Tax Deductions for Adult Content Creators: What You Can Legally Claim in the UK

As an adult content creator, whilst you’re producing content, you’re also running a business. Keeping on top of your finances is essential, especially when it comes to tax. There are plenty of allowable expenses you can claim to reduce your tax bill and maximise your income. The good news is that the best tax tips for content creators are all in this blog, where we’ll break down five essential tax deductions for adult content creators that every content creator should be aware of.

Why Tax Deductions Matter When You’re Self-Employed as an Adult Content Creator

When you're self-employed, every expense comes out of your own pocket so making sure you're only taxed on your actual profits is essential. Having the right self-employed tax advice when you work in the adult industry will be key to long-term success. Income can fluctuate and privacy is paramount. Understanding what you can legally claim helps you stay compliant, reduce your tax bill, and keep more of what you earn. Tax deductions for adult content creators are legitimate tools to support the financial health of your business. 

What Can You Claim as an Adult Content Creator?

1. Tech That Powers Your Business

Your phone, camera, laptop, ring light, editing software is all tech that you rely on to create and share your content. Did you know that it can be claimed as business expenses? Even accessories like tripods, external drives, or microphones count if they’re used for your work. If you use your phone for both business and personal use you will need to split the cost, or possibly have the contract through the business name. Speak to an accountant for more information on this. 

2. Your Home as a Workspace

If you're filming or editing at home, you can claim a portion of your household bills as business expenses, this includes your rent or mortgage interest, electricity, heating, internet, and even council tax. You might have a dedicated filming room or workspace, so claiming these costs is essential for accurately reflecting the cost of running your business.

UK tax for adult industry workers is clear; HMRC allows self-employed individuals working from home to claim these kinds of expenses in one of two ways. If you have a Limited Company you can only claim £6 a week for use of home unfortunately. 

Simplified Expenses: This method uses a flat rate based on the number of hours you work from home each month. For example, if you work between 25 and 50 hours a month from home, you can claim £10 per month. It’s straightforward and doesn’t require you to keep detailed records of your actual bills.

Actual Costs: Alternatively, you can calculate the real portion of your household bills that relate to your business use. This involves working out what percentage of your home is used for business, and how much time you spend working in that space. It takes a bit more effort but can result in a more accurate and higher claim.

If you rent a studio space for shoots or editing outside your home, that’s also a fully deductible business expense.

3. Costumes, Props & Glam Kit

If you’ve bought something purely to use in your content, think themed outfits, wigs, props, or performance-specific makeup, it could be tax-deductible. HMRC usually won’t accept everyday clothing, but if it’s something that’s clearly for performance and not worn off-camera, it’s well worth keeping a record.

HMRC Guidance on Allowable Expenses

According to HMRC, allowable expenses include uniforms, protective clothing needed for your work and costumes for actors or entertainers.

As an adult content creator, many of your performance-related purchases may fall under the “costumes for entertainers” category. Here are some example items you may be able to claim

The golden rule? If it's used exclusively for your content and not in your everyday life, it has a good chance of being a legitimate business expense.

4. Promoting Yourself Online

As an adult content creator, as you present yourself online you become visible, attract the right audience and build your brand, all as part of establishing a steady income stream. Social platforms, websites, and marketing tools play a part in building your reputation and growing your business.

Digital Marketing & Online Presence: Expenses in this area might include social media ads or boosted posts to grow your audience, the cost of hosting your own website, or renewing your domain name. You might use tools like email marketing platforms or link-in-bio services to connect with followers, or invest in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) support to help new fans find you in the first place. All of these are legitimate and tax-deductible costs of doing business online.

Creative & Production Support: Professional photography, branding, and graphic design are powerful tools when you want to stand out in a busy space. Whether you’ve hired someone to design your logo, create a social media banner, or edit your video clips, those services directly support your business and are fully claimable. Even hiring someone to write your bio or fine-tune your OnlyFans profile copy counts.

Scheduling & Content Tools: Content planning and scheduling tools help you stay organised and consistent. If you use apps like Later or Planoly to queue posts, or rely on paid analytics tools to monitor your reach and audience behaviour, those subscription costs are deductible too. Anything that helps streamline your marketing counts towards the cost of running your business.

If you've hired a freelance specialist to help with any of the above whether it’s a branding expert, video editor, or virtual assistant those invoices are also fully deductible. Investing in promotion not only supports your growth, but also strengthens your legitimacy as a business owner. Just like any industry, building a brand takes resources, and HMRC recognises those costs as part of doing business.

5. Financial & Legal Support

Running a content business means keeping things legit and that includes claiming for professional services. This might include working with an accountant (especially one who understands the adult industry), paying for legal advice, or using bookkeeping software.

Business bank account fees and payment platform charges (like those from subscription sites or card processors) are also tax-deductible.

Tips for Record Keeping & Staying Compliant

Staying organised with your expenses is a requirement if you want to claim them. HMRC expects self-employed individuals to keep accurate records for at least five years. That means saving receipts, tracking digital invoices, and making notes on how each purchase relates to your business. Using apps or accounting software can make this process much easier, and will give you peace of mind when it comes to filing your tax return.

Get Professional Support Tailored to the Adult Industry

When you know what to claim, tax can be a strategic way to support your financial growth. These five categories cover some of the most common and impactful deductions for adult content creators, but everyone’s situation is unique.

At SW Friendly Accountants, we specialise in helping adult industry professionals take control of their finances with confidence and discretion. Need help navigating your deductions? Contact us today. We’re here to help you keep more of what you earn and stay on the right side of HMRC.