Last reviewed: 30 May 2026
Quick summary
- You sell a course or cohort through Kajabi, Teachable or Stripe and need to understand payment plans, refunds, affiliates and platform fees.
- Record gross course sales before Stripe, platform fees, refunds, affiliate payouts and software costs.
- The useful accountant conversation is about evidence: Kajabi or Teachable reports, Stripe and PayPal statements, refunds and chargebacks.
Topic hub: Side hustle tax hub
Direct answer
If this activity is organised to make money, the tax question is not whether it started from influencer advice. It is whether you have taxable trading income, what your gross income is for the tax year, what evidence supports your costs and whether Self Assessment, VAT or MTD need checking. For this page, focus on gross course sales before Stripe, platform fees, refunds, affiliate payouts and software costs.
How money actually arrives in this niche
People in this niche rarely think in neat accounting words. They think in course sales, payment plans, refunds, subscriptions, affiliate commission, coaching upsells and sponsorships. That is why a generic side-hustle calculator is not enough. You may see a payout, a dashboard, a retainer, a free product, a credit balance or a Stripe transfer and assume that is the tax number. It often is not.
The practical starting point is to list each income stream in the language of the platform or client. Then translate it into accounting records: gross income, refunds, platform fees, contractor costs, software costs and any non-cash value connected to work. This makes the page useful before an accountant call because the reader can send a clean summary rather than a folder of screenshots.
What figure should you record?
Record gross course sales before Stripe, platform fees, refunds, affiliate payouts and software costs. Keep the gross figure visible even if the platform pays out a smaller amount. If a client or platform deducts fees before money reaches your bank, the bank deposit may be a poor shortcut. If you receive products, credits, samples, usage rights or commission, keep those notes with the same discipline as cash receipts.
For the trading allowance, GOV.UK refers to gross trading income. That means you should understand the gross figure before deciding whether the trading allowance or actual expenses is more useful. If the activity grows, the same gross-income habit also helps with VAT and MTD checks.
Records to gather
For this exact niche, collect these before filing or speaking to an accountant:
- Kajabi or Teachable reports
- Stripe and PayPal statements
- refunds and chargebacks
- affiliate payout reports
- video, hosting and software costs
Add a one-line note explaining what each cost was for. A receipt called "subscription" is less useful than "ChatGPT Team for client chatbot builds, May 2026". That small habit is the difference between an accountant giving quick guidance and spending time reconstructing the story.
Real examples
- A GBP 500 course is paid in five instalments. Track instalments and remaining debtor notes clearly.
- You pay affiliates 30 percent. Record affiliate payouts separately from gross sales.
- A student refunds after two weeks. Keep the refund record and original sale.
Mistakes to avoid
- Treating payment-plan cashflow as the same as simple one-off sales.
- Losing affiliate payout records.
- Not separating coaching upsells from course sales.
- Ignoring VAT until a launch spikes revenue.
What this guide is focusing on
Use this guide if you have side-hustle income with PAYE income or another main income source who needs to know when small earnings become reportable. For Online course side hustle tax UK: Kajabi, Teachable and Stripe records, focus on how the rule meets the records, thresholds, software and decisions you actually have in front of you.
What figure, record or decision should you pin down?
Pin down gross side income, actual expenses, trading allowance, PAYE income, platform reports, cash payments and whether the activity is organised to make profit. That gives an accountant something specific to check and stops the conversation becoming a vague discussion about tax in general.
Records to gather
- gross side income by tax year
- expense receipts
- platform or client statements
- PAYE income context
- dates the activity started and became regular
Real examples for this situation
- A PAYE worker earning small tutor fees should still know gross income before deciding whether the trading allowance helps.
- A delivery rider needs platform pay and mileage records, not just the amount left after fuel.
- A creator with several small platforms should add them together by tax year before assuming each is too small to matter.
A common mistake is thinking only profit matters before checking gross income and the reporting point. The safest pattern is to write down the figure, source, date and evidence before deciding whether DIY, software or accountant support is enough.
Questions to ask an accountant
- Is course income trading income?
- Which Stripe figure is gross income?
- How do payment plans affect records?
- Can I claim platform and video costs?
- When should I discuss VAT?
Send the questions with your totals. A useful accountant call starts with the money model, not just the job title.
Official guidance checked on 30 May 2026
Rules and thresholds can change. These GOV.UK sources were checked during this rewrite and should be rechecked before important filing decisions.
Related guides and tools
FAQs
What figure should I record?
gross course sales before Stripe, platform fees, refunds, affiliate payouts and software costs
What records should I keep?
Kajabi or Teachable reports, Stripe and PayPal statements, refunds and chargebacks, affiliate payout reports, video, hosting and software costs.
When should I speak to an accountant?
Speak to an accountant if the activity is regular, crosses a reporting threshold, involves VAT, MTD, gifted products, foreign currency, contractors, company structure or a tax return you are not confident filing.
Course launches need launch-level records
Online course income can arrive through Kajabi, Teachable, Stripe, PayPal, payment plans, affiliates, refunds and chargebacks. Keep launch reports, payout reports, ad spend, platform fees, video hosting, contractors and coaching upsells separate. A launch may look profitable in the bank account while still needing refund reserves or affiliate costs. An accountant can give better guidance when each launch has its own simple profit summary.