UK Tax Guides

The 2026/27 Income Tax bands for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with worked examples showing how band-by-band tax is calculated.

Current UK National Insurance rates and thresholds for employees, employers and the self-employed, with category letters explained.

How benefits in kind are taxed, from company cars to private medical insurance, and how to work out the cost to you.

How a second job is taxed, why it usually gets a BR code, and how to split your Personal Allowance between jobs.

Plain-English definitions of the UK tax terms you meet most often: tax code, PAYE, National Insurance, the Personal Allowance, gross and net pay, salary sacrifice and more.

A plain-English explanation of PAYE: how employers deduct tax, what cumulative coding means, and why your payslip changes month to month.

Understand every line on a UK payslip: gross pay, tax code, NI letter, pension, student loan, year-to-date figures and net pay.

What your tax code means, from 1257L to K codes, BR, D0, NT and emergency codes, and what to do if yours looks wrong.

A list of UK tax codes and what they mean for 2026/27: 1257L (£12,570 allowance), BR at 20%, D0 at 40%, 0T, K and W1/M1, plus how to check and fix your code.

Where to find your tax code on your payslip, in the HMRC app or online, what it means, and how to get HMRC to issue a new tax code if yours is wrong.

What a P45 is, when you get one, which parts to give a new employer, and what happens if you don't have one.

What a P60 shows, when you should receive it and when you'll need it, from mortgages to tax refunds.

How UK bonuses are taxed through PAYE, why the payslip looks heavy, and how sacrificing a bonus into a pension works.

Why overtime can look heavily taxed on a single payslip, how it's actually taxed over the year, and how to estimate what you'll keep.

How the £12,570 Personal Allowance works, who loses it, the £100,000 taper and the 60% trap, plus ways to protect it.

Who can claim Marriage Allowance, how much it's worth, how to backdate a claim and how it changes your tax code.

A summary of UK tax-free allowances for 2026/27: Personal Allowance, savings, dividends, CGT, trading, property, ISAs and pensions.

Every key date in the 2026/27 UK tax year: Self Assessment deadlines, payments on account, when tax codes change, and when to use or claim your allowances.

2026/27 student loan repayment thresholds for every plan, how repayments are collected, and whether overpaying makes sense.

How salary sacrifice works for pensions, electric cars and cycle schemes, how much tax and NI you save, and the downsides to check.

How pension tax relief works in the UK, the difference between net pay and relief at source, and how higher-rate taxpayers claim extra relief.

How sole traders are taxed in the UK: Income Tax on profit, Class 4 NI, allowable expenses and payments on account.

Who needs to file a Self Assessment tax return, what goes on it, the deadlines for 2026/27 and the penalties for missing them.

The Self Assessment timeline in order: register by 5 October, wait for your UTR and activation code, file by 31 October or 31 January, pay by 31 January, and what late filing costs.

A step-by-step guide to filling in your Self Assessment tax return online: registering, your UTR, what to have ready, each section, submitting and paying by 31 January.

What IR35 is, who decides your status, how inside-IR35 contracts are taxed and what it means for your take-home pay.

How the Construction Industry Scheme works for subcontractors, the 20% and 30% rates, gross payment status and claiming refunds.

When side hustle income becomes taxable, the £1,000 trading allowance, and how platform reporting rules work.

How UK limited companies pay Corporation Tax: the 19% small profits rate, 25% main rate, marginal relief between £50,000 and £250,000, and how VAT fits alongside it.

A plain-English guide to UK VAT: the three rates, when you must register, how to add and remove VAT, and whether the Flat Rate Scheme suits you.

How dividends are taxed in 2026/27 after the rates rose to 10.75% and 35.75%, with examples for investors and company directors.

How Capital Gains Tax works in 2026/27, the £3,000 allowance, 18% and 24% rates, and when you need to report.

How property purchase taxes work across the UK in 2026, including first-time buyer relief and the surcharge on second homes.

How UK Inheritance Tax works: the nil-rate bands, spouse exemption, gifts and the seven-year rule, and upcoming changes.

How council tax bands work in England, Scotland and Wales, the valuation dates behind them, the Band D ratios, and the discounts you can claim.