Do You Pay Tax on OnlyFans Income
Written and reviewed by the Adult Creator Accountants editorial team. Last reviewed 29 July 2026.
OnlyFans income is taxable. HMRC treats money you make from the platform as self-employed trading income, in the same way it treats the earnings of any other sole trader, so it belongs on a Self Assessment tax return once you pass the reporting threshold.
One point catches many creators out. OnlyFans keeps a commission of 20% and pays you the remaining 80%, and it is that 80% you actually receive that counts as your turnover, not the full amount a subscriber spends. Your tax is then worked out on the profit left after allowable business costs.
This page sets out when the income becomes reportable and how much tax and National Insurance you can expect to pay. Working with accountants who understand OnlyFans income keeps the process straightforward, but the principles are simple enough to follow yourself.
How HMRC Treats OnlyFans Earnings
To HMRC, a content creator is a self-employed businessperson. The money you earn is trading income, and running an OnlyFans account is running a business, even where it began as an occasional source of extra cash. That means the usual rules for the self-employed apply to you: you keep records, you report your profit, and you pay tax and National Insurance on it.
There is no separate or special tax for this kind of work. It is taxed on the same basis as freelancing, consulting or any other trade.
What Counts as Your Turnover
Your turnover is the total of the payments you receive from the platform across the tax year. Because OnlyFans deducts its 20% commission before paying you, the figure that reaches your account is 80% of what your subscribers spent, and it is this net figure that forms your turnover for tax.
From turnover you deduct your allowable business expenses to reach your profit. Only costs incurred wholly and exclusively for the business can be deducted, and it is the profit, not the turnover, that your tax is based on.
The Trading Allowance and When to Report
There is a trading allowance of £1,000 of gross income. If your income from the platform, before expenses, is below £1,000 in the tax year, you generally do not need to report it. Once you go over £1,000 you must report the income, and you can then choose to deduct either the £1,000 allowance or your actual expenses, whichever is greater.
For anyone treating OnlyFans as a genuine income stream rather than a one-off, the £1,000 threshold is usually passed quickly, which brings the Self Assessment system into play.
Income Tax and National Insurance on Your Profit
Income tax is charged on your profit through the year's income tax rates. For 2026/27 in England the personal allowance is £12,570, the basic rate of 20% applies up to £50,270, the higher rate of 40% up to £125,140, and the additional rate of 45% above that. The bands are different in Scotland.
You also pay Class 4 National Insurance on your profit, at 6% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above £50,270 for 2026/27. Class 2 National Insurance no longer has to be paid: if your profit is at or above the small profits threshold of £7,105 you are treated as having paid it, and below that you can pay it voluntarily at 3.£65 a week to protect your record.
When You Need to Register
If your income takes you over the trading allowance, you must register for Self Assessment. The deadline is 5 October following the end of the tax year in which you started, so it pays to note the date early rather than leave it to the filing season.
A Self Assessment service for creators can take the registration, the return and the payments off your hands, so nothing is missed while you focus on the work itself.