Online platform sales: how seller information statements can help you complete your 2024/25 tax return

If you sell goods and services through an online platform, you may shortly (by 31 January 2026) receive a statement under the new OECD platform reporting rules. This will contain a copy of the information about your sales shared with HMRC by the online platform.

Not everyone who sells online will get a statement, and not everyone who gets a statement will have to file a tax return or tax to pay (this may apply if you are only selling your personal belongings for example). But if you do get one, it can help you work out your tax position and complete a tax return if necessary.

Our guidance on seller information statements

We have developed detailed guidance for sellers that can help you better understand more about what information is included in these statements, and what they mean for you and your tax.

Our guidance covers various aspects:

• Background – including why you have received a statement and what their intended purpose is
• How to read the statements – what some of the terminology means and how to use and apply the income information provided
• How the statement affects your taxes – it may help you track your income and understand your tax position, but it may not directly correspond to your tax obligations
• What action to take – including how the statement can help you do a tax return if you need to, to report the amounts shown.

In the rest of this article, we give you a taster of the information covered in the guidance, and show how it can help you with your 2024/25 tax return.

How a seller information statement can help you prepare your 2024/25 tax return

The statement provides a clear record of the money you have made through the online platform – some or all of which could be taxable. The statement should really be supplementary to your own business records, however if – for whatever reason – you do not have adequate records, the statement can help you prepare your 2024/25 tax return.

This is because the statement covers the 2025 calendar year, broken down into quarters. As the UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, some of the figures – those related to January to March 2025 quarter – will be relevant for the 2024/25 tax return. If you received a 2024 seller information statement last year then this may contain some of the information that you need for the period April to December 2024.

  To find out who will receive a statement, how and when, see our guidance. If you have not received a statement yet but are expecting one and need it for your 2024/25 tax return, you could try asking your platform for it, although they do not have to provide it until 31 January 2026.

As we explain in our guidance, not everyone that gets a statement will need to do a tax return (and vice versa). But if you do need to do a tax return and do get a statement, you can identify your gross income for the Quarter 1 (January to March 2025) period from the online platform. Although you may need to gather other details to get to your total taxable income for the 2024/25 UK tax year – which may not be limited to this platform activity – this gross income figure is a good starting point.

From this, you can deduct allowable expenses. Your statement should give you a handy summary of the fees/commissions/taxes withheld, which are one type of allowable expense. You can find some specific help for gig workers with other allowable expenses including mileage allowances and mobile phones on our website.

  If you haven’t been keeping adequate records of any other allowable expenses, or if your expenses are low, the trading allowance might be able to help you. There is more information on our trading allowance page.

You can find some other hints to help you do your tax return in our news article for gig workers - Help with completing your first tax return. Although it references the 2023/24 tax year, it is equally as applicable for 2024/25. 

  As shown in the example above, do not take all the figures from the 2025 statement and put them in your 2024/25 UK tax return as this will make your 2024/25 tax return incorrect. The Quarter 2 to 4 figures will be relevant for your 2025/26 UK tax return, so keep the statement somewhere safe for when you prepare your tax return next year.

What to do if you can’t pay what you owe

See our recent new article Can’t pay what you owe by 31 January 2026?

What to do if you need to do a 2024/25 tax return but haven’t yet registered for one?

If you receive a seller information statement and realise you had taxable sales of more than £1,000 for the 2024/25 tax year, but have not yet registered for a Self Assessment tax return with HMRC, it is important that you do so as soon as possible.

In this situation, you will have three months from the date HMRC issues you a 2024/25 tax return to submit it. This means you will not face a late filing penalty for missing the usual 31 January 2026 deadline. HMRC can charge penalties for late Self Assessment registration, however these might be avoided if you do not owe HMRC anything for 2024/25, or if the tax is paid by 31 January 2026. You might also be able to appeal any late registration penalty if you can show you have a reasonable excuse.

Further help

We hope our guidance on seller information statements will be useful, however if you still have questions or need help, you may need to talk to a tax adviser or HMRC. See our getting help page for more details on how to contact a tax adviser. If you are on a low income, free advice and assistance is available from organisations such as TaxAid.

HMRC have lots of help and support available for those with tax returns to complete, including videos and webinars. If you have specific questions, you can contact HMRC, including by web chat. HMRC can also provide extra support to you if you need it.