Section · 4 articles
Income tax
Tax bands, tax codes, HMRC letters and the small allowances that decide whether you need a tax return, explained with the official figures for 2026/27.
Start here
Why more people pay higher-rate tax each year, even when their pay barely moves
The £12,570 allowance and the £50,270 higher-rate threshold are frozen until April 2031. HMRC projects 7.7 million higher-rate taxpayers this year.
Income tax
The HMRC letter that can mean you paid too much tax last year
P800 calculations go out between June and March. A refund claimed online is paid within 5 working days; a shortfall under £3,000 is usually collected through your tax code.
Income tax
When a bit of extra income means a tax return, and when £1,000 keeps you out of one
Up to £1,000 of side income from trading, and £1,000 from property, can be covered by tax-free allowances. Above that, the deadlines matter.
Income tax
Why the first £7,500 from a lodger can be tax-free
Rent a Room relief covers up to £7,500 a year of income from a lodger in your own home, or £3,750 each if the income is shared.
The other sections
3 articles
Savings & investments
Premium Bonds, savings accounts, deposit protection and Capital Gains Tax: how the rules treat the money you put aside, and what is guaranteed and what is not.
3 articles
Household bills
Council Tax, energy, broadband and water: the discounts and cheaper tariffs that exist for the bills every home pays, and who is entitled to them.
2 articles
Family money
Caring for someone, giving to children and grandchildren, and what happens to a home and savings when someone dies.
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