Gross income is treated as spendable income
Personal tax, VAT and company liabilities may remain payable after the related income has already been spent.
Specialist support for active playing careers
Tax and financial control for professional footballers
Your football career may be short. The financial security created from it should last a lifetime. ElanTax helps professional footballers organise salary, bonuses, commercial income, companies, tax payments and financial reporting with greater clarity and control.
Strictly confidential
Independent tax and accountancy support
Works alongside your existing advisers
01Club incomeSalary, bonuses, signing-on payments and employment benefits.
02Commercial incomeSponsorships, endorsements, appearances and digital activity.
03Tax controlForecasts, reserves, payment dates and reporting calendars.
04Career transitionProperty, business interests, international moves and life after football.
Clear information. Defined responsibilities. Better control.Accounting support designed around an active playing career.
Football income is rarely just a salary
Bring every part of your financial position into one clear view.
A professional footballer may receive employment income, performance-related payments, commercial fees, company income, property income and overseas earnings. Each source can create different record-keeping, reporting and payment responsibilities.
ElanTax provides independent accountancy, tax and financial-control support for professional footballers. We organise information, prepare accounts and returns, forecast liabilities and provide clear reporting so that you and your authorised advisers can make decisions using reliable figures.
- One coordinated view of personal, company and commercial income.
- Clear tax estimates before payment deadlines arrive.
- Organised records for sponsorship, appearances and business activity.
- Defined communication with agents, solicitors and regulated advisers.
Why financial control matters
High earnings can still create financial pressure when obligations are not visible.
The objective is not aggressive tax planning. It is timely information, compliant reporting and disciplined control over what is earned, owed, reserved and available.
Records are held by several people
Clubs, agents, sponsors, family members and companies may each hold only part of the financial picture.
Commercial arrangements lack evidence
Proper agreements, valuation, commercial substance, invoices and accurate accounting records are essential.
Transfers create cross-border questions
Residence, overseas income, relocation, family circumstances and departure planning should be reviewed early.
How ElanTax supports professional footballers
Specialist footballer tax, accounting and financial-control services.
The scope is agreed around your actual income, responsibilities and advisory team. Services may be provided individually or as part of a coordinated ongoing engagement.
Personal Tax and Self Assessment
Preparation of personal tax returns, review of income sources, reliefs, payment dates and HMRC correspondence within the agreed engagement.
Salary, Bonuses and Club Payments
Review and reconciliation of employment income information, including relevant bonuses, signing-on payments, benefits and other club-related amounts.
Company Accounts and Tax
Bookkeeping, annual accounts, Corporation Tax, Companies House support and director reporting for genuine business and commercial activity.
Sponsorships and Endorsements
Accounting for sponsorship, appearances, media, social platforms and endorsement income, including invoices, expenses, VAT and tax reserves where relevant.
Commercial income supportImage Rights Accounting
Fact-specific tax and accounting support based on commercial substance, proper agreements, evidence, valuation and compliant reporting—not automatic tax-saving assumptions.
Read about image rightsTax Forecasting and Reserves
Forward estimates, payment calendars and tax-reserve reporting designed to reduce the risk of unexpected liabilities.
Tax payment controlProperty and Business Interests
Accounting and tax support for rental income, property companies, gains, business ventures, loans and guarantees, with legal or regulated advice obtained where required.
Property and investment taxInternational Transfers
UK residence, arrival and departure matters, overseas income and coordination with overseas tax advisers before and after a transfer.
Support for overseas playersCareer Transition
Accounting and business planning for reduced salary, coaching, media work, property, companies and other income after the playing career ends.
Plan for life after sporti
Tax treatment note
Football payments should be classified and reported according to their true nature.
Club salary and many club-related payments are normally employment income. Commercial and image-related arrangements require a fact-specific review supported by proper agreements, evidence and records. ElanTax does not promote artificial schemes or assume that a company automatically creates a tax advantage.
A practical control framework
Know what has been earned, what is owed and what is available.
A regular reporting routine can turn a collection of bank statements, contracts and invoices into an understandable financial position.
| Control area | What ElanTax organises | What you gain |
|---|---|---|
| Income register | Club pay, bonuses, sponsorship, appearances, digital income, companies and property. | A consolidated view of income sources and missing information. |
| Tax forecast | Estimated personal, company and VAT liabilities with expected payment dates. | Greater visibility before funds are committed or spent. |
| Tax reserve | Regular reporting of amounts that should remain available for known obligations. | A clearer distinction between gross income and usable cash. |
| Compliance calendar | Return deadlines, accounts, Companies House, tax payments and information requests. | Fewer last-minute surprises and clearer responsibility. |
| Management reporting | Agreed summaries covering cash, liabilities, company balances and key movements. | Information that may be shared with authorised advisers and family members. |
Commercial decisions should be supported by commercial evidence.Contracts, invoices, records, valuation and tax reporting should align.
Commercial income and international movement
Take advice before contracts, transfers and commercial arrangements are completed.
