How-to guides

Got an HMRC Simple Assessment (PA302)? How to check each figure, query it within 60 days, the payment deadline, the X reference and what if you cannot pay.

Step-by-step guide to checking your UK tax code via payslip, P60 or Personal Tax Account - what 1257L, BR, D0, K mean and what to do if it's wrong.

The four cases where SLC owes you a refund, how to ask online or by phone, the evidence to keep, and the Direct Debit switch that stops overpaying.

Moved to or from Scotland or Wales? How HMRC decides your status, how to update your address so your code gets the S or C prefix, and what happens mid-year.

What each line of a P2 tax code notice means, how HMRC turns allowances and deductions into the code number, and how to correct it in Check your Income Tax.

When your main job pays less than the £12,570 Personal Allowance, how to get HMRC to move the unused part to your second job or pension, and what changes.

Install and sign in to the HMRC app, then find your tax code, save your NI number to your wallet, check pay history and claim a refund - as GOV.UK lists it.

There is no overtime tax rate. How to work out tax, NI and student loan on overtime, why one month can look over-taxed, and when PAYE corrects it.

Grandparents and relatives who care for a child under 12 can take the parent's Class 3 NI credit. Who qualifies, form CA9176, when to apply, who must sign.

Overpaid NI across two jobs, paid after State Pension age or paid the wrong class? Which HMRC form or letter to use, what to include and the time limits.

The Child Benefit claimant already has a qualifying year? Move the Class 3 credit to the partner caring for a child under 12 using form CF411A.

Net pay, relief at source or salary sacrifice: read your payslip and pension statement to confirm tax relief reaches your pot, and what to do if it does not.

Overtaxed on your first flexible pension withdrawal? Which of P55, P53Z or P50Z fits your case, how to claim online or by post, and what happens next.

Relief-at-source pensions add only 20%. How higher-rate and Scottish intermediate-rate taxpayers claim the rest via Self Assessment or HMRC's online form.

The State Pension is not paid automatically. How to claim online, by phone or by post, what you need, when you can apply and when the first payment arrives.

Deferring the new State Pension adds 1% for every 9 weeks you wait. How to defer, how to claim later, the breakeven maths and who should not defer.

Opt out of a workplace pension within one month for a refund. How to do it through your provider, what you lose, re-enrolment and opting back in.

Pay more than £60,000 into a pension in 2026/27 without a tax charge by carrying forward unused allowance from the previous three tax years - step by step.

Correct a filed Self Assessment return online, on paper or in software within 12 months of the deadline, then write to HMRC or claim overpayment relief.

Appeal a late filing or late payment penalty within 30 days - online or on form SA370, what counts as a reasonable excuse, the 45-day review and the tribunal.

Business costs from up to 7 years before you start trading count as spent on day one if they would be allowable later. What qualifies and how to claim.

The fields GOV.UK says a sole trader's invoice must show, when a business customer is late, and how to add statutory interest and a fixed recovery fee.

HMRC's bank details, the UTR-plus-K reference, which methods clear same day, the 31 January and 31 July dates, paying via your tax code and what late costs.

Cut your Self Assessment payments on account online or on form SA303 - the reasons HMRC accepts, the 31 January deadline and the interest if you cut too far.

Check you need a return, pick the right HMRC route, register online or by CWF1, SA1 or SA401, then wait for your UTR and activation code - by 5 October.

Set up an HMRC payment plan online or by phone - what the service checks, what HMRC asks about income and spending, interest, penalties and what breaks it.

The exact steps to sign up for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax - what HMRC asks for, who can do it for you, what changes afterwards, and how to opt out.

Tell HMRC online that you stopped trading, file a final return with your ceasing date, then close VAT, PAYE, CIS and MTD, and protect your NI record.

Claim up to £10,500 off employer National Insurance by setting the indicator on your EPS. Who qualifies, backdating, and what to do if you claimed wrongly.

Close a solvent limited company with form DS01: the 3-month eligibility test, what to settle first, who to tell within 7 days, the fee and the £25,000 rule.

Register for PAYE, get your references, pick payroll software, send an FPS by payday and pay HMRC by the 22nd - plus right to work, insurance and pensions.

Sold a UK home that was not your main residence? You have 60 days from completion to report and pay CGT through HMRC's UK property account - step by step.

Sold shares at a gain? When you must report to HMRC, how to use the real time CGT service or Self Assessment, and how to match shares - step by step.

What to write down for each gift, how to keep the income-and-spending record HMRC's IHT403 asks for, and how executors use your gift log after death.

When rent must be reported, how to register for Self Assessment, the SA105 property pages, the £1,000 allowance and the Let Property Campaign for past years.

How HMRC learns about your interest, collects the tax through your tax code or Simple Assessment, how to fix a wrong estimate and when you need a tax return.

When dividends must be reported, how to tell HMRC through your tax code or the helpline, when you need Self Assessment, and the deadlines.

Claim New Style JSA online after losing your job. The National Insurance test, what to bring to the Jobcentre interview, 2026/27 rates and the 182-day limit.

Pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge through PAYE, not a tax return: who qualifies, what the HMRC service asks for, and how to leave Self Assessment.

Restart Child Benefit after opting out because of the HICBC: the online, app, phone and post routes, when payments restart, backdating and the tax charge.

Claim Maternity Allowance on form MA1 from 26 weeks pregnant. Who qualifies, the evidence to send, Class 2 top-ups for the self-employed, and payment.

Employer insolvent? Get your CN number, apply online to the Redundancy Payments Service within 6 months, and check the capped statutory redundancy sum.

How to ask for salary sacrifice, what the contract change must say, the minimum wage floor, effects on statutory pay and how to check your first payslip.

Pay your own NMC, HCPC or professional body fee? How to check HMRC List 3, claim online or on form P87, what evidence to send and how far back you can go.

Put the claim in writing, notify Acas for early conciliation, then file an ET1 within the time limit. Plus the 2-year backstop and insolvent employers.

Every question on HMRC's starter checklist in order, the exact wording of statements A, B and C, the student loan boxes, and what your employer does with it.

A practical, step-by-step guide to finding a job in the UK - proving your right to work, knowing your worth, where to search (including the free gov.uk Find a Job service), applying, and checking the take-home pay before you accept.

P45 parts 2 and 3, the starter checklist statements, why a Week 1 / Month 1 code over-taxes a gap month, and how HMRC corrects it - with a worked example.

Why a returned company car stays in your tax code, how to remove it through HMRC's online services, and when the new code and refund reach your pay.

Check what counts as pay and hours, then use the three routes - your employer, the Acas helpline or the HMRC complaint form - with time limits and penalties.

You can retrain or gain new qualifications in the UK - often for free. Skills Bootcamps, Free Courses for Jobs, apprenticeships and the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement loans, and how to pick the route that pays off.

A cover letter should be about one page, tailored to the job, and answer three things: why you, why this role, and why this employer. The structure, the right length, and the mistakes that get you binned.

Accept your agent's link, add them in your business tax account or send form 64-8, use a trusted helper for family, and remove an agent when you change.

Print your SA302 tax calculation and tax year overview from your HMRC account or software, when you can print them, and what to do if they do not match.