How the check works
Updated 30 July 2026. Figures checked against the GOV.UK pages linked below.
The free check gives you two answers: whether a platform would normally have reported your selling to HMRC, and whether tax would normally come into it. This page sets out exactly how those answers are produced, what the check deliberately does not do, and how to tell us if we have something wrong.
What the check applies
Every figure the check uses is a published GOV.UK figure. There are only three moving parts.
- The reporting thresholds. Digital platforms have to report a seller to HMRC once that seller passes 30 items or roughly EUR 2,000 of gross sales on that platform in a calendar year, per GOV.UK. The legal threshold is set in euros; we compare your totals against a published sterling conversion of about £1,735, and because that conversion is an estimate, verdicts near the boundary are hedged and point you at your platform report for the exact figure.
- The trading allowance. Trading income of £1,000 gross or less per tax year is normally covered by the trading allowance, per GOV.UK. Above it, registering for Self Assessment would normally be needed, with the deadline from GOV.UK.
- The two calendars. Platform reports cover a calendar year, January to December. Tax runs over the tax year, 6 April to 5 April. The check keeps the two ledgers separate: calendar year totals answer the reporting question, and only dated sales can be placed into a tax year for the allowance question. When a total cannot be carried across, the check says so rather than guessing.
Before any of that arithmetic, the check asks what kind of selling this was, because the tax test is intention: buying or making things in order to sell them is trading, and selling your own possessions generally is not, whatever the item count. If you skip those questions, the check assumes trading activity and tells you it made that assumption.
What it does not do
- No HMRC data access. The check has no connection to HMRC systems and cannot see whether a report about you was actually sent. It works out what would normally happen from the published rules and the numbers you enter.
- No filing. It does not register you for Self Assessment, file anything, or send anything to HMRC on your behalf.
- Not affiliated with HMRC. Am I Reported? is an independent tool. It links to GOV.UK; it is not part of it.
- Not advice. The output is general information based on what you enter. If your situation has layers, an accountant is the right next step.
How the answer is produced
The answer is computed, not composed. Three design rules keep it honest.
- A deterministic engine. Your inputs go through a fixed set of rules that always produces the same verdict for the same numbers. No AI writes or shapes your result, so nothing can be made up.
- Versioned rules. The thresholds live in a versioned rule set, recorded against the date they were last verified against GOV.UK and re-checked on a quarterly cycle. Every check response carries the version it was computed with, so any result can be traced back to the exact figures used.
- Citations on every line. Each sentence of a verdict comes from a reviewed phrase list, and every phrase carries the GOV.UK source it rests on. The same sourced wording appears on the result screen and in these guides.
Not sure where you stand? The free check asks a few questions about your selling and gives you a straight answer: were you reported, would tax normally be due, and what to do next. Every figure links to its GOV.UK source. Nothing is sent to HMRC.
Run the free checkAnonymity and what is stored
The check needs no signup, no email and no name. What we store from an anonymous check is the answers you entered, the verdict, and the rule set version that produced it, kept under a random identifier so that you can attach the result to an account later if you choose to create one. Nothing identifies you unless you do. Standard acquisition data (which link brought you here) may be recorded for reporting. Nothing is ever sent to HMRC.
Corrections
If you think a figure, threshold or source on this site is wrong or out of date, email hello@amireported.co.uk. We check every report against the GOV.UK source, correct anything that fails that check, and update the dated stamp on the affected page.
Quick answers
Does the check look up my data with HMRC?
No. It has no access to HMRC systems and cannot see whether a report about you was actually sent. It applies the published GOV.UK thresholds to the numbers you enter and tells you what would normally happen.
Is the answer generated by AI?
No. The verdict is computed by a deterministic rules engine: the same inputs always produce the same answer, every figure comes from a versioned rule set checked against GOV.UK, and every sentence comes from a reviewed phrase list with its source attached.
Do I need an account to run the check?
No. The free check asks for no signup, email or name. It stores the answers you entered, the verdict and the rule version under a random identifier, so you can attach the result to an account later if you want to.
What if a figure on this site is wrong?
Email hello@amireported.co.uk. Reports are checked against the GOV.UK source, corrections are made where the check fails, and the dated stamp on the affected page is updated.