BIRDS ACCOUNTANTS
BIRDS ACCOUNTANTS
Personal trainers · Fitness instructors · Yoga teachers · Pilates teachers · Coaches · Online coaches
You keep your clients strong. I keep your tax in shape.
The latest tax and rule changes for personal trainers, fitness instructors and yoga teachers, in plain English.
I work with self-employed personal trainers, group fitness and class instructors, yoga and pilates teachers, strength and running coaches, and online coaches. Whether you rent a gym floor, teach at a studio, run private 1:1s, lead retreats and workshops, or coach online, I make sure you claim everything you are allowed to and pay no more tax than you need to.
Your tax return should include every way you are paid for the work, not just one studio. Common streams include:
Drop-in classes, cover shifts and regular slots at studios or gyms.
One-to-one sessions in a studio, at home or in a client's home.
Weekend workshops, teacher training assist roles and short courses.
UK and overseas retreats, including deposits and balances you receive.
Live Zoom classes, recorded libraries, memberships and digital downloads.
Personal training packages, online programmes and hybrid coaching.
If a studio pays you through PAYE for some shifts and you invoice other work yourself, both need to go on the same Self Assessment return. I can put it all together.
Rent, floor fees or licence fees you pay a gym or studio to train your own clients or run your own classes.
Yoga mats, blocks, straps, bolsters, weights, kettlebells, bands, boxing pads, reformer kit and speakers.
Courses that update skills you already use as a teacher or trainer, plus CIMSPA, REPs or yoga memberships. Your first qualifying course (for example an initial yoga teacher training) usually cannot be claimed.
Public liability and professional indemnity cover for teaching and coaching.
Branded tops or protective gear can usually be claimed. Everyday gym or yoga wear you could wear outside work usually cannot.
Journeys between clients, gyms, parks and studios at HMRC mileage rates. Your normal commute to one regular base usually cannot.
The business share of your phone and broadband bills.
Booking, programming and payment apps like Mindbody, Momence, Trainerize or PT Distinction, plus your website.
Website costs, social ads, flyers and business cards.
Class music subscriptions and public performance licences (such as PPL/PRS) for classes you teach.
Costs must be wholly and exclusively for your business. If something is partly personal, only the business part counts. Not sure? Check in Tax Buddy.
You invoice the studio or clients, find and keep your own clients, set your own prices and hours, and use your own kit. Many yoga teachers and PTs work this way for cover and regular classes.
The gym or studio pays you a wage through PAYE, sets your rota, tells you how to work and takes the client money.
Plenty of teachers do both: PAYE shifts at one studio plus private 1:1s and workshops on the side. I can put employed and self-employed income on one tax return.
If you are UK-resident, overseas retreat income still goes on your UK Self Assessment. Keep clear records of deposits, balances, travel, venue hire, insurance and any local tax paid abroad. Business costs of running the retreat can usually be claimed if they are wholly for the work. Rules depend on where you teach, so get in touch before a big trip if you are unsure.
If your self-employed income is over the £1,000 trading allowance in a tax year, you usually need to register for Self Assessment and file a return. Watch the VAT registration threshold too: once your taxable turnover goes over it in a rolling 12 months, you must register for VAT.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 if your self-employed or property income is over £50,000, then from April 2027 if it is over £30,000 (and £20,000 from April 2028). You will need digital records and quarterly updates to HMRC. I set it all up for you.
With the Birds Receipts App (£25 one-off) you snap a photo of each receipt on your phone, from studio hire to a new mat, and it comes straight to me. No shoebox, no spreadsheets. Get the app.
£80/month
Sole traders & start-ups
£90/month
Sole traders on Universal Credit
£130/month
Ltd companies, not VAT-registered
£160/month
Ltd companies, VAT-registered
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Fixed-price extras, on their own or alongside a package.
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Software set up and your first quarterly update made easy.
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Income proof and accountant letters for lenders and landlords.
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Late returns, unpaid tax or a worrying HMRC letter, sorted.
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Your Making Tax Digital quarterly updates sent to HMRC for you, every quarter.
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Your Making Tax Digital end-of-year declaration finished and submitted.
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Your Self Assessment tax return prepared and filed, one-off.
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Behind on tax returns? We file each missing year for you.
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A business account made for self-employed people, with built-in invoicing and tax estimates. It links into your bookkeeping, so your records stay tidy.
We may receive a fee if you open an account through us.
Yes. I work with personal trainers, group fitness and class instructors, yoga and pilates teachers, strength coaches and online coaches anywhere in the UK, including Cheshire and Manchester, fully online.
Yes. Rent, floor fees or a monthly licence you pay a gym or studio so you can train your own clients or run your own classes are usually an allowable business expense.
If you invoice the studio or clients, find your own clients, set your own prices and hours and use your own kit, you are usually self-employed. If the studio pays you a wage, sets your rota and tells you how to work, you are probably employed. Many teachers do both. I can check your set-up with you.
Mats, blocks, straps, bolsters, weights and similar kit you use with clients can usually be claimed. Branded or protective clothing can be. Everyday gym or yoga wear you could wear outside work usually cannot.
CPD and courses that update or extend skills you already use as a teacher or trainer usually can be claimed. Your first qualifying course, such as an initial yoga teacher training that lets you start the career, usually cannot.
Yes. Business journeys between clients, gyms, parks and studios can be claimed at HMRC mileage rates. Your normal commute to one regular base usually cannot.
If you are UK-resident, overseas retreat income usually still goes on your UK Self Assessment. Keep records of what you earned and spent, and tell me about any local tax paid abroad.
From April 2026 self-employed people with income over £50,000 must keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC. The threshold falls to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. I can get you set up.
Yes. I can put your employed job and your self-employed teaching or training income together on one tax return.
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