UK personal tax in plain English — Self Assessment, side hustles, the £100k trap, the April 2026 dividend rate rise, and what changed this tax year.
How Marriage Allowance lets a non-taxpayer transfer £1,260 of personal allowance to their basic-rate partner, when it's worth claiming, the four-year backdating rule, and the situations where it backfires.
How HMRC's High Income Child Benefit Charge claws back Child Benefit when either parent earns over £60,000, the £60–80k taper window, and the pension contribution route some families use to stay under it.
How UK Capital Gains Tax applies to shares and cryptocurrency, the £3,000 annual exempt amount, the post-October-2024 rates, the bed-and-breakfast rules and the reporting deadlines that catch people out.
The £1,000 trading allowance is a tax-free amount for casual self-employment income. Earnings below it don't need declaring; above triggers Self Assessment.
£12,570 of income is tax-free in 2026/27. Reduced (£1 per £2) when income exceeds £100,000. Used by HMRC via tax codes to determine your tax-free pay.
Allowable self-employed expenses include office costs, travel, equipment, training and a share of home utilities. The full HMRC list for 2026/27.
MTD ITSA became mandatory on 6 April 2026 for self-employed people and landlords with gross income over £50,000. Quarterly digital submissions plus annual return. Compatible software required.
Crypto gains are subject to UK CGT at 18% or 24%. Each trade is a taxable event. How to calculate, report on Self Assessment, and the £3,000 annual exemption.
Rental income is taxed at your marginal rate (20%, 40%, 45%) after expenses. Mortgage interest gets a 20% basic-rate tax credit only, not full deduction.
£3,000 annual gift allowance, £250 small gifts, gifts from regular income, wedding gifts, and the 7-year rule for larger gifts. Inheritance tax explained.
Your personal allowance (£12,570) usually applies to your main job. Second job income is taxed from £0 at basic rate. Understanding tax codes for two jobs.
Register by 5 October, file online by 31 January, pay by 31 January. The step-by-step process for first-time UK Self Assessment filers.
From 6 April 2025 the non-dom regime is abolished. The new 4-year FIG regime, who qualifies, and what changed for foreign income and gains.
Selling your own used items isn't taxable. Selling for profit or buying-to-resell is trading and over £1,000 must be declared. The Vinted reporting rule explained.
Transferring your own savings to the UK is not taxable. But foreign income earned while UK resident usually is, under the rules that replaced the non-dom regime in 2025.
Yes — freelance income is taxed at your marginal rate plus Class 4 NI. Your full-time salary uses the personal allowance; freelance income stacks on top.
Yes — outside an ISA. First £500 tax-free, then 10.75% basic, 35.75% higher, 39.35% additional rate (basic and higher rose 2pp in April 2026).
If side hustle income exceeds £1,000/year you must register for Self Assessment with HMRC by 5 October. The process, deadlines and penalties explained.
Side hustle income over £1,000/year is taxable. Trading allowance covers small earnings. Above that you register for Self Assessment and pay income tax + Class 4 NI.
Basic dividend rate rose 8.75% → 10.75% and higher rate 33.75% → 35.75% on 6 April 2026. The additional rate held at 39.35%. What changes for shareholders and director-owners.
A short comparison of the headline UK personal finance figures year-on-year — what moved, what's frozen, and what to recheck after the spring budget.
What the letters and numbers on a UK tax code actually mean, the most common codes, the errors that catch people out, and how to check yours via the HMRC personal tax account.
A plain-English run through the allowances that reset every 6 April — ISAs, pensions, CGT, dividends, marriage allowance, gifts — and what's worth a second look before the year closes.
How the personal allowance taper creates an effective 60% marginal tax rate between £100,000 and £125,140 — and the pension contribution workaround that flattens it.