If you’re a content creator, influencer, YouTuber, podcaster, or online personality, chances are you’ve thought:

“But my brand is me… so doesn’t that make everything business-related?”

We get it. Your face, your style, your lifestyle — that’s literally what you’re monetising.

But when it comes to tax, HMRC doesn’t care how many views something got. They care about one thing:

Was the expense incurred wholly and exclusively for the business?

And that’s where a lot of creators get caught out.

The Big Misunderstanding

Creators often assume:

• If it’s on Instagram, it’s claimable
• If it’s “on brand”, it counts
• If it helped grow their audience, it must be a business cost

Unfortunately… that’s not how HMRC sees it.

If an expense has personal benefit as well as business use, HMRC will usually say no — even if you only bought it “for content”.

The Usual Tricky Areas (Creator Edition)

Clothes & Outfits

We’ll say this one loudly because it causes the most frustration.

Usually not claimable:

• Everyday clothing worn on camera
• Fashion hauls you keep
• “Content outfits” you could wear normally
• Looking professional / on brand

HMRC’s view: if you can wear it outside of content, it’s personal.

More likely to be claimable:

• Costumes
• Props
• Clothing that is clearly not normal wear
• Items used purely for a shoot and not kept

Hair, Makeup & Aesthetic Costs

Even though appearance matters online…

Not claimable:

• Haircuts or colouring
• Makeup for filming
• Nails, lashes, skincare, grooming

HMRC sees these as personal, full stop.

Possible exceptions:

• Special effects makeup
• Theatrical looks used solely for content
  (And yes — you’d need to be able to prove that.)

Food, Coffee & “Filming Days”

Calling it a “content day” doesn’t magically turn lunch into a business expense.

Still not claimable:

• Food while filming
• Coffee while editing
• Takeaways during long shoot days

Food is only claimable in very limited circumstances — like travelling to a temporary location or staying overnight for work.

Travel & “Lifestyle Content”

This is where HMRC looks very closely.

Usually not claimable:

• Holidays that also produce content
• Trips where you “just happened” to film
• Weekend breaks turned into reels

Even daily posting doesn’t make a holiday a business trip.

More defensible:

• Travel to specific paid brand events
• Trips with contracts, briefs, and deliverables
• Travel that exists only because of the work

Paper trails matter here.

What You Can Safely Claim – Creator Checklist

This is the bit creators often forget to focus on.

You can usually claim for:

• Cameras, lenses, lighting, microphones
• Editing software & apps
• Subscriptions (Canva, Adobe, scheduling tools, stock libraries)
• Business-related software & platforms
• Website hosting & domain names
• Props used purely for content
• Equipment used solely (or mostly) for business
• A reasonable portion of home costs if you work from home
• Internet & phone — business-use portion only
• Professional services (accountant, legal advice, contracts)
• Paid ads & marketing costs

High-value items may be classed as assets, not day-to-day expenses — but they’re still usually allowable.

“But My Accountant Said I Couldn’t Claim That…”

This is an important one.

We’ve lost potential clients because we’ve told them they can’t claim for expenses that are obviously non-allowable.

And we’re OK with that.

Because our job isn’t to tell you what you want to hear — it’s to protect you.

Our role is simple: To make sure you pay the right amount of tax — and not a penny more.

We’re on your side.
But we’re also not willing to:

• Push personal expenses through your business
• Take risks with HMRC on your behalf
• Leave you exposed to penalties, interest, or enquiries later

Claiming something you shouldn’t might save tax today — but it can cost far more down the line.

Final Thought

Content creation is still a business — and HMRC is paying more attention to this space than ever.

A good rule to remember: If you’d still buy it even if you weren’t a creator, HMRC probably sees it as personal.

Getting your expenses right isn’t about being conservative — it’s about being smart, compliant, and protected.

If you’re unsure, ask.
That’s what a good accountant is for.