UK Side-Income & HMRC Threshold Tracker (2026-27) — £1,000 Trading Allowance + Platform Reporting Check

Selling on eBay, Vinted, Etsy or Depop, or doing a bit of freelance work, and not sure where you stand with HMRC?

Since 1 January 2024, UK selling platforms have had to report sellers of goods to HMRC once they make 30 or more sales, or receive about £1,700 or more, in a calendar year. Platforms can report people selling services, like freelancing or tutoring, whatever they earn. Separately, you can earn up to £1,000 of trading income in a tax year before you need to tell HMRC. The two rules use different years and different numbers, and that's confusing. This tracker keeps both in one place.

What it does

- Trading allowance meter: pick a tax year (6 April to 5 April) to see your gross trading income, the % of the £1,000 allowance you've used, what's left, and a clear UNDER / APPROACHING / OVER flag.

- Platform reporting check: for each platform and calendar year, it counts your sales and the money you received, then compares them with the 30-sale and ~£1,700 thresholds. A colour-coded status shows Below both, APPROACHING or LIKELY REPORTED.

- Allowance or actual costs? It shows an indicative comparison of using the £1,000 allowance against deducting your real expenses (you can only use one).

- Personal items kept separate: selling your own old stuff is usually not trading income. You log it on its own sheet, so it doesn't inflate your allowance figure, but it still counts toward a platform's reporting count, as it does in real life. Any item sold for £6,000 or more gets a Capital Gains Tax check flag.

- Month-by-month table and chart across the tax year.

- Fast logging: platform and type dropdowns, date validation, and automatic net and tax-year columns.

- Sources built in: every threshold sits on a Settings & Sources sheet with its GOV.UK link. If HMRC changes a figure, you can update it in one place.

What's included

- UK-Side-Income-Tracker.xlsx: the blank tracker, ready to use.

- UK-Side-Income-Tracker-EXAMPLE.xlsx: the same file filled with clearly labelled made-up data, so you can see how it works.

- A Google Sheets guide (works in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice).

Good to know

- It is not tax advice. It is a record-keeping and awareness tool. Being reported by a platform is not a tax bill, and the tracker can't decide for you whether you're trading. Check GOV.UK or an accountant for your situation.

- It doesn't calculate your income tax or file anything for you.

- It uses plain formulas only: no macros, no add-ons, no subscription.

Instant digital download. Refunds and cancellations: Refunds and cancellations page. This doesn't affect your statutory rights.