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Do Child Actors have to pay tax in the UK?
Edward Kirkby posted this on Aug 28th, 2016
We have been asked this question many times over the years, and its a common misconception that child actors and all other child performers do not have to pay tax.
Income tax in the UK is charged on an individuals income and tax legislation does not mention anything about the age of the individual.
Children, like all adults, have a full personal allowance before they have to pay tax, so for the 2016-17 tax year, children can earn £11,000 tax free.
However, the child will still need to register with HM Revenues & Customs and report this income on a tax return.
A child actor, like an adult, can also claim for tax deductible expenses, so make sure you keep a note of all tax deductible actors expenses such as travel, union subscriptions and agents fees.
As mentioned above, your child will need to pay tax and prepare a tax return, however National Insurance is a different matter; Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance is not paid until an individual reaches the age of 16 so thats one less thing to have to worry about.
So to summarise, regardless of age, we are all taxed from Cradle to Grave!
We deal with lots of child actors, so please get in touch if you would like us to look after your rising star.