113 guides · 13 topics

How to do things in the UK

Each guide answers one real question — the sort people type into a search box at 11pm when a bill arrives, a tenancy ends, a licence expires or a text message asks for a code. Every fact is cited to the department, regulator or statute that owns it; every judgement is labelled as our own.

Arriving & settling in

The first ninety days: visas and eVisas, a National Insurance number, a bank account, a GP, a phone and somewhere to live.

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How to apply for British citizenshipNaturalisation has an absence limit people breach without realising, a good character test that reaches back years, and a five-y…12 min19 sources

How to open a UK bank accountHigh street banks want proof of address that a new arrival cannot produce. App-based banks regulated by the same authority gener…7 min6 sources

Lost access to your eVisa or UKVI accountAn eVisa is now the only proof of status millions of people hold. How to get back into a UKVI account when the registered phone …15 min16 sources

Moving to the UK — your first 30 days, in the right orderSix things unlock everything else: an address, a phone number, a bank account, a National Insurance number, a GP and a GOV.UK On…8 min8 sources

UK visas explained: which one do I need?A points-based system where the route follows the purpose: work, study, family or investment. What sponsorship actually means, t…10 min9 sources

Government services & ID

GOV.UK One Login, passports, driving licences, birth certificates, council services and voter ID — and the fact that Britain has no ID card.

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What to do if your HMRC account is hackedSomeone else inside your HMRC account is identity fraud, and HMRC runs a dedicated report for it. The signs, the security consol…14 min23 sources

HMRC sign-in problems and how to fix themLost user ID, forgotten password, locked account, or an access code going to a phone you no longer have. Each has a different ro…14 min22 sources

How to apply for a UK passportOnline is cheaper and faster than paper. Digital photos fail more often than anything else, the countersignatory rules trip up f…8 min7 sources

How to change your name by deed pollIn England and Wales a deed poll is evidence of a name change, not the change itself — there is no register of names. Scotland a…12 min18 sources

How to get married or form a civil partnershipGiving notice is the legal step that makes a wedding possible, and the rules differ sharply across the four nations — where you …12 min21 sources

How to prove your identity without photo IDBritain has no ID card, so identity is assembled from documents rather than shown. This maps the fallback route for each gatekee…15 min20 sources

How to register a birth, death or marriageCivil registration is devolved four ways, and the deadlines differ. Birth in 42 days but 21 in Scotland, death in five days afte…12 min23 sources

How to register to vote, and the voter ID rulesRegistering takes five minutes and does more than let you vote — it is what puts you on the electoral roll credit reference agen…11 min16 sources

How to set up GOV.UK One LoginOne Login is the single sign-on gradually replacing dozens of separate government accounts. This explains how to create one, how…6 min5 sources

Locked out of GOV.UK One LoginFour different problems get called being locked out of One Login, and each has a different route. This covers forgotten password…14 min18 sources

How to get a replacement Companies House authentication codeCompanies House only ever posts the authentication code, and GOV.UK says a replacement takes up to 10 working days. How to reque…14 min13 sources

How to replace a lost or stolen UK passportCancelling is the first step and it is close to irreversible — the report reaches Border Force and Interpol within a day. Search…14 min21 sources

Money, tax & National Insurance

PAYE and tax codes, Self Assessment, National Insurance, ISAs, student loans and Universal Credit — what you owe, what you are owed, and when.

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Benefit overpayment: how to challenge it or repay itA DWP overpayment letter is three decisions in one — that you were overpaid, how much, and that it is recoverable. Each can be c…14 min15 sources

How to claim Child Benefit and handle the High Income ChargeClaiming Child Benefit protects your State Pension record even when the money is clawed back. Opting out to avoid the High Incom…11 min18 sources

How to appeal an HMRC penaltyMost HMRC penalties are appealable within 30 days, and the strongest argument is often not reasonable excuse at all but that you…14 min23 sources

How to appeal a benefit decisionYou cannot appeal a benefit decision straight to a tribunal — mandatory reconsideration comes first, and it has a one-month dead…12 min18 sources

How to check your State Pension forecastYour State Pension forecast is the most useful number in your financial life, and most people never look at it. This explains ho…12 min14 sources

How to check your tax code is rightWrong tax codes are the most common way people in the UK overpay tax, and HMRC does not always spot it. This decodes what each l…7 min7 sources

How to claim Attendance AllowanceThe most under-claimed benefit in Britain. It is not means-tested, you do not need a carer, and nobody has to be attending you. …12 min15 sources

