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Online courses
Online courses let you package what you know into lessons and sell them through a course platform or marketplace. Results vary: one creator reported £18,200 revenue in a first year after launching to an email list of 12,000, but this is one example, not a typical outcome <a href="https://www.lilachbullock.com/online-course-passive-income/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lilach Bullock</a>.
Open the interactive guide (checklist, video, read-aloud) →In plain words
- Choose one useful thing you can teach.
- Ask learners what they need help with.
- Make a short sample lesson first.
- Choose a course platform and check its costs.
- Share your course with people who may need it.
- Keep records and check tax rules where you live.
Who it suits
People with useful knowledge or a practical skill who enjoy explaining it clearly, and are willing to test demand and promote their course.
People pay for clear help with a problem they want to solve or a skill they want to learn. A well-planned course lets learners study at a time and pace that suits them, but sales are not guaranteed.
Step by step
- Choose one problem your course can help solve. Name the learner and the practical result they want. Keep the idea narrow enough to explain in a short course; for example, focus on one task rather than a whole subject. About 30-60 minutes.
- Ask potential learners what they need. Ask what they find difficult, what they have already tried and what they wish someone would explain. You can ask by email or a short written form if calls are difficult. About 1-3 days.
- Test interest before making the full course. Share a short outline or sample lesson with people who might learn from you. Ask what is clear, what is missing and whether the topic feels useful; treat feedback as information, not a promise of sales. About 1-2 days.
- Plan a course with a clear path. Write a beginning, middle and end, then give each lesson one practical idea or task. Put lessons in the order a learner would need them and remove topics that do not support the main outcome. About 半 day-2 days.
- Make and check one sample lesson. Record or create one short lesson using the format you expect to use for the rest. Check that the sound, picture and explanation are easy to follow, and make captions or a transcript where useful. About 2-4 hours.
- Compare platforms before signing up. Compare monthly costs, transaction fees, payment options and tax support, then check the current terms before committing. Teachable lists Starter at $29/month on annual billing with a 7.5% transaction fee and Builder at $69/month on annual billing with no platform fee; Thinkific Basic is listed at $40/month, with no transaction fee using Thinkific Payments and a 5% fee using third-party processors Teachable. Teachable says its Payments gateway handles VAT/GST in 45+ countries for transactions processed through that gateway Teachable. About 2-4 hours.
- Write a clear page for your course. Explain who the course is for, what it covers and what learners will need. Use plain language, specific outcomes and a sample lesson so people can decide whether it suits them. About 2-4 hours.
- Plan learner contact, updates and refunds. Choose how learners can contact you and when you will reply. Decide how you will share updates and check the platform's current refund settings and terms before publishing. About 1-2 hours.
- Share the course and improve it from feedback. Promote it in places where likely learners already spend time, using clear and honest descriptions. Ask early learners what helped or confused them, then improve the lessons and course page in manageable rounds. About Ongoing; start with 30 minutes.
Your first 15 minutes
Write a one-page outline for a course that solves one specific problem, then ask a few likely learners which part they would most want help with.
The money
Estimate the time needed to plan, make, update and support the course, then compare your price with similar courses and the value learners get. Include platform and payment fees in your costs, and check current platform terms before choosing; a low price does not guarantee sales.
Example only, not a forecast: UK month: 4 learners × £25 = £100 income; minus £10 estimated platform and payment costs = £90 before tax. Ireland month: 4 learners × €25 = €100 income; minus €10 estimated platform and payment costs = €90 before tax. Actual costs and sales will vary.
The rules
Creating and selling an online course is generally lawful in the UK and Ireland. Check the tax, VAT, consumer and data-protection rules that apply to your sales. If you teach a regulated subject, check with its regulator about any extra requirements.
UK and Northern Ireland
- Income tax. The first £1,000 a year of trading income is covered by the trading allowance. Above that, tell HMRC. The £1,000 is gross income before expenses GOV.UK Tax Help for Hustles. If you need to register for Self Assessment, do so by 5 October after the end of the relevant tax year GOV.UK.
- VAT. You must register for VAT if your taxable turnover exceeds £90,000 Business.gov.uk. Check with HMRC how the rules apply to your course sales and your customers’ locations.
- Data protection. Use the ICO self-assessment tool to check whether you need to pay a data-protection fee. The ICO's wholesale and retail page does not set one general rule for every sole trader ICO. It says that keeping customer details only for your own accounts and transaction records is likely to be exempt. The ICO's finance and insurance page says that taking card payments or advertising only your own products or services on a website does not, by itself, mean you need to pay a fee. Other ways you use personal data may change the answer ICO. The wholesale and retail page lists advertising or marketing another person's business, goods or services as an example where you need to pay a fee. If you do affiliate promotion, use the self-assessment tool to check how the guidance applies to you ICO.
- Advertising. Clearly label advertising and affiliate posts. For example, use 'Ad' ASA.
- Other checks. Check with Trading Standards about consumer requirements for course sales. Check the platform's current terms, including its account age rules. There's no general course-teaching licence or vetting rule. If your subject is regulated, check with the relevant regulator. Consider suitable insurance.
Ireland
- Income tax. If you are a PAYE worker, register for self-assessment using Form 11 if your taxable non-PAYE income is over €5,000 or your gross non-PAYE income is over €30,000. Below those limits, declare it on Form 12 through myAccount Revenue. If you are self-employed, you pay income tax, PRSI (Class S) and USC under self-assessment. Preliminary tax is due by 31 October Citizens Information.
- VAT. The stated VAT registration threshold for services is €42,500 Revenue. Check with Revenue how the rules apply to your course sales, especially if you sell to customers outside Ireland.
- Advertising. Label commercial content, such as an advert or affiliate promotion, with #Ad. If in doubt, label it CCPC.
- Consumer and data. Check with the CCPC about consumer requirements for selling a course. Check with the Data Protection Commission about handling learner details. Check the platform's current terms, including its account age rules.
- Other checks. There's no general course-teaching licence or vetting rule. If your subject is regulated, check with the relevant regulator. Consider suitable insurance.
Checked against official sources: 22 October 2026. Not yet reviewed by a qualified tax or legal adviser. General guidance, not legal advice. Check the official link beside each point before you start.
Common mistakes
- Recording the whole course before checking whether learners want it.
- Choosing a broad topic with no clear learner or practical outcome.
- Underestimating platform fees, updates and learner support time.
- Assuming a platform handles every tax or VAT responsibility.
- Making promotion or lesson updates without a manageable schedule.
AI-made demonstration: this module has a 20-second street-chat video in the interactive guide. The presenter and the people in it are computer-generated, not real people.