Tax Guide for Wedding Planners

Wedding planning is one of the most rewarding — and financially complex — businesses in the events industry. As a self-employed wedding planner, you're managing other people's significant budgets, often handling supplier payments on their behalf, coordinating dozens of moving parts, and charging fees that can run into thousands of pounds per wedding. That complexity extends to your own finances and tax position.

This guide walks through everything a UK wedding planner needs to know about tax in 2025–26 — clearly and practically, so you can get on with running a brilliant business.

Registering as Self-Employed

Most wedding planners operate as sole traders. If you're not employed by a wedding planning company and you're earning fees for your services, you are self-employed and must register with HMRC.

When to register: By 5 October following the end of the first tax year you were self-employed. If you start planning weddings in spring 2025, register by 5 October 2025 at the latest.

How to register: Online at gov.uk/register-for-self-assessment. You'll receive a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) within 10 working days.

Sole trader vs limited company: Most wedding planners who are starting out operate as sole traders. As earnings grow above approximately £50,000 in profit, a limited company can reduce your overall tax burden — but the additional compliance requirements (annual accounts, Corporation Tax, potential payroll) make it worth taking professional advice first.

Handling client supplier payments: Many wedding planners collect money from clients and pay suppliers on their behalf. This pass-through money is NOT your income — only your fee or commission is. Make this distinction crystal clear in your accounts and contracts. Commingling supplier payments with your income creates significant tax complications.

The Trading Allowance

If your total self-employment income is £1,000 or less in a tax year, the Trading Allowance means you don't need to register or pay tax on it. Most wedding planners exceed this quickly, but it's a useful provision for those who do just one or two consultations in their first year.

Allowable Expenses for Wedding Planners

You can deduct expenses that are "wholly and exclusively" for the purpose of your business from your income before calculating your tax bill.

Professional Insurance

Professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance are essential — and fully deductible. Given that you're handling large client budgets and coordinating high-stakes events, these premiums are also non-negotiable from a business risk perspective.

Office and Home Office Costs

If you work from a dedicated home office, you can claim:

• A proportion of heating, electricity and broadband based on the number of rooms and hours used for business
• HMRC's simplified flat rate: £10/month (25–50 hours worked from home), £18/month (51–100 hours), or £26/month (100+ hours)
• Office stationery, printer ink, postage

Vehicle and Travel Costs

Wedding planners do a lot of driving — venue viewings, supplier meetings, site visits, and the weddings themselves. You can claim:

• Mileage rate: 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles per year, 25p thereafter (for your own vehicle)
• Actual vehicle costs if you have a vehicle used exclusively or primarily for business (but the mileage rate is simpler for most)
• Train, bus, taxi, tube fares
• Parking charges and congestion charges incurred for business trips
• Accommodation when staying overnight for work

Keep a mileage log: date, destination, purpose, and miles. Without this, HMRC will disallow the claim.

Website and Marketing

• Website design, development and hosting
• Domain name registration
• Paid advertising (Google, Instagram, Facebook)
• Wedding fair exhibitor fees — these are a significant and often overlooked deductible expense
• Photography of your work (portfolio shoots)
• Business cards and printed materials
• Listing fees on booking platforms

Phone and Technology

• A proportion of your phone bill for business use (if using a personal phone, estimate the business percentage)
• A dedicated business mobile — fully deductible
• Laptop, tablet, camera (pro-rate if personal use is mixed)
• Subscription software: accounting tools, project management platforms, email marketing, CRM systems

Professional Development and Training

• Wedding planning courses and certifications
• Industry conferences and events (e.g., The UK Wedding Awards, National Wedding Show trade access)
• Books, magazines, and professional subscriptions
• Mentoring or business coaching fees

Client Entertainment (with caveats)

HMRC is strict on entertaining expenses. You cannot claim client hospitality as an allowable expense (e.g., taking a couple out for a celebratory dinner). However, staff entertaining (if you have employees or subcontractors) up to £150 per head per year qualifies.

