The test is still “wholly and exclusively” for the trade. If something is mixed use, claim the business share and write down how you split it. You cannot claim the trading allowance of £1,000 and actual expenses in the same year.
Consumables used on clients are the easy yes. The arguments start with clothing, reference subscriptions, and anything you also use at home.
What tattoo artists can usually claim
| Expense | Claimable? | Notes | Keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ink, needles, cartridges, stencil paper | Usually yes | Used on clients or for practice that is part of the trade. | Supplier invoices or order history |
| Machines, power supplies, lights, furniture | Usually yes | Usually claimed in the year under Annual Investment Allowance if you use traditional accounting. | Purchase invoice |
| Chair rent or booth fees | Usually yes | Weekly, daily or percentage splits. Informal cash rent is still claimable if you can show what you paid. | Studio invoices, bank transfers, or a written note of cash paid |
| PPE, sharps bins, disinfectant | Usually yes | Business-only hygiene costs. | Receipts |
| Convention booth, travel, hotel | Usually yes | If you are working or exhibiting, not if you are only getting tattooed. | Booking emails, tickets, mileage log |
| Guest-spot travel and rooms | Usually yes | Travel from your usual studio to another workplace. | Mileage or tickets plus the guest booking |
| Website, portfolio photos, paid ads | Usually yes | Building the book is a business cost. | Invoices from host, photographer, ad accounts |
| Courses that improve tattooing | Usually yes | Skill in the current trade. Retraining as something else is not. | Course invoice |
| Phone and broadband (business share) | Sometimes | Claim the work percentage. 100% only if it is a work-only line. | Bills plus a note of the split |
| Home studio heat and power | Sometimes | Flat rate or a fair share of bills if you tattoo at home. | Hours log or room calculation |
| Black T-shirts and street clothes | No | Everyday clothing, even if you only wear it in the studio. | n/a |
| Your own tattoos | No | Personal, even if done at a convention you also worked. | n/a |
Open a printable checklist for this trade.
What you cannot claim
- Ordinary clothes, shoes and watches, even if they are “your studio look”.
- Client drinks, takeaways you buy to be nice, and nights out. UK law blocks client entertaining.
- Fines, parking tickets, late-filing penalties.
- Travel from home to the studio you work in most days.
- The cost of tattoos you collect on yourself.
Trade-specific traps
- Reporting turnover after chair rent instead of before it. Rent is an expense, not a reduction of sales.
- Leaving cash and tips off the return because “it was cash”.
- Claiming a whole Netflix or Spotify bill as “flash reference” without a honest business share.
- Treating every Uber to the shop as mileage. That is commuting if it is your regular place of work.
- No record of guest-spot cash-in-hand arrangements. Write down the dates and amounts the same week.
Records that actually help in this trade
A weekly takings total (card, cash, deposits kept) plus a folder of supplier PDFs is enough for most chair renters. If the studio pays you a share, keep the statements. If you pay the studio, keep those too. Photograph cash receipts the day they happen. Mileage for guest spots: date, from, to, reason, miles. HMRC does not need a special app. They need a log you did not invent in January.
Mileage, if you use simplified expenses in 2026/27, is 55p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles, then 25p. That replaced 45p from 6 April 2026. Ordinary commuting is still not claimable. See the mileage guide and home office costs.
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Common questions
Can I claim a whole Spotify or Netflix bill?
Only the business share, and only if you genuinely use it for reference in the trade. A full personal subscription is a stretch.
Is an iPad for flash claimable?
The business proportion is, if you actually use it for stencils, bookings or the portfolio. Keep a note of the split.