Guides
The numbers and know-how behind the tests — typing speed, reaction time, clicking technique and hardware fixes.
The 60% Tax Trap
There is no 60% tax band, yet a slice of income really is taxed at about 60%. Here is the mechanism that creates it, and the one lever that removes it.
Pension Tax Relief
The three UK workplace pension arrangements give different take-home pay for the same contribution — and one leaves higher-rate relief unclaimed unless you ask.
First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty
First-time buyer stamp duty relief disappears completely above a price cap — not gradually. One pound more on the price can cost thousands in tax.
Payments on Account
A first Self Assessment bill often arrives half as large again as expected. It is two separate things added together, and knowing which is which makes it predictable.
Inside or Outside IR35
IR35 status decides whether a limited company still helps you. Outside, the comparison is worth running; inside, the tax advantage disappears entirely.
Capital Gains Losses
Losses from this year and losses carried forward follow different rules. Treating them the same wastes your exempt amount and destroys losses you could have kept.
Salary vs Dividends
Most directors take a small salary and the rest as dividends. Here is the reasoning behind that split, and what changed for dividends in April 2026.
Why Your Section 24 Relief Is Less Than 20%
The mortgage interest tax reduction is 20% of the lowest of three amounts, not 20% of your interest. Which limit binds also decides whether the rest carries forward.
Threshold Income vs Adjusted Income
The pension taper uses two different definitions of income that move in opposite directions, and it only bites when both are over their own limit.
Do I Still Pay Class 2 National Insurance?
Class 2 stopped being a charge for the self-employed. Above the small profits threshold it is treated as paid; below it, paying is a choice about your record.
How to Remove VAT From a Price
Taking VAT out of a price is not taking 20% off. You divide by 1.2, and the difference between the two methods runs in the direction that causes trouble.