UK tax and money guides
Plain-English guides to UK tax, pay and money rules, from how much tax to set aside when you are self-employed to student loans, Child Benefit, Tax-Free Childcare, holiday entitlement, sick pay, maternity and paternity pay and redundancy pay. Each guide links to a free calculator so you can work out your own figures, and most link to the GOV.UK pages they are based on. For hillwalkers, there is also a free Munro bagging tracker.
Self-employed, side hustles and landlords
- How much tax to set asideHow Income Tax and Class 4 NI add up, payments on account with a first-year example, and the key deadlines.
- £1,000 trading allowance guideFull and partial relief, allowance vs expenses, and when you need Self Assessment.
- Mileage & expenses guideHMRC mileage rates, what the flat rate covers, working-from-home flat rates and common allowable costs.
- Landlord rental income tax guideProperty allowance vs expenses, allowable costs, the 20% mortgage interest credit and Making Tax Digital dates.
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax checkerDo you need MTD for Income Tax, and from when? Over £50,000 from April 2026, £30,000 from 2027 and £20,000 from 2028.
- Late paying clients guideWhen an invoice is legally late, statutory interest, fixed compensation and how to chase politely.
Tax and pay
- The £100,000 tax trap guideAdjusted net income, the effective 60% rate between £100,000 and £125,140, the childcare cliff and how pension payments help.
- Child Benefit charge guideWhat counts as adjusted net income, the £60,000 to £80,000 taper with examples, and whether to opt out.
- Plan 2 vs Plan 5 student loansWho is on which plan, the £29,385 and £25,000 thresholds, interest and the 30 vs 40-year write-off.
- Holiday entitlement guide5.6 weeks and the 28-day cap, bank holidays, part-time and compressed hours, 12.07% for irregular hours, carry-over and holiday pay.
- Statutory Sick Pay guideSSP from April 2026: £123.25 or 80% of earnings from day one, who qualifies, daily rates, linked spells, fit notes and SSP1.
- Maternity & paternity pay guideSMP, Maternity Allowance and SPP for 2026-27: 90% then £194.32, the qualifying week, day-one paternity leave and worked examples.
- Redundancy pay guideWho qualifies, age bands and the £751 cap (£783 NI), notice and holiday pay, tax over £30,000, deadlines and the Redundancy Payments Service.
Household and family
- Tax-Free Childcare guideThe £2-for-every-£8 top-up, the £500 every 3 months limit, earnings and £100,000 rules, with worked examples.
- Household bills & budget guideHow to list mixed-frequency bills, convert them to monthly, and stay ahead of renewals.
- Christmas budget calculatorGift budgets per person, food, cards and postage, travel and decorations, and how much to save each week or month before Christmas.
Outdoors and hobbies
Reference
Want it all in a spreadsheet?
Straight Sums makes simple Excel and Google Sheets templates for UK side hustles, the self-employed and household budgets.
More free tools: Tax & Pay · Self-Employed · Household · Shop