date, the invoice date and the total owed. Only add VAT if you are VAT registered. Your UTR and National Insurance number do not belong on it.
On this page
Contents
Who this is for
Is this you?
Sole trader influencers
Invoicing in their own or a trading name.
Creators working with overseas brands
Unsure about VAT and US tax forms.
Income streams
Everything we handle for you
- Sponsored posts
- Usage and whitelisting fees
- UGC packages
- Ambassador retainers
- Event appearances
Sound familiar?
Problems you face, answered
If you are not VAT registered there is no VAT number to give. A US brand usually needs a W-8BEN rather than a number on the invoice.
HMRC treats goods or services received for content as income at what they would have cost, so record them alongside the cash fee. A VAT-registered creator paid partly in goods may also have to account for VAT on that barter.
Tax explained
How Brand Deal Invoicing Works
What must a brand deal invoice include? GOV.UK lists a unique identification number, your name and contact details, the customer's name and address, a clear description of what you are charging for, the supply date, the invoice date, the amounts charged, VAT if applicable and the total owed. Sole traders show their own name and any business name; a limited company shows its full registered name.
Should an influencer charge VAT? Only once you are VAT registered. Registration is required when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or is expected to in the next 30 days. After registering, your invoices must show your VAT number and VAT separately, usually at the 20% standard rate for UK brands.
What about overseas brands? Under the general business-to-business rule in VAT Notice 741A, services are supplied where the business customer belongs, so a VAT-registered creator normally does not add UK VAT for a brand outside the UK. Keep evidence that the customer is a business abroad. A US brand may ask for a W-9, which is for US persons; UK individuals use a W-8BEN instead.
What if the brand pays late? If you agree no payment date, GOV.UK says payment is late 30 days after the customer receives the invoice or the service is provided, whichever is later. You can then claim statutory interest of 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, unless the contract sets a different rate. Put clear payment terms on every invoice.
From our experience: Most invoice problems start with the contract, not the invoice. Agree the fee, usage period, payment terms and who pays the agency commission in writing first, then the invoice simply mirrors it.
Source: GOV.UK: invoicing and taking payment from customers · GOV.UK: late commercial payments
General information only, based on 2026/27 UK rules. Not personal advice. Speak to us about your circumstances.
Action plan
Sending your first brand invoice
- 1
Number it
Use one unbroken sequence, such as INV-001, INV-002.
- 2
Describe the deliverables
List posts, platforms, dates and usage rights from the contract.
- 3
Keep a copy
Records must be kept for at least five years after the 31 January filing deadline. A limited company must keep records for six years from the end of its financial year.
Allowable expenses for content creators
How HMRC’s rules apply to content creators
If you are self-employed
Self-employed costs must be incurred wholly and exclusively for your trade. If you use the £1,000 trading allowance, you cannot also deduct actual expenses against that same income. Equipment treatment depends on cash basis or traditional accounting.
If you run a limited company
A limited company deducts costs incurred wholly and exclusively for its business. Equipment may need capital allowances rather than an immediate expense deduction. Personal use or company-paid private costs can create a taxable benefit or director’s loan entry; company ownership is not a blanket deduction.
For separable mixed-use costs, such as a phone bill, claim only the identifiable business proportion and keep evidence. This does not make ordinary clothing or every dual-purpose purchase deductible. A receipt alone does not prove a business purpose: retain the brief, invoice or usage record too.
Costs to review for your work
- Business-use cameras, lighting, audio equipment and editing software
- Editors, thumbnail designers, virtual assistants and licensed music
- Travel to business shoots and the evidenced business share of home-working costs
Everyday clothing, ordinary grooming, personal meals, private gaming and fines are generally not deductible. Qualifying costumes or protective clothing and business-travel subsistence have different rules. Client entertaining is generally disallowed. Receiving a product from a brand does not automatically create an expense: record the income treatment separately and deduct only an allowable business cost.
HMRC: self-employed expensesHMRC: business travelHMRC: clothingHMRC: company deductionsHMRC: capital allowancesHMRC: creator income and gifts
Keep records alongside our creator expenses checklist, or discuss your costs with our bookkeeping team.