The timing, parties and wording of an arrangement can affect who must report the income, which records are required and how tax obligations are managed.
- Review the proposed payment route and contracting parties.
- Confirm whether activity is personal, employment-related or genuinely commercial.
- Consider VAT, company, payroll and overseas reporting implications.
- Coordinate UK work with agents, solicitors and overseas advisers.
- Keep signed contracts, invoices, performance evidence and bank records.
Before you commit
Early advice is usually more valuable than correcting an arrangement later.
Speak to ElanTax before signing a commercial agreement, relocating to the UK or completing an international transfer, so the tax and reporting position can be considered at the right time.
Relevant professional sports experience
Professional sport experience with chartered accountancy discipline.
Shakar Elahi FCCA spent five years with Mark McCormack’s IMG and has experience advising professional footballers who played in England. He later founded ElanTax, combining knowledge of the professional sports environment with accountancy, tax, property and business advisory experience.
This factual background does not imply any current association with, endorsement by or sponsorship from IMG.
5 yearsWith Mark McCormack’s IMG
FCCAChartered certified accountancy discipline
UKExperience advising footballers who played in England
IntegratedTax, accounts, business and financial-control perspective
How the engagement works
A confidential process built around your career, income and existing advisers.
Confidential consultation
We discuss your role, income sources, companies, advisers, current concerns and immediate deadlines.
Information review
We identify missing records, tax obligations, company requirements and areas where responsibilities are unclear.
Agreed control plan
We set the reporting timetable, tax-reserve process, information flow and scope of ongoing work.
Ongoing oversight
Accounts, returns, forecasts and reports are updated as income, contracts or career circumstances change.
Part of your professional team
Independent support, coordinated around the professional team you already trust.
With your authority, ElanTax can share clear, relevant tax and accounting information with the professionals already advising you. Each adviser remains responsible for their own specialist role, while you benefit from a better-coordinated financial picture.
Agents
We keep tax, accounts and financial reporting separate from representation, leaving agents free to focus on contracts, transfers and commercial opportunities.
Solicitors
We provide the figures and tax context required alongside legal advice on contracts, rights, companies, property and commercial arrangements.
Regulated advisers
We supply accurate tax and accounting information to support authorised advice on investments, pensions, insurance and wider financial planning.
Family and business managers
Where authorised, we create clear reporting and information flows for family members or business managers involved in the player’s financial affairs.
Clear professional boundaries
ElanTax provides accountancy and tax advisory services. We do not provide regulated investment advice, legal advice, player representation or contract negotiation. Where appropriate, we work alongside agents, solicitors, authorised financial advisers and other professional advisers, with each adviser remaining responsible for their own specialist area.
Continue exploring specialist support
Related Professional Sports Advisory pages.
Frequently asked questions
Professional footballer tax and accounting questions.
These answers are general. Advice should be based on your contracts, residence, income and company arrangements.
When should you speak to ElanTax?
Early advice is particularly useful when a decision may change how income, tax or reporting should be managed.
- Before signing a sponsorship, image-rights or commercial agreement.
- Before an international transfer, UK arrival or overseas departure.
- When salary, company, property and commercial income need one clear reporting structure.
- When planning retirement, business activity or a move into coaching, media or management.
Why does a professional footballer need a specialist accountant?
A player may have employment income, bonuses, benefits, sponsorships, appearances, digital income, companies, property and overseas interests. A specialist accountant can coordinate records and reporting across those areas and provide clearer forecasts.
How are salary, signing-on payments and bonuses treated?
Club salary and many football-related payments are normally treated as employment income. The precise treatment depends on the facts and type of payment, so contracts and payroll information should be reviewed.
Can ElanTax help me reserve enough money for tax?
Yes. ElanTax can prepare forward estimates, payment calendars and regular tax-reserve reports. Forecasts are estimates and should be updated when actual income or circumstances change.
Can a footballer use a company for sponsorship and image-related income?
A company may be relevant where there is genuine commercial activity, but it is not automatically appropriate or tax-efficient. Commercial substance, contracts, valuation, evidence, VAT, accounts and tax reporting should all be considered.
Can ElanTax work with my agent and solicitor?
Yes. With your authority, ElanTax can coordinate accounting and tax information with your agent, solicitor, regulated financial adviser and other professionals while each adviser remains responsible for their own area.
Should I take tax advice before an international transfer?
Yes. Residence, arrival or departure dates, overseas income, commercial arrangements, property and family circumstances may all be relevant. Advice is most useful before relocation and contracts are finalised.
Does ElanTax recommend investments or negotiate contracts?
No. ElanTax provides accountancy, tax, business and financial-control support. We do not provide regulated investment advice, legal advice, player representation or contract negotiation.
Is the first conversation confidential?
Yes. All enquiries are treated in strict confidence. For an initial email or call, provide only a brief outline and do not send detailed banking, medical, tax-document or contract information.
Bring greater clarity to the finances behind your playing career.
Arrange a private conversation about tax, accounts, commercial income, payment control and longer-term planning.
