The Singing Accountants Guide To Tax And Accounts

Most performers leave drama school, a music conservatoire, university and enter the world of Music, Arts, Media and Entertaining as a self-employed person, yet they have no idea of where to start with regards to tax and accounts. 

Do you resonate with this? Perhaps nobody bothered to sit you down to tell you what needs to happen, or the 60-minute chat was so boring that you simply switched off. 

Or it may be the case that the tax man has found you and started to chase you for a tax return, or worse still issued non-compliance fines and penalties. Have I struck a chord there? 

Although you can’t (legally) escape tax, you can make it much easier to deal with. The Singing Accountant's Guide To Tax And Accounts covers the main key points required to manage your accounts and tax, including:

• How to register as self-employed with HMRC and the advantages and disadvantages of being self-employed


• How to keep your records and what records to keep for your self-assessment tax return and the accounts to back it up


• What income needs to be declared on your tax return


• Tax deductible expenses for actors, musicians and entertainers


• How to manage receipts and invoices and what systems to put into place


• An overview of dealing with your tax return


• What is VAT and when you need to register


• What to do if you wish to be a limited company


• All the little niggly things you wish you could ask an accountant!

This book is aimed towards musicians, singers, actors, dancers and other performers based in the UK, although much of the content in this book is very relevant for people outside of this industry.

Louise Herrington is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales as well as working as an opera singer in the home counties and London. She has worked with hundreds of musicians and actors helping them understand their responsibilities as self-employed performers and as owners of their own limited companies, and to give them the ability to ‘go it alone’ and understand their financial responsibilities. This book shows you how to get set up, how to be financially responsible, and get prepared to do your self-assessment tax returns.

This book gives real insight and information, interspersed with stories and hypotheticals (which offer useful colour and context), all told in Louise’s unique voice and inimitable style. 

Taking a subject like tax returns for creative professionals and making it engaging is not an easy task, and this book manages to be unbelievably thorough whist managing to avoid being intimidating, or desperately dull.