General UK guidance, not personal advice. The deduction depends on your facts and accounting basis.
Structure
Sole trader or limited company?
£
Sole trader£46,111
Limited company£46,091
Illustrative estimate only. Uses the published 2026/27 tax configuration. Assumes a single-director company drawing all profit, with no Employment Allowance. Excludes expenses, student loans, pensions, other income, Scottish rates and individual circumstances. Not tax advice.
Diary
Key deadlines
5 October
Register for Self Assessment for the previous tax year
31 October
Paper tax return deadline
31 January
Online return, balancing payment and first payment on account
31 July
Second payment on account
Monthly accounting packages
Accountant packages for content creators
Self-employed or limited company, choose the support that fits how you trade. We review income such as Sponsored posts, Usage and whitelisting fees, UGC packages as part of agreeing your scope.
Self-employed accountant packages for content creators
Trading in your own name? Choose support for your personal tax return and, where included, bookkeeping and MTD Income Tax updates.
Up to £25,000: Starter £299, Complete £475 a year. £25,000–£50,000: Starter £499, Complete £599 a year. Above £50,000, fees use the upper limit of your band: Starter 1%, Complete 0.75% (minimum £39.99 + VAT a month). Monthly payments are the annual fee divided by 12, excluding VAT. Starter does not include bookkeeping. Turnover above £1 million is quoted individually.
Self Employed Starter
Turnover: Up to £25,000
For sole trader creators who just need their tax return done properly
£24.92
per month + VAT
£299.00 per year + VAT · Bookkeeping not included
- Your annual Self Assessment tax return, prepared and filed
- All your creator income streams covered: AdSense, brand deals, affiliates, tips and subscriptions
- Gifted products, PR trips and freebies declared correctly
- Allowable expense review so you claim everything you are entitled to
- Deadline reminders ahead of every filing and payment date
- Free basic tax advice by email through the year*
Self Employed Complete
Turnover: Up to £25,000
For full-time self-employed creators who want their books kept for them
£39.58
per month + VAT
£475.00 per year + VAT · Bookkeeping included
- Everything in Self Employed Starter
- Monthly bookkeeping across YouTube, TikTok, brand deal and affiliate income
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax quarterly updates, where required
- Payment on account planning so January never surprises you
- Sole trader vs limited company review as your income grows
- Quarterly check-in on your numbers and tax position
Limited company accountant packages for content creators
Trading through a company? Choose support for company accounts, Corporation Tax and the director services included below.
Essential/Compliance
For creators who have just set up a limited company
From £45.83
per month + VAT
- Year-end company accounts for your creator business
- Corporation Tax return (CT600) and tax computation
- Confirmation statement preparation and filing support (excludes the Companies House filing fee)
- One director Self Assessment return (salary and dividends from the same company)
- Deadline reminders ahead of every filing date
- Free basic tax advice by email through the year*
Core/Complete
For full-time creators with brand deals and platform income
From £62.50
per month + VAT
- Everything in Essential/Compliance
- Monthly bookkeeping across YouTube, TikTok, brand deal and affiliate income
- Quarterly Making Tax Digital VAT returns
- Director payroll with RTI filing and pension submissions
- Quarterly review call on your numbers and tax position
- Gifted items, overseas payouts and payment platform reconciliation
Growth
For creator businesses with editors, managers or a team
From £75.00
per month + VAT
- Everything in Core/Complete
- Payroll for up to five team members, such as editors or assistants
Starting fees exclude VAT. Your turnover, records and agreed work determine the final quote. *Basic tax advice is free; technical work is quoted separately. MTD support applies where required.
See all fees and one-off servicesWant this off your plate?
Talk through your platform income, allowable expenses and next steps with a creator accountant.
Book your free creator tax callPublished by influencers.accountants
Last updated: 2026-11-09
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Any template works if it shows the details GOV.UK lists. Accounting software such as Xero or FreeAgent creates compliant invoices automatically.
No. Your UTR is for HMRC. GOV.UK does not require it on an invoice.
No. Only VAT-registered businesses can charge VAT.
Yes. Ask for a quote and we will set up a system that suits your deal volume.
Keep reading
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