Spires is now required to collect your tax information
Online platforms are now legally obligated to collect sellers' tax information and report it to tax authorities. This legislation was introduced in 2024 and resulted from agreements made between OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Therefore, it applies to all tutors on Spires, regardless of which country they are based in, because there will be information sharing between the tax authorities of different countries.
What information needs to be uploaded?
In the payments section, scroll down until you find the tax information section between FAQs and Payments:
Everyone - You must enter your full name, address, date of birth and Tax Identification Number, or TIN. For those in the UK, this will be your National Insurance Number. For non-UK residents, it will be the international equivalent, such as a personal tax registration number.
We will also require a document as proof of your TIN.
Businesses - Those registered as businesses will need to provide business details in addition to personal details. This will be their full business name, business address, and business registration number. This will be your Company registration number in the UK, or the international equivalent.
We will also require a document as proof of your business registration details.
Please note that any details given in these sections must match the information on your background check and Stripe account (if applicable). Providing false or incorrect information will result in your account being suspended.
Which documents are acceptable?
All documents need to be in PDF format, legible and clear.
Tax Identification Number:
UK - This can be a photo of your NI card, a recent payslip or P45 or P60, or a letter from HMRC that shows your National Insurance Number.
Other countries - A photo of your tax identification card, or other document that has come from the relevant tax authority and clearly shows your Tax Identification Number.
Business Registration Number:
UK - Your Company Registration Number can be found on your Certificate of Incorporation or any other official documentation received from Companies House.
Other countries - A copy of your business registration documents originating from the issuing body in that country, e.g. for the USA, this should be a state certificate of incorporation, for China, this would be a business licence, etc.
What happens with this information?
We will store it securely and will submit it to HMRC annually on the 31st of January via an automated system. We must also submit your annual earnings on Spires, but only if you have conducted more than 30 classes or earned more than 2000 Euros a year.
If you have any questions, as always, feel free to reach out over the blue button.
Links:
Why was my information rejected?
National Insurance Number (NINO) does not match the document provided.
Please ensure that the document you have uploaded shows your NINO/TIN clearly and visibly in the document.
Official Document missing.
The document you have provided is not suitable proof of your TIN/NINO. Please upload a document that has been issued to you by a company or on a payslip.
Address Mismatch.
The address you have provided in your Tax Details section does not match the address provided on your payout account. Please ensure that these match and up to date across both.
Company Information mismatch.
If you have supplied Company Information, this does not match the company number or document information provided. Please ensure that company numbers, addresses and names of company owners match your account.
The document is password-protected and not accessible.
You have uploaded a document that requires a password to access. Please upload an open PDF for this to be accessible.
Other.
We will provide further details on the issue with your information through the rejection email shared. Should you need further support, please reach out to Support.