Accounting and invoicing for live shopping hosts
You sell in a livestream: present products, answer questions, host sales rounds. Your money comes as a fixed fee, as commission or a mix, plus products as payment in kind. Saldiqo writes the invoices to brands, matches commissions and lets you record products as payment in kind.
What comes up for live shopping hosts
Fixed fee plus commission
Brands often pay a base fee and a commission on the show’s sales. Both parts belong in the billing.
Products before and after the show
Samples for preparation, gifts for the community, sometimes part of the pay in goods.
Dates at short notice
A show is often booked at short notice and billed at once. Invoices should go out quickly.
How Saldiqo helps
- Invoice with fee and commissionFee and commission as separate lines, with period and shows.
- Record productsState product and value in the invoice, and for a pure exchange mark it paid with the payment method other.
- Match commissionsUpload the bank statement, and Saldiqo shows which payment fits which show.
- Capture expensesRecord travel, studio and props as expenses.
Typical invoice lines
Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.
- Live shopping hosting, 2 hours
- Commission on show sales as per statement
- Preparation and product test
- Payment in kind: products worth 90
- Travel to the studio as per receipt
- Cancellation fee when the show is called off
Tax and invoicing in the UK
What applies to invoices in the UK, in short. As of October 2026.
- VAT
- Standard rate 20 %, reduced rate 5 % and zero rate 0 %. Saldiqo calculates each invoice line with the rate you pick.
- VAT registration
- You must register once your taxable turnover passes £90,000 over any 12 months, or you expect to pass it within the next 30 days. You can deregister below £88,000. Until you are registered, your invoices show no VAT, and Saldiqo adds up your 12-month turnover for you.
- What goes on an invoice
- If you are VAT registered: your VAT number, the tax point, unit prices and the VAT total in pounds. A limited company shows its registered name on every invoice, and its company number, registered office and part of the UK on letters, order forms and the website.
- E-invoicing
- There is no mandate today. From April 2029 e-invoicing is planned for all B2B and B2G sales that carry VAT, through Peppol. The exact date and standard are not yet in law, and the government’s roadmap follows with the Budget on 28 October 2026.
- VAT returns
- VAT returns go to HMRC through Making Tax Digital, usually quarterly, due one month and seven days after the period. Saldiqo shows sales and VAT per rate and exports CSV. It does not submit to HMRC, and for Making Tax Digital you need software recognised by HMRC.
- Record keeping
- Keep VAT records for 6 years.
- Late payment
- Statutory interest on late business payments is the Bank Rate (3.75 % in the second half of 2026) plus 8 points, so 11.75 %. On top comes fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100, depending on the amount owed (under £1,000, from £1,000, from £10,000). Consumers have no statutory interest.
- Getting paid
- Your sort code and account number are on every invoice. Customers pay by Faster Payments or Bacs, and banks check the account name with Confirmation of Payee. There is no QR standard in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
How do I bill a fee with commission?
You create fee and commission as separate lines. You enter the commission with the amount from the statement.
How do I handle products as payment in kind?
You name product and value in the invoice. How you treat them for tax you clear with your tax adviser.
Do live shopping hosts in the UK have to charge VAT?
Only once they are VAT registered. Registration is required when taxable turnover passes £90,000 over any 12 months, or is expected to within the next 30 days. Below that you may register voluntarily. If you are not registered, you must not show VAT on your invoices.
Do live shopping hosts in the UK need e-invoicing?
Not today. A mandate for B2B and B2G sales with VAT is planned from April 2029, and the details were still open as of October 2026. You can keep sending PDF invoices for now.
How long should live shopping hosts keep invoices?
Keep VAT records for 6 years. You can store receipts digitally in Saldiqo. The legal duty to keep records stays with you.
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As of October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice, without guarantee. For your case ask your tax adviser.