Tax rates and guides
The current UK tax rates, and plain-English explanations of what comes out of your pay.
35 guides, checked against official sources
- Income tax Autumn Budget 2026: what it means for your money What the Autumn Budget 2026 changes for your pay, savings, ISAs, pension, property and bills, and when, in plain English, with examples. Read the guide
- Pay & benefits UK tax codes explained What your tax code means, in plain English. From 1257L to BR, K codes and emergency codes, how it changes your take-home pay, and what to do if it's wrong. Read the guide
- Income tax Self Assessment and payments on account explained Self Assessment deadlines, how payments on account work, why your first bill can be one and a half years' tax, the penalties, and how to pay less. Read the guide
- Income tax Marriage Allowance: worth up to £252 a year How Marriage Allowance works in 2026/27, who can claim it, how much it saves, how to backdate it four years, and how it changes your tax codes. Read the guide
- Pay & benefits How to read your payslip What everything on a UK payslip means, from your tax code and NI letter to tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan deductions, with a worked example. Read the guide
- Pay & benefits National Insurance explained What National Insurance is, how much comes off your pay in 2026/27, the rates for employees and the self-employed, and how it builds your State Pension. Read the guide
- Loans & credit Student loan repayments explained How student loan repayments work in the UK, which plan you're on, how much comes off your pay on each plan in 2026/27, and whether to pay it off early. Read the guide
- Loans & credit How to build a credit history from scratch in the UK New to credit or to the UK? How to build your credit file: the electoral roll, credit-builder cards, rent reporting and how long things stay on your file. Read the guide
- Buying a home Stamp Duty for first-time buyers How Stamp Duty relief for first-time buyers works in England and Northern Ireland, who qualifies, what you'll pay at each price, and Scotland and Wales. Read the guide
- Income tax The High Income Child Benefit Charge explained How the High Income Child Benefit Charge works between £60,000 and £80,000 in 2026/27, what it costs, why you should still claim, and how to reduce it. Read the guide
- Income tax The 60% tax trap between £100,000 and £125,140 Why earning between £100,000 and £125,140 means a 60% tax rate, what it costs you, and how pension salary sacrifice and Gift Aid get you out of it. Read the guide
- Pay & benefits How to compare two job offers in the UK How to compare UK job offers properly, from take-home pay after tax and NI to employer pension contributions, bonuses, benefits, holiday and the 60% tax trap. Read the guide
- Retirement & saving How much should I save into my pension? How much to save into a pension in the UK, why starting early matters, a simple target, the State Pension, and why auto-enrolment minimums may fall short. Read the guide
- Money basics Banking basics in the UK: current accounts, savings and FSCS How current accounts and savings accounts work in the UK, what to look for, how the FSCS protects your money and how to avoid overdraft costs, in plain English. Read the guide
- Buying a home First-time buyer guide: deposit, Lifetime ISA and mortgage Buying your first home in the UK, step by step: the deposit you need, how the Lifetime ISA helps, how much you can borrow and what it all costs. Read the guide
- Income tax Side hustle tax: the £1,000 allowance and Self Assessment Side hustle tax in the UK: the £1,000 trading allowance (£3,000 from April 2027), what counts as trading, Self Assessment and platform reporting. Read the guide
- Retirement & saving The State Pension explained: how much you’ll get and when How much the new State Pension pays in 2026/27 and 2027/28, how National Insurance years build it, when you can claim it, and how to check and fill gaps. Read the guide
- Investing Where to invest: ISA, pension or Lifetime ISA? Which accounts to invest in first in the UK: workplace pension, Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, SIPP or general account, with 2026/27 limits and tax. Read the guide
- Pay & benefits Benefit and State Pension payment dates: Christmas 2026 and 2027 bank holidays When State Pension, Universal Credit and other benefits are paid over Christmas and New Year 2026, and on the 2027 bank holidays. Read the guide
- Pay & benefits Benefits and help with costs you might be missing Universal Credit, Child Benefit, Tax-Free Childcare and more: the UK help working people and families can get, and how to check what you qualify for. Read the guide
- Loans & credit Buy now, pay later in the UK: costs, credit and the rules How buy now, pay later works in the UK, what a missed payment costs, how it affects your credit file, and the FCA rules that protect you from 15 July 2026. Read the guide
- Loans & credit UK credit scores: what affects yours and how to raise it How credit scores work in the UK, the three credit reference agencies, what lenders look at, how to check your score free and the quickest ways to improve it. Read the guide
- Loans & credit Help with debt in the UK: free advice and formal options Free, confidential debt help in the UK, which debts to pay first, talking to lenders, and the formal options from Breathing Space to a Debt Relief Order. Read the guide
- Money basics Emergency fund in the UK: how much and where to keep it Why an emergency fund comes first, how to work out yours, where to keep it in the UK (easy-access savings, Cash ISAs, Premium Bonds) and how to build it. Read the guide
- Money basics How to make a budget in the UK (the 50/30/20 rule) A simple way to budget in the UK: start from your take-home pay, see where it goes, use the 50/30/20 rule, plan for yearly bills and automate it. Read the guide
- Loans & credit How to pay off debt in the UK: avalanche or snowball? How to pay off several debts in the UK: the avalanche and snowball methods, which saves more, and how to pay less interest, with a worked example. Read the guide
- Money basics How to spot and report money scams in the UK The warning signs almost every scam shares, the most common UK scams, how to protect your accounts, how bank refunds for scams work, and who to tell. Read the guide
- Investing Index funds vs picking stocks in the UK: why go passive What an index fund is, why most fund managers fail to beat one, what fees cost you over time, and how to start in a Stocks and Shares ISA or pension. Read the guide
- Money basics Inflation and interest rates in the UK, explained What inflation is, why the Bank of England raises and cuts Bank Rate, and what both mean for your savings, debts and mortgage. With an interactive example. Read the guide
- Money basics Insurance basics in the UK: what you need and what to skip Which insurance matters most in the UK: protecting your income beyond Statutory Sick Pay, life insurance, home and car cover, and what you can skip. Read the guide
- Investing Investing basics: ISAs, pensions and index funds How shares, bonds and index funds work, which UK accounts to use first (workplace pension, Lifetime ISA, Stocks and Shares ISA) and how to start small. Read the guide
- Money myths Myth: checking your credit score lowers it (UK) Checking your own credit file or score never affects it. Soft and hard searches in the UK, what lenders can see, and what applying for credit really costs. Read the guide
- Money myths Myth: a pay rise into a higher tax band cuts your pay (UK) A higher tax band only taxes the extra income at the higher rate. Why a pay rise doesn’t cut your take-home pay, with a worked example and the real traps. Read the guide
- Money myths Myth: renting is throwing money away (UK) Owners pay a lot they never get back too: mortgage interest, repairs, service charges and Stamp Duty. How to compare renting and buying fairly in the UK. Read the guide
- Retirement & saving Workplace pensions and auto-enrolment explained How workplace pensions work in the UK: who is enrolled, what you and your employer pay in, how tax relief and salary sacrifice work, and the cost of opting out. Read the guide
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