Teachable for UK Course Creators: The Complete 2026 Guide
Teachable for UK course creators is a strong fit. It charges UK and EU VAT automatically through its built-in payment system (teachable:pay), supports GBP payments at checkout, and pays out to UK bank accounts.
Quick answer: When you use Teachable's native gateway, it calculates, collects and remits UK/EU VAT for you. With your own Stripe or PayPal, it still charges the VAT but you remit it — this depends on your gateway, not your plan. Your own VAT registration stays separate and kicks in at the £90,000 threshold.
How Teachable’s Plans and Pricing Work in 2026
Teachable restructured its plans in mid-2025. The old Free / Basic / Pro / Pro+ names no longer exist. The current self-serve plans are Starter, Builder, and Growth, plus a custom Educators/Enterprise tier for high-volume businesses. All prices are quoted in USD.
| Plan | Monthly (billed annually) | Billed monthly | Transaction fee* | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/mo | $39/mo | 7.5% | 5 |
| Builder | $69/mo | $89/mo | 0% | 10 |
| Growth | $139/mo | $189/mo | 0% | 50 |
| Educators / Enterprise | Custom (contact sales) | — | 0% | Flexible |
*The transaction fee is Teachable’s own cut, charged only on the Starter plan when using teachable:pay or the Monthly Payment Gateway. Builder and Growth have 0% Teachable transaction fees. Standard payment-processing fees (below) still apply on every plan.
Approximate GBP cost (at ~£0.79/$1 — rates move, so treat these as a guide, not a quote):
Because billing is in USD, your real monthly cost in GBP will drift up and down with the GBP/USD rate. Paying with a low-fee multi-currency card (Wise, Revolut, Monzo, Starling) typically saves you 1–3% versus a high-street bank card that adds a foreign-exchange markup. Annual billing also saves roughly 22% versus paying monthly.
Payment Processing for UK Creators
Payment-processing fees (teachable:pay)
When you use Teachable’s native payment system, teachable:pay, these processing fees apply on top of your plan:
| Transaction type | Fee |
|---|---|
| U.S. card sales | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| International card sales | 3.9% + $0.30 |
| U.S. PayPal sales | 3.49% + $0.49 |
| International PayPal sales | 4.99% + $0.49 |
| Chargeback | $15 |
Note: Teachable lists processing fees as “U.S.” vs. “international,” as it’s a US company. UK creators should confirm with Teachable Support which rate applies to their UK and UK-card transactions before relying on a specific figure.
If you’d rather use your own Stripe or PayPal account (a “custom gateway”), you pay their rates instead — Stripe UK is currently around 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards and roughly 1.9% + 20p for premium/commercial cards, with higher rates for non-UK cards. The trade-off is important and explained in the VAT section below.
Can UK Students Pay in GBP?
Yes. Teachable supports global payments, so UK students can be charged in GBP and pay with Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal. Note that your list price is set in USD, so the GBP amount your student sees is converted at checkout.
Payouts to UK bank accounts
Payout timing depends on the gateway:
VAT on Teachable for UK Course Creators
This is where a lot of online guidance is simply wrong, so read this section carefully. There are two separate VAT questions, and conflating them is the classic mistake.
Question 1 — Does Teachable charge VAT on my sales? (Yes, on EU/UK consumer sales)
If you sell to consumers in the UK or EU, Teachable automatically calculates and adds VAT at the buyer’s local rate (20% for the UK) and shows it as a separate line item at checkout — regardless of which payment gateway you use. VAT is based on the buyer’s location, not yours.
What differs is who remits that VAT to the tax authority:
EU/UK-based creators who genuinely qualify for a VAT exemption can disable VAT collection under Settings → Taxes, but only do this on professional advice.
Question 2 — Do I need to register for and charge UK VAT? (Depends on your turnover)
This is about your own business, entirely separate from what Teachable does at checkout.
The nuance: if Teachable is acting as the party that collects and remits VAT on your behalf via the native gateway, the VAT treatment of those specific transactions is handled in that flow — but your registration status, your own reporting, and any sales outside that flow are still your responsibility.
This is exactly the kind of overlap where a UK accountant who understands digital-services VAT pays for themselves.
VAT on your Teachable subscription
Your Teachable subscription is a B2B purchase of digital services from a US company. If you’re UK VAT-registered, you’ll typically account for it under the reverse charge mechanism on your return. Either way, the subscription is a deductible business expense.
