Freelancers · Tax Guide 2025/26

UK freelancers: here's every expense you can claim in 2026.

Most self-employed people pay more tax than they need to. GigShield tracks home office costs, equipment, mileage, and professional fees — so you only pay tax on what you actually keep.

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£624/yr

Home office saving at HMRC's £6/week flat rate, no receipts needed

£540/yr

Phone and internet deduction on a £150/mo plan (30% business use)

£1,170

Tax saved on £5,850 of mileage deductions (250 client miles/week at 45p)

Everything a UK freelancer or sole trader can claim

Most workers miss at least half of these.

Home office — £6/week HMRC flat rateno receipts required
Home office — actual costs (heating, broadband)pro-rata by room and hours
Laptop, monitor, keyboard, peripheralsused for work
Software subscriptions and SaaS toolsFigma, Adobe, Slack etc.
Business phone / portion of phone bill% of plan used for work
Business broadband (proportion)
Professional subscriptions and membershipsindustry bodies, publications
Training and courses directly related to your work
Professional indemnity insurance
Accountancy and bookkeeping fees
Mileage to client meetings45p/mile, first 10,000 miles
Business bank account fees
Personal clothingunless a uniform or PPENOT claimable
Personal food and drinkunless subsistence on overnight business travelNOT claimable
Home-to-office commuteif you have a fixed office locationNOT claimable
Fines or penalty chargesNOT claimable

How much are you leaving unclaimed?

Drag the slider to see your estimated annual mileage deduction.

Miles per week150 miles

£3,510

Annual mileage deduction

£702

Tax saved (20% basic rate)

Start logging your miles for free →

How GigShield works for Freelancers workers

  1. 1

    Log income and expenses as you go

    Add a client payment or a software subscription in seconds. GigShield keeps a running tax estimate so you know your position at all times — no year-end surprises.

  2. 2

    Photograph receipts instantly

    GigShield Pro's AI receipt scanner categorises expenses automatically. Every receipt is stored and linked to your tax records.

  3. 3

    File self-assessment or submit MTD updates

    Export a clean, HMRC-ready expense report for your accountant, or let GigShield submit your Making Tax Digital quarterly updates automatically.

Important — HMRC

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD ITSA) becomes mandatory for sole traders and landlords with income over £50,000 from April 2026, and over £30,000 from April 2027. This means quarterly digital submissions to HMRC instead of one annual return. GigShield is built for MTD — start using it now so you're set up before the deadline, not scrambling to catch up.

Common questions

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