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BritIndex
22 guides

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.

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 cha…14 minverified 2026-08-06
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 Income …11 minverified 2026-08-04
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 n…14 minverified 2026-08-06
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 deadli…12 minverified 2026-08-04
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 how …12 minverified 2026-08-05
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 let…7 minverified 2026-07-30
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. It…12 minverified 2026-08-05
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 coun…13 minverified 2026-08-05
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 mos…13 minverified 2026-08-05
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 stric…12 minverified 2026-08-05
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 l…12 minverified 2026-08-04
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 enforceabl…13 minverified 2026-08-05
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 advi…12 minverified 2026-08-04
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 must …8 minverified 2026-07-30
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 apply,…7 minverified 2026-07-30
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 s…12 minverified 2026-08-05
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 c…13 minverified 2026-08-05
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 decision…13 minverified 2026-08-05
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 i…14 minverified 2026-08-06
National Insurance explainedA second income tax with a contributory record attached. What the classes mean, why 35 qualifying years matters more than the amou…9 minverified 2026-07-30
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 pension…12 minverified 2026-08-04
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 hardshi…15 minverified 2026-08-06
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