Tax on free products brands send you
Products brands send you count as income, at what they'd cost in the shops, the same as cash. Add up your cash and products and we'll show the tax, when to tell HMRC, and how close you are to VAT.
Your answer
Tell us your cash from brands, the products you were sent and your other income.
About this calculator
For influencers, content creators, bloggers and podcasters who get paid partly in free products: PR packages, gifted items and products sent for a review.
We add your products to your cash at their shop price, take off the tax-free allowance or your costs, work out the tax, and show how close you are to having to register for VAT.
What happens to your answers
We don’t keep them. Your answers go to our server to do the sums and aren’t stored or logged. If you copy a link to your answers, they’re in the link itself, so only share it with people you trust.
How it’s worked out
HMRC treats products you get from promoting things online as income, valued at what they'd cost if you paid for them. Products sent unasked that you keep or use are counted too, because they come to you through your channel. A present that has nothing to do with your channel doesn't count.
The first £1,000 a year is tax-free (the trading allowance), counted on cash and products together, before costs. Above it, you take off the £1,000 or your real costs, whichever is bigger, and pay income tax on the rest on top of your other income, plus Class 4 National Insurance on profit over £12,570.
For VAT, products you post about in return count as payment, at their shop price. Products sent unasked don't. You must register once that goes over £90,000 in 12 months; we use your tax-year figures. We treat your other income as pay or pension, and don't cover losses or overseas payments. Every figure is checked a second way before you see it.
Worked example
You'll owe about £1,200 in tax, free products included, and you need to tell HMRC by 5 October 2027.
2026/27 tax year · products at shop price · other income £30,000
| Cash from brands and platforms | £4,000 |
|---|---|
| Products you were asked to post about, at their shop price | £2,500 |
| Products sent unasked that you kept or used, at their shop price | £500 |
| Your income from your channel | £7,000 |
| Your tax-free trading allowance | £1,000 |
| Your costs | £800 |
| Take off the tax-free trading allowance (it's bigger than your costs) | − £1,000 |
| Taxable profit | £6,000 |
| Income tax on it, on top of your other income of £30,000 | £1,200 |
| Class 4 National Insurance (on profit over £12,570) | £0 |
| Tax to pay on it | £1,200 |
| For VAT: cash and products asked for, £6,500, is 7.2% of the £90,000 line (unasked products don't count) |
Worked out using HMRC's published rates for the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027), on a yearly basis.
Questions people ask
I didn't ask for the products. Do they still count?
If they came to you because of your channel and you kept or used them, HMRC can treat them as income. Things you sent back, or gave away without using, aren't counted. Keep a note of which is which.
How do I value a product?
Use what it would have cost you to buy it: the normal shop price at the time. A screenshot of the price when it arrives is a good record.
When do I need to tell HMRC?
If your cash and products together are over £1,000 in a tax year, register for Self Assessment by 5 October after the tax year ends (5 October 2027 for this year), then send your return and pay by 31 January.
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