Money guides
24 plain-English explainers on the rules behind your payslip, your mortgage and your savings — each one linked to the calculator that does the maths.
Income & tax
High Income Child Benefit Charge: The £60,000–£80,000 Taper Explained
Who pays the High Income Child Benefit Charge, how much is clawed back between £60,000 and £80,000, and how pension contributions can keep your Child Benefit.
Read guide →How Is a Bonus Taxed in the UK? Why Your Bonus Month Looks Over-Taxed
How Income Tax, National Insurance and student loans apply to a bonus, why your bonus payslip looks heavily taxed, and how to keep more of it with pension sacrifice.
Read guide →How National Insurance Works in 2026/27 (and Why It's Per Pay Period)
Employee and employer NI rates and thresholds for 2026/27, why NI is calculated each payday rather than yearly, NI categories, and what it pays for.
Read guide →How to Read Your Payslip: Every Line Explained
A line-by-line guide to a UK payslip: gross pay, tax code, Income Tax, National Insurance, student loan, pension, year-to-date figures and what to check each month.
Read guide →Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: Who It Affects and When (2026–2028)
The Making Tax Digital for Income Tax start dates and thresholds (£50,000, £30,000, £20,000), what qualifying income means, quarterly updates and how to prepare.
Read guide →Payments on Account: How Self Assessment Advance Payments Work
What payments on account are, who makes them, the 31 January and 31 July deadlines, the first-year double payment and how to reduce them.
Read guide →Salary Sacrifice Explained: Pensions, EVs and the 2029 NI Cap
How salary sacrifice saves Income Tax and National Insurance, what it costs you in take-home pay, the schemes available and the £2,000 NI cap coming in April 2029.
Read guide →Scottish vs English Income Tax 2026/27: Who Pays More?
Scotland's six income tax bands compared with the rest of the UK for 2026/27 — where Scottish taxpayers pay less, where they pay more, and who counts as Scottish.
Read guide →Student Loan Plans 1, 2, 4, 5 and Postgraduate Compared (2026/27)
Which student loan plan you're on, the 2026/27 repayment thresholds, how much comes out of your pay, interest, write-off dates and whether to overpay.
Read guide →The £100k Tax Trap: Why You Pay 60% Between £100,000 and £125,140
How the Personal Allowance taper creates a 60% (62% with NI) marginal rate, what it costs, and how pension contributions and salary sacrifice get you out of it.
Read guide →UK Tax Codes Explained: What 1257L, BR, K and Emergency Codes Mean
How to read your tax code, what each letter means, why codes change, and how to tell if you're on the wrong one — with the 2026/27 figures.
Read guide →Home buying
Early Repayment Charges (ERCs): How They Work and How to Avoid Them
What mortgage early repayment charges are, typical ERC percentages, the 10% overpayment allowance, porting, and when it's worth paying an ERC to switch.
Read guide →Fixed vs Tracker Mortgage: Which Is Right for You in 2026?
How fixed-rate, tracker, variable and discount mortgages work, the pros and cons of 2, 5 and 10-year fixes, and how to decide with today's rates.
Read guide →How Much Can I Borrow for a Mortgage in 2026? Income Multiples and Affordability
How UK lenders decide how much you can borrow: income multiples, affordability models, stress tests and the factors that increase or reduce your mortgage.
Read guide →Mortgage Stress Tests Explained: How Lenders Check You Could Cope With Higher Rates
What a mortgage stress test is, how UK lenders apply it after the 2022 rule change, typical stress rates, and how to pass one.
Read guide →Remortgage vs Product Transfer: Which Is Better When Your Deal Ends?
The differences between a product transfer and a full remortgage — speed, cost, affordability checks, rates and when each one makes sense.
Read guide →Rent vs Buy in the UK: The Assumptions That Decide the Answer
Why rent-vs-buy comparisons disagree, the assumptions that matter most — house prices, investment returns, time horizon and costs — and how to test them honestly.
Read guide →Second Home and Buy-to-Let Stamp Duty: The 5%, 8% and Welsh Higher Rates
How higher stamp duty rates work for second homes and buy-to-let in England, Scotland and Wales, and when you can reclaim the surcharge.
Read guide →Should I Overpay My Mortgage or Save? A UK Decision Guide
When overpaying your mortgage beats saving or investing, and when it doesn't — with tax, interest rates, emergency funds, pensions and flexibility all compared.
Read guide →Stamp Duty for First-Time Buyers in 2026: England, Scotland and Wales
First-time buyer stamp duty relief in England and NI, Scotland's LBTT relief and why Wales has none — with the £500,000 cliff explained.
Read guide →What Happens When Your Fixed-Rate Mortgage Ends?
What happens to your payments when a fixed rate ends, how much moving to the SVR costs, and a timeline for switching to a new deal without a payment shock.
Read guide →Everyday money
Debt Avalanche vs Snowball: Which Pays Off Debt Faster?
How the avalanche and snowball debt repayment methods work, which costs less interest, which is easier to stick to, and how to build a payoff plan in the UK.
Read guide →ISA Allowance 2026/27 and the £12,000 Cash ISA Limit from April 2027
How much you can save in ISAs in 2026/27, the types of ISA, the £12,000 cash ISA cap for under-65s from April 2027, and ISAs vs the savings allowance.
Read guide →PCP vs HP: Which Car Finance Is Cheaper?
PCP and hire purchase compared: how balloon payments work, total cost, flexibility, mileage limits, ownership and when a personal loan beats both.
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