How to claim Carer's AllowanceThe lowest-paid benefit of its kind, with an earnings cliff edge that has created thousands of five-figure overpayments. What co…13 min17 sources

How to claim Personal Independence PaymentPIP is scored against descriptors, not diagnoses, and it is not means-tested or affected by work. The reliability test decides m…13 min16 sources

How to claim tax relief on work expensesEmployees can reclaim tax on costs their employer did not reimburse, but the wholly, exclusively and necessarily test is far str…12 min15 sources

How to claim Universal CreditThe claim takes an hour, the first payment takes five weeks, and the advance offered to bridge the gap is a loan taken back from…12 min17 sources

How to deal with bailiffs and enforcement agentsBailiffs have far less power than most people believe, and the rules on entry, fees, exempt goods and vulnerability are enforcea…13 min18 sources

How to deal with debt in the UKBreathing Space freezes interest and enforcement for 60 days while you get advice, and it is free — but only a regulated debt ad…12 min17 sources

How to file a Self Assessment tax returnOnline returns are due by 31 January, and registering late is the mistake that costs most first-time filers. This covers who mus…8 min8 sources

How to get a National Insurance numberA National Insurance number is free, permanent and issued by HMRC. You can start work without one. This covers who needs to appl…7 min6 sources

How to get emergency help with money and foodCrisis help exists in every part of the UK, but it is fragmented and unadvertised. This sets out the DWP advances, local welfare…12 min19 sources

How to handle an HMRC compliance checkAn HMRC letter opening a compliance check is not an accusation, but how you answer it decides the penalty. This covers what HMRC…13 min19 sources

How to set up as self-employed in the UKRegistering with HMRC has a hard deadline most first-time traders miss, sole trader versus limited company is a liability decisi…13 min17 sources

Locked out of your Universal Credit accountBeing locked out of Universal Credit is a deadline problem before it is an IT problem. Ring the helpline first so a missed to-do…14 min20 sources

National Insurance explainedA second income tax with a contributory record attached. What the classes mean, why 35 qualifying years matters more than the am…9 min7 sources

The State Pension and workplace pensionsThe State Pension does not arrive automatically, 35 qualifying years is not the whole story, and opting out of a workplace pensi…12 min22 sources

How to challenge a Universal Credit sanctionA sanction cuts your standard allowance, not your housing or child element. Two things have to happen at once: apply for a hards…15 min23 sources

Work & employment

The National Living Wage, holiday entitlement, notice, redundancy, statutory sick pay, right to work and the tribunal deadline that catches people out.

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What to do if your employer has not paid youUnpaid wages carry a three-month deadline that quietly ends most claims. This is the escalation ladder — written request, grieva…15 min32 sources

How to check you are being paid correctlyThe National Living Wage is a legal minimum with no exceptions for probation, training or willingness to work for less. This sho…7 min7 sources

How to get a DBS checkYou can only apply for a basic check yourself; standard and enhanced ones must be requested by an employer for an eligible role.…12 min22 sources

Right to work checks and share codesShare codes expire, they are not interchangeable between services, and British and Irish citizens cannot use one at all. This ex…11 min17 sources

Statutory Sick Pay and time off sickSSP is paid by your employer, not the state, runs out after 28 weeks, and is one of the lowest sick pay rates in Europe. This co…11 min21 sources

Your rights if you are made redundantRedundancy has to be genuine, consulted on properly and selected fairly — and there is a hard three-month deadline to challenge …8 min7 sources

Housing & renting

Deposit protection, right to rent, repairs, rent increases, evictions, council tax and the schemes that actually help first-time buyers.

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Buying a home: conveyancing, surveys and stamp dutyIn England, Wales and Northern Ireland nothing is legally binding until exchange, so thousands of pounds can be spent on a purch…13 min23 sources

If you cannot pay your rent or mortgageRent arrears and mortgage arrears run on completely different rules. What the council, DWP and your lender must offer, how much …16 min31 sources

Evictions and your rights as a tenantOnly a court can evict you, and only a bailiff can carry it out. What a valid notice must contain, why an invalid one buys you m…10 min8 sources

What to do if you are homeless tonightThe council must secure emergency accommodation the moment it has reason to believe you may be homeless, eligible and in priorit…16 min25 sources

Buying a leasehold flat and service chargesA lease is a wasting asset with an annual bill attached, and both are negotiable before you exchange and hard to fix after. This…13 min24 sources

How to deal with noisy neighbours and antisocial behaviourStatutory nuisance and antisocial behaviour are different legal routes with different bodies and different evidence. The council…13 min21 sources

