Equity, MU and the benefits worth the subscription

I pay my union subs the way I pay for a gym: monthly, guiltily, and mostly for the feeling of being the sort of person who does. So I actually worked out which bits earn the money, because a subscription you never use is just a very slow way of tipping.

The bits that pay for themselves

The one nobody mentions until they need it is the public liability and backstage insurance bundled into membership, which quietly covers you at venues that demand it and would otherwise cost you separately. Legal advice on contracts is the other: one read-through of a dodgy engagement contract before you sign can save you the entire year of subs in a single go. That is the stuff that earns the fee.

The bits you forget exist

Model contracts and rate guidance come free with membership and are worth more than the comedy of reading them, because they tell you what the going rate actually is before you undersell yourself to a promoter counting on you not knowing. There is also hardship and welfare support, which you hope never to need and are very glad exists if you do.

The honest verdict

Is it worth it? For a working performer, mostly yes, but only if you actually use the contract and insurance side rather than just holding the card. My take on the money side of the job is in market commentary, with the sillier version in trading humour. Treat the subscription like any other tool: use it or cancel it.

Written by Joe Rooney. General information for performers, not financial advice; figures current for 2026.…

Averaging relief for performers: the tax rule most don’t claim

Actors, musicians and some other performers can average their profits across two years for tax, and plenty never claim it. In a feast-and-famine career, that one rule can save real money.

What averaging relief does

If your trade is a qualifying creative one, you can average the profits of two consecutive years when they are very different. A big year sitting next to a lean one can push you into higher-rate tax on the good year alone. Averaging smooths the two, so you pay closer to what a steady earner on the same total would, rather than being punished for an uneven career.

Why it gets missed

It is not automatic. You claim it on your return, and the rules on who qualifies are specific, so a lot of performers either do not know it exists or assume their accountant handled it. Check your last two years before you assume it was done, because an unclaimed year can sometimes still be put right, and it is your money sitting with HMRC otherwise.

The qualifying trades and the method are set out in HMRC’s guidance on averaging for creators of literary or artistic works.

Written by Joe Rooney. General tax information, not financial advice; figures current for 2026.…