After years of soaring fuel costs, parking charges, insurance hikes and enough motorway miles to qualify for their own West End tour, performers and freelancers have finally been handed… an extra 10p a mile.
Stop the orchestra. Raise the curtain. Alert Joseph and his technicolour dreamcoat.
Our dreams are coming true!
Because from April 2026, HMRC’s Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are increasing from 45p to 55p per mile for the first 10,000 miles.
Yes. Really.
You can almost hear the triumphant finale music already.
But before everybody starts tap dancing through the streets clutching petrol receipts like golden tickets, there’s something important buried in the detail that many performers, teachers and freelancers may miss.
And it could actually be where the real value sits.
Here’s the bit I spotted that could be BIG for folk like you…
If you’re self-employed and working for organisations like music services, councils, colleges or similar institutions, there’s a good chance you’re only being reimbursed a much lower mileage rate already.
Some pay as little as 30p per mile.
Boo! Hiss!
Previously, many people could claim tax relief on the difference between that and the old 45p HMRC rate.
Now?
That gap potentially increases to 25p per mile.
Which means performers and music teachers travelling all over the place for rehearsals, lessons, workshops and gigs could now be entitled to claim even more mileage relief through their tax return or PAYE expenses claim.
Yay!
That’s the bit nobody seems to be shouting about.
And yes, this can apply even where somebody is employed, if the employer reimburses some mileage but not the full HMRC-approved amount.
So while the headlines are all:
“HMRC raises mileage rates!”
…the more useful question is:
“Are you actually claiming the difference properly?”
Because many people don’t.
Especially in the performing arts world where:
* people work across multiple venues
* teaching contracts are patchy
* travel is constant
* and nobody really explains this stuff clearly.
There’s also a wonderfully HMRC-ish subplot hidden in the announcement too.
The new rates are being backdated to April.
Some employers may need to rerun payroll.
The updated claim forms aren’t even ready yet.
Which feels a bit like announcing opening night before the set’s been built.
Business as usual at HMRC Towers.
Still, for once, there is something here performers should pay attention to.
Particularly if you:
* teach in multiple locations
* travel regularly for rehearsals or performances
* receive lower mileage reimbursement from an employer or organisation
* or have simply assumed “that’s just what they pay.”
Because there may now be a bigger claim available than you realise.
And unlike a standing ovation, this one might actually pay towards your petrol.
Fuel for growth? Every little helps!
Louise