How to get your tenancy deposit backYour deposit must be held in a government-approved protection scheme, and the landlord has to justify keeping any of it. This ex…8 min6 sources

How to join the social housing registerCouncils set their own qualification rules, so being in housing need is not enough to get on the list. How banding and points wo…13 min19 sources

How to rent in England — what to check before you signLetting fees are banned, deposits are capped, and the landlord must give you specific documents before a tenancy can be validly …7 min7 sources

How to report disrepair and complain about a landlordLandlords must keep a home fit for human habitation, and damp and mould are a hazard rather than a lifestyle problem. This cover…12 min19 sources

Your landlord has locked you outLocking a tenant out is a crime, not a disagreement. The remedies that work in the first 24 hours: the police reference, the cou…15 min31 sources

Driving & transport

Provisional licences, theory and practical tests, MOTs, vehicle tax, insurance, ULEZ and clean air zones, and railcards.

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What to do if your car is stolenThe order matters more than the speed. Rule out a tow, then police for the crime reference number, then the insurer the same day…14 min20 sources

Car tax, MOT and insuranceVehicle tax no longer transfers with the car, insurance is enforced against the database rather than at the roadside, and all th…11 min20 sources

How to get a towed or impounded car backThree different bodies can take your car, and each one has a different pound, a different set of documents and a different deadl…15 min22 sources

What to do if your car is written offA write-off is two decisions, not one: what category the damage earns, and what the car was worth. The category is the engineer'…15 min14 sources

Driving in the UK on a foreign licenceYou can generally drive on a foreign licence for 12 months from becoming resident. What happens next depends entirely on which c…7 min7 sources

How to buy or sell a used car in the UKVehicle tax no longer transfers with the car, the free MOT history reveals more than the seller will, and your rights depend ent…12 min18 sources

How to challenge a parking ticket or PCNA council PCN and a private parking charge look almost identical and work completely differently. One is a statutory penalty wit…12 min18 sources

How to get a Blue BadgeSome people qualify automatically, most have to prove how far they can walk or how they behave in traffic, and hidden disabiliti…12 min15 sources

How to get a UK driving licenceProvisional licence, theory test, practical test — and a practical test waiting list that is the real constraint. This covers th…7 min6 sources

How to replace a lost or stolen driving licenceLosing the photocard does not cancel your entitlement to drive — but it does stop you hiring a car, sitting a test or passing an…15 min17 sources

How to replace a lost V5C log bookThree different situations, three different forms, three different bills. Which one you are in decides whether you pay £25 and w…14 min23 sources

NHS & health

Registering with a GP, NHS 111, prescriptions, dentists, A&E versus urgent care, mental health referrals and the immigration health surcharge.

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How to get an emergency prescription in the UKA community pharmacist can hand you a prescription-only medicine with no prescription at all. It is a statutory power almost nob…14 min23 sources

How to find an NHS dentistThere is no registration and no catchment area — any practice with NHS capacity can see you. The problem is capacity, not eligib…8 min7 sources

How to get a social care needs assessmentThe assessment is free and not means-tested — only the funding that follows is. This covers how to request one, carers' rights, …13 min24 sources

How to get mental health help on the NHSIn England you can refer yourself to NHS talking therapies without seeing a GP at all — a route most people never hear about. Sc…11 min22 sources

How to register with a GPYou do not need proof of address, immigration status or an NHS number to register with a GP, and a practice cannot refuse you fo…7 min6 sources

NHS 111, 999 or A&E — which do you actually need?The NHS has more urgent care routes than most people know about, and choosing the wrong one costs hours. This explains what each…7 min6 sources

How to recover your NHS App or NHS login accountThree different faults look identical from the login screen: a broken NHS login credential, a broken link to your GP surgery, an…15 min29 sources

NHS costs for visitors and new arrivalsGP care is free to everyone in the UK whatever their immigration status, but hospital treatment is charged if you are not ordina…12 min20 sources

NHS prescription costs and how to pay lessPrescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — the charge exists only in England. And the medical exemption li…11 min16 sources

NHS treatment delayed or cancelled: what you can actually demandWaiting is not the same as having no rights. The 18-week right, the 28-day rule after a cancelled operation, how to make the com…16 min28 sources

Bills & utilities

The energy price cap, switching, standing charges, broadband social tariffs, water, the TV licence and what to do when a bill is wrong.

