Straight answers on UK money.
Written by Shiv Patel, Chartered Accountant (ICAS) - with every figure checked against the primary source that sets it. Guidance you can act on, not personal advice.
BR, 0T and K tax codes: why you have one
BR, 0T, D0 and K are instructions to one employer or pension - not a verdict on your whole year. What each does and how a wrong one is fixed.
Tax year 2026/27 Reviewed
Read the guideWhy is my take-home pay lower this month?
A payslip-first check of five things that shrink take-home pay - code suffix, gross, deductions - and which of them correct themselves.
Tax year 2026/27 Reviewed
Read the guide50/30/20 rule UK: a diagnostic, not a pass mark
The 50/30/20 split is measured on take-home pay. How to work out your own three shares, and what to read into a needs share above 50%.
Tax year 2026/27 Reviewed
Read the guideTax code 1257L: what it means and why it changed
1257L is the ordinary code for one job or pension - it is only an emergency code when W1, M1 or X follows it. How to decode yours.
Tax year 2026/27 Reviewed
Read the guideWhat is safe to spend? The maths before payday
Safe to spend is a time-bounded cash-flow figure, not a bank balance. How to work one out on paper and what to ask of any app that shows you one.
Tax year 2026/27 Reviewed
Read the guideSalary sacrifice pension and the 2029 NI cap
How a salary sacrifice pension changes tax and National Insurance, with a worked £40,000 example - and why only £2,000 a year stays NIC-exempt from 2029.
Tax year 2026/27 Reviewed
Read the guideIs open banking safe? What an app is allowed to do
UK open banking splits reading your accounts from moving your money into two permissions - and you can check which one an app holds in two minutes.
Tax year 2026/27 Reviewed
Read the guide