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Money tips that are easy to miss
Small things that can save you money or stop you losing out. The rules are checked against GOV.UK and the NHS, and each topic links to a calculator so you can work out your own figures.
Your pay and family
Take-home pay
- Check your tax codeMost people are on 1257L. If yours is different, check why in the HMRC app. A wrong code can mean you pay too much tax all year.
- Married? Share your tax-free allowanceIf one of you earns under £12,570 and the other is a basic-rate taxpayer, you can move £1,260 of allowance across with Marriage Allowance. That saves up to £252 a year, and you can backdate it to April 2022.
- Wear a uniform? Claim tax reliefIf you wash, repair or replace a work uniform or specialist clothing yourself, you can claim a flat amount: £60 a year for most jobs, more for some, such as £125 for health and care staff. You can claim for the last 4 years too.
- Had to work from home before April 2026?You can’t claim working-from-home tax relief for this tax year, but if your employer required you to work from home in earlier years, you can still claim for the previous 4 years.
Maternity and sick pay
- Holiday keeps building up on maternity leaveYou keep earning holiday while you’re off, so you can add it to the end of your leave or use it to ease back in.
- Up to 10 keeping in touch daysYou can work up to 10 days during maternity leave without ending it, if you and your employer both agree.
- Share the leaveParents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them with shared parental leave.
- Off sick more than a week?You need a fit note from your GP once you’ve been off for more than 7 days in a row, including weekends.
The £100k tax trap
- Sacrifice your bonusAsk your employer if a bonus can go straight into your pension before it’s paid. It never counts as income, so it can’t push you over £100,000.
- Gift Aid helps tooDonations to charity with Gift Aid also lower your adjusted net income, the figure the £100,000 limit is based on.
- Claim your extra pension reliefPaying into a personal pension as a higher-rate taxpayer? Your provider only adds 20%. Claim the rest on your Self Assessment return or by asking HMRC.
- Over the yearly pension limit?Most people can pay up to £60,000 a year into pensions. You may be able to use unused allowance from the last 3 years as well.
Child Benefit charge
- It’s based on each parent, not the householdIf you each earn £59,000, you pay nothing, even though together you earn £118,000. Only the higher earner’s income counts.
- Always register, even if you don’t take the moneyClaiming gives a parent who stays at home National Insurance credits towards their State Pension. You can choose not to be paid to avoid the charge.
- Claim soon after the birthChild Benefit can only be backdated 3 months, so don’t leave it.
- Pensions and Gift Aid lower the chargeBoth reduce your adjusted net income, so they can cut or clear the charge.
Childcare costs
- It’s not just nurseriesTax-Free Childcare also pays for registered after-school, breakfast and holiday clubs for children up to 11.
- Pay for the extras through itMeals, nappies and trips your provider charges for can be paid from your Tax-Free Childcare account, so they get the 20% top-up too.
- Don’t miss the 3-month checkYou must sign in every 3 months to reconfirm, or your free hours and Tax-Free Childcare stop. Put a reminder in your phone.
- Apply early for free hoursYou can apply from when your baby is 23 weeks old. Apply by 31 December, 31 March or 31 August to start the next term.
Your home and savings
Stamp duty
- Watch the £500,000 lineFirst-time buyer relief in England disappears completely if the price is over £500,000. Just over that line, a small price cut can save thousands in tax.
- Both buyers must be first-time buyersIf one of you has owned a home before, anywhere in the world, you can’t get first-time buyer relief together.
- Bought before you sold?If you paid the higher rate because you hadn’t sold your old home yet, sell it within 3 years and you can claim the extra back.
- Wales is differentIn Wales, no tax is due on the first £225,000 if it’s your only home.
Overpay or save
- Know your overpayment limitMost fixed-rate mortgages let you overpay up to 10% of the balance each year without a fee. Check yours before you start.
- Line up your next deal earlyMany lenders let you lock in a new rate a few months before your fix ends, so you don’t drop onto a higher variable rate.
- Savings tax is going upFrom April 2027 savings interest above your tax-free allowance is taxed at 22%, 42% or 47%. Higher-rate taxpayers only get £500 of interest tax-free.
- Cash ISA limit is changingFrom 6 April 2027, under-65s can put up to £12,000 a year in a cash ISA.
ISA and savings tax
- Use this year’s full cash allowanceUntil 5 April 2027 you can put the whole £20,000 into cash ISAs. From 6 April 2027 it’s £12,000 for under-65s.
- Low income? Up to £5,000 more interest can be tax-freeIf your other income is under £17,570, the starting rate for savings can make up to £5,000 of interest tax-free on top of your Personal Savings Allowance.
- Higher-rate taxpayers only get £500Once you pay 40% tax, only £500 of interest is tax-free, and additional-rate taxpayers get nothing, so ISAs matter more.
- Think before moving out of cashFrom April 2027 under-65s won’t be able to transfer money from a stocks and shares ISA back into a cash ISA.
Later life
Inheritance tax
- Give £3,000 a year tax-freeYou can give away £3,000 each tax year with no inheritance tax, and carry one unused year forward.
- Small gifts add upYou can give up to £250 to as many people as you like each year, as long as you haven’t used another allowance on the same person.
- Wedding giftsYou can give £5,000 to a child, £2,500 to a grandchild or £1,000 to anyone else when they marry, free of inheritance tax.
- Regular gifts from spare income don’t countPaying for something regularly from your income, such as a grandchild’s savings, is free of inheritance tax if you can still afford your normal living costs.
Care home fees
- Your home may not countIf your partner, a relative aged 60 or over, or a child under 18 still lives there, the council ignores your home.
- The first 12 weeksIf your savings are under £23,250, your home is ignored for the first 12 weeks in a care home, which gives time to plan.
- Check the council’s rateThe council only pays up to its own rate. If you choose a dearer home, someone may need to pay a top-up.
- Don’t give the house away to avoid feesCouncils can treat this as deliberately getting rid of money and count the house anyway. Get advice first.
Health costs
Prescription PPC
- Spread the costA 12-month PPC can be paid in 10 monthly instalments.
- Separate HRT certificateThere’s a cheaper certificate that covers some menopause medicines for 12 months.
- Check you don’t already get them freePrescriptions are free if you’re 60 or over, under 16, 16 to 18 in full-time education, or pregnant or had a baby in the last 12 months with a maternity exemption certificate.
- A medical exemption covers everythingIf you have a qualifying condition such as diabetes or epilepsy, the exemption certificate covers all your prescriptions, not just for that condition.
NHS dental charges
- Further treatment can be freeIn England, if you need more treatment within 2 months in the same or a lower band, you don’t pay again.
- Scale and polish is in Band 1If your dentist says it’s clinically needed, a scale and polish is included in the £27.90 check-up charge.
- Pregnant or a new mum?NHS dental treatment is free while you’re pregnant and for 12 months after your baby is born.
- Get private quotes in writingPrivate prices vary a lot between practices. Ask for a written quote and compare it with the NHS charge here.
Last checked: 9 October 2026