A touring budget line by line

A tour can gross well and still lose money, because the costs hide in the gaps between the fees. Here is a touring budget laid out line by line, from someone who has got it wrong.

The income is the easy line

Fees or a split of the door, merchandise, maybe a guarantee. That is the top line, and it is the one people quote at the bar. Everything below it is where tours die.

The lines that sink you

Travel and fuel, accommodation, a cut to the agent and the promoter, van hire, equipment, and the days off between gigs when you are still paying to exist and earning nothing. Tax on the profit comes later and surprises anyone who spent the gross. The honest maths is that a run of sold-out nights can still finish in the red once the quiet Tuesdays and the diesel are counted. Budget the whole run, including the dead days, before you commit to it, and keep a float for the night the van breaks down, because it will.

The government’s guidance on working for yourself covers the tax side that touring income falls under.

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