UK Money & Accountancy Guides
Jargon-free explainers on tax, business and everyday money, written for the UK. Every guide ties back to a calculator so you can put the numbers into practice.
Tax guides
Income tax, National Insurance, PAYE and Self Assessment — the basics and the traps.
How UK Income Tax works
The tax-free allowance, rate bands and how PAYE takes tax from your pay.
Read the guide TaxUnderstanding tax bands
Basic, higher and additional rate explained with worked examples.
Read the guide TaxWhat is National Insurance?
Why NI is separate from Income Tax and what it pays for.
Read the guide TaxHow tax codes work
Decode 1257L, BR, K codes and what to do if yours looks wrong.
Read the guide TaxPAYE explained
How pay as you earn collects Income Tax and NI from your salary.
Read the guide TaxSelf-employed tax explained
Income tax and Class 4 NI on your profits, simply explained.
Read the guide TaxAllowable business expenses
What you can deduct when working out your taxable profit.
Read the guide TaxTax deadlines
Self-assessment key dates, penalties and what happens if you miss them.
Read the guide TaxTax refunds
How overpaid tax happens and how to claim it back.
Read the guide TaxDividend tax explained
How dividend tax works — the allowance, rates and who has to pay it.
Read the guide TaxHow to read a payslip
Every line on your pay slip decoded — payments, deductions, year-to-date, and why a bonus month looks different.
Read the guide TaxUK tax rates and allowances 2026/27
Every UK tax rate and allowance for the 2026/27 tax year in one place — income tax, National Insurance, VAT, dividends, corporation tax, student loans and more.
Read the guide TaxCapital Gains Tax explained
How Capital Gains Tax works — the £3,000 allowance, the 18% and 24% rates, and when you pay it.
Read the guide TaxInheritance Tax explained
How Inheritance Tax works — the £325,000 nil-rate band, the residence nil-rate band, and the 40% or 36% rate.
Read the guide TaxHigh Income Child Benefit Charge explained
How the High Income Child Benefit Charge works — the £60,000 threshold, the 1% clawback and what you repay.
Read the guide TaxSavings interest tax explained
The Personal Savings Allowance and tax on savings interest — £1,000 for basic-rate, £500 for higher-rate, and what happens above.
Read the guide TaxPension tax relief explained
How pension tax relief works — 20% added at source, extra relief for higher and additional-rate taxpayers, and the annual allowance.
Read the guideBusiness guides
Self-employment, VAT, bookkeeping, invoicing and cash flow for UK businesses.
How to become self-employed
Registering with HMRC, tax returns and what you need to do first.
Read the guide BusinessSole trader vs limited company
The pros, cons and tax differences of each trading structure.
Read the guide BusinessHow VAT works
When to register, what to charge and how to reclaim VAT.
Read the guide BusinessHow to calculate profit
Revenue minus costs — and the difference between gross and net profit.
Read the guide BusinessBusiness expenses explained
Which costs count and how to keep simple expense records.
Read the guide BusinessBusiness bookkeeping basics
A no-nonsense system for tracking income and expenses.
Read the guide BusinessHow invoices work
What every UK invoice must include and how to get paid on time.
Read the guide BusinessCash flow explained
Why profit is not cash, and how to keep your business solvent.
Read the guide BusinessCorporation tax explained
The 2026/27 corporation tax rates — and how marginal relief works for small profits.
Read the guide BusinessPayroll and employer costs
The true cost of hiring — employer National Insurance, pensions and the levy.
Read the guide BusinessMileage allowances explained
The HMRC mileage rates — 55p per mile for cars and vans in 2026/27, plus motorcycles, bicycles and passenger claims.
Read the guidePersonal Finance guides
Budgets, savings, credit, debt and mortgages — money habits that pay off.
How to create a budget
How to create a simple 50/30/20 budget that splits your after-tax income into needs, wants and savings — and actually stick to it.
Read the guide Personal FinanceHow much should I save?
A realistic savings target for your income and goals.
Read the guide Personal FinanceBuilding an emergency fund
Three to six months of costs — and how to get there.
Read the guide Personal FinanceCost of living payments explained
What the UK government's Cost of Living Payments were, who qualified, and what help is available now.
Read the guide Personal FinanceHow compound interest works
The eighth wonder of the world, with real numbers.
Read the guide Personal FinanceUnderstanding mortgages
Terms, rates, fees and the questions every buyer should ask.
Read the guide Personal FinanceUnderstanding credit
Credit scores, reports and how to use credit well in the UK.
Read the guide Personal FinanceReducing debt
Snowball vs avalanche — a plan to pay down borrowing faster.
Read the guide Personal FinanceBuy-to-let explained
How buy-to-let returns work — yields, costs, stamp duty and tax.
Read the guide Personal FinanceWhat is an ISA?
Tax-free savings and investing — how the ISA allowance works.
Read the guide Personal FinanceInflation and your money
How inflation erodes savings — and the real return you're actually earning.
Read the guide Personal FinanceMortgage overpayments
How overpaying your mortgage cuts the term and the interest you pay.
Read the guide Personal FinanceStudent loans explained
How student loan repayments work — thresholds, plans and who actually pays.
Read the guide