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As a self-employed exotic dancer, the tax deductions that you can claim may vary. In 2019, there was a case that scrutinised the expenses claimed by a woman, Gemma Daniels, who worked as an exotic dancer. It was called Daniels vs. HMRC.
When you’re self-employed, you are in charge of declaring your income to HMRC and paying your own taxes. You do this via a tax return.
Key dates in the current 2025/26 tax year 👇
| Deadline | Date | Year |
| Tax year starts | 6th April | 2025 |
| Tax year ends | 5th April | 2026 |
| Register for self assessment | 5th October | 2026 |
| Pay tax bill by PAYE salary | 30th December | 2026 |
| Self assessment deadline | 31st January | 2027 |
When it comes to your expenses, you should be as organised as you can. You should keep track of all of your income and business expenses monthly, per tax year. This is because you’re allowed to deduct your business expenses from your overall income. This means that you only pay tax on your profits, not your overall earnings.
During the Daniels vs. HMRC case, Gemma Daniels argued that her expenses were wholly and exclusively for business purposes.
These included:
HMRC found that whilst her travel to work could not be claimed back, all other expenses were valid because she did not use any of the items outside her exotic dancing job.
As you can see with the above case, as long as your expenses are exclusively and wholly made for your business, you can claim them back on your tax return. Here are some more examples of what you can expense:
Check out our Mileage Allowance calculator. Use it to work out what you can claim per tax year by vehicle.
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