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Council tax: who pays, discounts and what happens if you cannotCouncil tax bands still rest on 1991 property values, a single missed instalment can turn a monthly bill into a demand for the w…12 min17 sources

If your energy bill is wrong or backdatedOfgem's back billing rules stop a supplier charging a household or microbusiness for unbilled energy used more than 12 months ag…14 min23 sources

What to do if your energy is cut off or your meter runs outEmergency credit tonight, friendly credit hours, additional support credit and fuel vouchers — then the rules that decide whethe…17 min23 sources

How to cut your energy billThe price cap does not cap your bill, standing charges are unavoidable, and the biggest savings come from heating rather than fr…7 min7 sources

How to switch energy supplierSwitching changes who bills you and nothing else — same pipes, same wires, same engineers. This covers the five-day switch, the …11 min16 sources

What to do if you can't pay a billEnergy suppliers, banks, councils and water companies all have obligations to help. Free debt advice is available from charities…8 min6 sources

Education & study

School admissions and appeals, GCSEs and A-levels, UCAS, student finance, apprenticeships and student visas.

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Help with childcare costsFour separate schemes, and choosing the wrong one can end a Universal Credit claim outright. This covers Tax-Free Childcare, fun…11 min16 sources

How to appeal a school admission decisionAppeal panels decide two questions in a fixed order, and the first one wins cases the second never will. Infant class size appea…12 min16 sources

How to apply for a school place in EnglandApplications go through your local council, not the school, and the deadlines are hard. This covers the national offer dates, ho…7 min5 sources

How to get an EHC plan for your childAn EHC plan is legally enforceable in a way SEN support never is. The 20-week statutory timetable, why refusals to assess are so…13 min18 sources

Student finance: loans and repaymentThe maintenance loan assumes a parental contribution nobody is required to make, repayment is a percentage of income rather than…12 min20 sources

Consumer rights & complaints

The Consumer Rights Act, Section 75 and chargebacks, and the free ombudsman that exists for almost every industry.

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What to do if your bank account is frozen or closedA bank that suspects money laundering can be legally barred from telling you why it froze your account. This explains what is re…16 min15 sources

If your bank refuses to refund fraudA refusal is not the end of it. This is the second stage in full: which regime your loss falls under, what the bank has to prove…15 min23 sources

What to do if a company goes bust and owes you moneyRegistering as a creditor is the route people reach for first and the one that pays least. Section 75, chargeback, ATOL, the FSC…16 min27 sources

What to do if your flight is cancelled or delayedAirlines blur two separate entitlements into one refusal letter. The duty of care — food, calls and a hotel — is owed whatever c…18 min32 sources

How to complain about your councilYou must exhaust the council's own procedure before an ombudsman will look at it, and ombudsmen examine how a decision was made …12 min17 sources

How to complain and actually winBritain has a free ombudsman for almost every industry, and they work for one structural reason: they cost the business money an…7 min6 sources

How to make a subject access requestA subject access request is free, needs no form, and forces an organisation to hand over the personal data it holds about you. I…12 min16 sources

Your refund rights under the Consumer Rights ActYou have 30 days to reject faulty goods outright for a full refund, and rights that last up to six years after that. This explai…8 min6 sources

Law, wills & legal help

Wills and intestacy, probate and confirmation, what to do when someone dies, and how to get legal aid or free advice in each of the three UK jurisdictions.

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Your rights if you are arrestedLegal advice at a police station is free to everyone, with no means test, and the duty solicitor is there around the clock. Here…14 min23 sources

How to set aside a CCJ you did not know aboutA judgment you never saw does not fall away on its own. This covers the grounds that actually work, form N244 and the fee, why p…15 min16 sources

How to apply for probateProbate is the grant that lets you deal with someone's estate — but many estates never need it, and where Inheritance Tax is due…12 min16 sources

How to get help with court and tribunal feesCourt fees stop people enforcing rights they actually have. Help with Fees can remove or reduce them for divorce, probate, money…12 min18 sources

How to get legal aid or free legal adviceCivil legal aid in England and Wales was cut back to a short list of categories in 2013 — most problems are simply out of scope.…11 min16 sources

How to make a will in the UKDying without a will does not mean your partner inherits. Intestacy runs on a fixed statutory order that ignores cohabitants ent…12 min18 sources

How to set up a lasting power of attorneyA lasting power of attorney can only be made while you still have capacity — once it is gone, the only route is a slow, costly c…13 min18 sources

How to take someone to the small claims courtSuing someone for money you are owed is cheaper and less formal than people expect, but winning and being paid are different pro…13 min18 sources

What to do when someone diesRegistering a death is the step everything else depends on, and it has a legal deadline. This covers the order of the first fort…11 min14 sources