The one exception: if a meeting takes place over a working lunch and it is incidental to the meeting, modest subsistence costs may be deductible.

Subcontractor and Assistant Costs

If you hire a day-of coordinator, a junior planner, or a virtual assistant to help with your business, their fees are deductible. Ensure you have contracts in place and that genuine self-employed subcontractors invoice you — don't treat employees as subcontractors.

Record Keeping

HMRC requires you to keep records for at least five years after the 31 January Self-Assessment deadline for the relevant tax year. Given the complexity of wedding planning income and expenses, good record keeping is especially important.

Essential records:

• Client contracts and invoices issued
• Receipts for all expenses claimed
• Bank statements (keep a separate business bank account)
• Mileage logs with dates, destinations and business purpose
• Any supplier invoices if you pass these through and claim the cost as a deduction

Use cloud accounting software — FreeAgent, Xero, or QuickBooks — to capture expenses in real time. Many link directly to your bank account via open banking, saving hours of reconciliation.

Self-Assessment: Filing Your Return

You must file an annual Self-Assessment tax return. Key dates:

• 5 April — end of the tax year
• 31 January — online filing and payment deadline (most used)
• 31 October — paper return deadline

Your return includes all self-employment income minus allowable expenses, plus any other income sources (employment, rental income, savings interest over the Personal Savings Allowance).

Tax rates for 2025–26:

• £0–£12,570 — Personal Allowance (0%)
• £12,571–£50,270 — Basic Rate (20%)
• £50,271–£125,140 — Higher Rate (40%)
• Over £125,140 — Additional Rate (45%)

Payments on Account: If your tax bill exceeds £1,000, HMRC splits next year's estimated tax into two advance payments — 31 January and 31 July. This catches many wedding planners by surprise in year two. Save consistently throughout the year.

National Insurance

Class 2 NI: £3.50/week — now voluntary if profits are below £6,845, but paying voluntarily maintains your State Pension record, which is generally advisable.

Class 4 NI (2025–26):

• 6% on profits between £12,570 and £50,270
• 2% on profits above £50,270

Both are collected via your Self-Assessment return.

VAT

You must register for VAT if your taxable turnover exceeds £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period. For wedding planners, this threshold is more attainable than for many other service businesses — a full-service planner charging £4,000–£8,000 per wedding will pass £90,000 at 12–23 weddings per year.

When you register:

• You charge 20% VAT on your fees (not on client supplier payments you pass through)
• You can reclaim VAT on your own business purchases
• You must file VAT returns (quarterly is standard) and keep digital records

The Flat Rate Scheme (FRS): HMRC offers a simplified VAT scheme for businesses with turnover under £150,000. You charge clients the standard 20% VAT but pay HMRC a fixed percentage (around 12–14% for event planning services) — keeping the difference. It simplifies administration but isn't always financially advantageous; compare carefully.

Making Tax Digital (MTD)

From April 2026, sole traders with income above £50,000 must use MTD-compatible software to submit quarterly updates to HMRC. The threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027.

If your wedding planning income is approaching or above £50,000, start using MTD-compatible software (Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent) now. Quarterly submissions replace some of the annual return requirement — the aim is for HMRC to have near-real-time visibility of your income.

Practical Tips for Wedding Planners

1. Separate business and personal bank accounts. Non-negotiable. Supplier payments passing through your account make this even more important.

2. Be clear in contracts about what is your fee. Supplier pass-through costs are not your income. Your contract should distinguish your planning fee from client budgets you manage.

3. Save 25–30% of net fees for tax. Put it aside immediately when each payment lands. You'll thank yourself in January.

4. Claim wedding fair costs. Exhibiting at wedding fairs is expensive and entirely deductible — don't forget to log these.

5. Track mileage from day one. Every venue viewing, every supplier meeting. The accumulated mileage claim across a full year is typically substantial.

6. Use an accountant who understands creative industries. They'll know the nuances — like how to handle retainers, stage payments, and the distinction between pass-through funds and income.

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