Making Tax Digital (MTD)
VAT-registered UK businesses must keep digital records and file through MTD-compatible software (Xero, FreeAgent, QuickBooks). Teachable doesn’t integrate directly with UK accounting software, so the standard workflow is to export your Teachable sales CSV and reconcile it in your accounting tool.
Pricing Your Courses for the UK Market
Setting a clean GBP price
Because list prices are in USD, you have three realistic options:
- Set the USD price so the GBP works out neatly. Want ~£49? Price around $62 and adjust as rates move.
- Use UK-specific coupon codes to fine-tune the GBP your UK students pay. More upkeep, more control.
- Just price in USD. Many UK buyers are comfortable with USD pricing for digital products; their bank handles conversion.
Typical UK course price bands
These are common market ranges (illustrative, not guarantees — they vary hugely by niche and audience):
| Course type | Typical UK range | Rough USD equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Mini / intro course | £19–49 | $24–62 |
| Standard course | £49–149 | $62–189 |
| Premium course | £149–499 | $189–632 |
| High-ticket / cohort | £500–2,000+ | $632–2,530+ |
For anything above ~£100, offering a payment plan (e.g. 3 instalments) generally improves conversion, particularly with UK consumers who are increasingly used to instalment checkout.
UK-Specific Considerations
UK GDPR
As a UK creator you’re a data controller under UK GDPR. Teachable provides the technical security and tools (consent options, data export), but you remain responsible for having a proper privacy policy, telling students how their data is used, handling subject-access requests, and keeping records of processing. Have a professional review your obligations if you’re unsure.
Certificates and CPD
Course-completion certificates are available across Teachable’s current plans. They’re useful for creators offering CPD (Continuing Professional Development) content — but note they are certificates of completion, not formal accreditation. If you want accredited CPD, you’d pursue that through a recognised CPD body separately.
DAC-7 (only if you have an EU establishment)
If you’re resident in or have a permanent establishment in an EU member state, Teachable reports your earnings under DAC-7. A purely UK-based creator with no EU establishment isn’t in scope of DAC-7, though UK reporting rules still apply.
Teachable vs. UK-Relevant Alternatives
| Feature | Teachable | Thinkific | LearnWorlds | WordPress + LMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GBP checkout for students | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (via WooCommerce) |
| Auto VAT collection | Yes (EU/UK, all gateways) | Varies | Varies | Plugin-dependent |
| Auto VAT remittance | Yes, on native gateway | Generally manual | Generally manual | You/plugin |
| Entry price (USD) | ~$29/mo (annual) | ~$36/mo | ~$24/mo | Hosting + plugin costs |
| Course builder | Excellent | Strong | Strong | Varies by plugin |
| Built-in payment system | teachable:pay | Yes | Yes | Self-assembled |
The standout for UK creators is the VAT remittance on the native gateway — most competitors will calculate VAT but leave you to file it. Always check each platform’s current docs, as these policies change.
Practical Tips for UK Creators on Teachable
Frequently asked questions
Can UK students pay in GBP?
Yes. Teachable supports global payments, so UK students can be charged and pay in GBP. Your list price is set in USD and converted at checkout.
Does Teachable handle UK VAT for me?
On EU/UK consumer sales, Teachable always calculates and charges the VAT. It also remits it for you when you use the native gateway (teachable:pay or the Monthly Payment Gateway). On a custom gateway, you remit it yourself. This is determined by your gateway, not your plan.
Do I have to charge VAT on my courses?
Whether you must register and charge UK VAT depends on your turnover. Below £90,000 (rolling 12 months) it’s optional; above it, registration is mandatory and you charge 20% on UK consumer sales.
Which Teachable plan should a UK creator choose?
Starter ($29/mo annual) is the entry point but carries a 7.5% Teachable transaction fee. Builder ($69/mo) removes that fee and suits most growing creators. Growth ($139/mo) adds branding removal, more products, and advanced tools. The native gateway handles VAT remittance on all of them.
Can I issue UK VAT invoices through Teachable?
Teachable issues receipts/invoices to students with VAT shown as a line item where required, but it doesn’t replace your own UK accounting. For your business’s VAT-compliant invoicing and MTD filing, use software like Xero, FreeAgent, or QuickBooks.
Is my course income taxable in the UK?
Yes. It’s trading income, reported via Self Assessment (sole trader) or through your limited company accounts.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
