What happens if I fall behind on council tax?
The reminder, final notice and liability order sequence councils follow, why missing an instalment can make the whole year due, and how to get the instalments restored.
beginner45 min4 min read
Money & Practical
Budgeting, bills and buying decisions, described as processes you can follow. These guides explain method — how to work something out for yourself. They are not financial advice and recommend no specific products.
425 guides
What should I do if my income is about to drop?
Acting early, working out the real minimum, and the order in which to make changes.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readWhich debts should I pay off first?
The distinction between priority and non-priority debts, and the two common repayment orders for the rest.
beginner30 min2 min readAm I an employee, a worker or self-employed?
Three statuses with three different sets of rights. What you are called matters far less than how the arrangement actually operates in practice.
intermediate15 min2 min readCan I return something I just changed my mind about?
The difference between a legal right and a shop's own policy, and where each one applies.
beginner15 min2 min readDo I pay the higher rate of stamp duty if I already own a home?
The additional-property surcharge catches far more people than buy-to-let landlords. The end-of-day test, the replacement main residence exception, and the refund window when you buy before you sell.
intermediate11 min4 min readHow do I avoid fees when using money abroad?
Which card to use, why you should always pay in the local currency, and the fees that are easy to avoid.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I change my name, and who do I have to tell?
A deed poll is a document you can make yourself. The work is not making it — it is the sequence in which you update everything afterwards.
intermediate2 hr3 min readHow do I check a bill is correct?
Spotting errors on energy, water, phone and council tax or rates bills, and how to challenge one effectively.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I close utility accounts when I move out?
The readings, notifications and final bills that stop you paying for a house you no longer live in, done in the order that avoids a dispute.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I cut a long list of options down to a shortlist?
Forty options is not forty times better than four — it is worse, because nobody can compare forty things. The filtering sequence that gets you to a workable shortlist fast.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I deal with unwanted gifts?
What your actual rights are on a present, the options that do not involve telling anyone, and how to reduce it happening next year.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I dispute a bill I think is wrong?
Gathering evidence, raising it correctly, and the escalation that resolves most disputes without any drama.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I get a copy of my title deeds?
For registered land the register and plan are downloadable in minutes for a small fee, and the same route tells you who owns the land next door.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I give notice of marriage or a civil partnership?
Notice is the legal step that has to happen before any wedding. Where to give it, the waiting period, how long it lasts, and why Scotland and Northern Ireland work differently.
beginner13 min5 min readHow do I prepare for unexpected household costs?
How to build a buffer for the costs that aren't really unexpected — boilers, appliances, cars — using sinking funds rather than hope.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I prove my right to work in the UK?
Every employer in the UK must check your right to work before you start. The three routes, why most people now need an online share code, and what happened to biometric residence permits.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I reduce my mobile phone bill?
Separating the handset cost from the airtime cost, checking what data you actually use, and switching without losing your number.
beginner40 min2 min readHow do I use Section 75 when a purchase goes wrong?
The legal right that makes a credit card provider equally liable with the seller, the conditions a purchase must meet, and how to make the claim so it is not brushed off.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I work out what something costs per use?
Dividing whole-life cost by realistic uses turns arguments about whether something is expensive into a number — and exposes the cheap items that are the worst value you own.
beginner15 min3 min readHow does a credit score work?
What actually affects a credit file, what does not, and the small number of things worth doing about it.
beginner30 min2 min readHow does a mortgage application actually work?
The stages from agreement in principle to offer, what underwriters actually assess, and the things that most often delay or derail an application.
intermediate1 hr3 min readWhat are my rights when I go back to work after family leave?
The right to return depends on how long you were away: the same job after 26 weeks or less, and the same job or a suitable alternative after longer. Notice to return early, accrued holiday, and the conversations worth having first.
intermediate12 min5 min readWhat do I do if a debt collection agency contacts me?
The difference between a collection agency and an enforcement agent, what collectors can and cannot do, and how to establish whether the debt is genuinely yours.
beginner45 min4 min read
Going deeper: ToolFoundry
Interactive calculators — quantities, conversions, costs and sizing — rather than prose.
ToolFoundry is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.