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Personal Finance Decision Centre

Choose the life event first, then follow the calculators, explainers and checks in the right order. This is for the moments where one number is not enough: pay rises, childcare, buying a home, HMRC letters, investing, self-employment and retirement.

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Pick the decision you are actually making

Most money mistakes happen when the tool is chosen before the question is clear. Filter by topic, select the closest life event, then use the report panel as your route through the site.

Income route

I got a pay rise or bonus

Use this when your salary changed and you want to know what you actually keep after tax, NI, student loans and threshold effects.

  • Compare old pay, new pay and bonus cash kept.
  • Check adjusted net income before childcare or Child Benefit decisions.
  • Use salary sacrifice as a scenario, not as a reflex.
Family route

I had a baby or childcare changed

Use this when your household has children, leave, childcare bills or one parent near a benefit threshold.

  • Check Child Benefit charge before making pension choices.
  • Price leave periods week by week.
  • Compare childcare support routes before changing payroll elections.
Property route

I am buying a home

Use this when the question is not only affordability, but whether the purchase makes sense after costs and timing.

  • Run rent versus buy before falling in love with a property.
  • Price the mortgage at different rates and terms.
  • Add transaction taxes and process steps early.
HMRC route

I got an HMRC letter or tax code

Use this when you need to work out what HMRC is actually asking for before calculating anything.

  • Identify the letter or tax-code type.
  • Check whether a refund, underpayment or filing duty is likely.
  • Use the calendar if a deadline is involved.
Investing route

I want to invest properly

Use this when the question is wrapper order, long-term compounding or choosing ETFs with discipline.

  • Start with time horizon and contribution habit.
  • Decide ISA, pension or GIA tax wrapper before product selection.
  • Use ETF checks for role, cost, risk and overlap.
Business route

I am self-employed or contracting

Use this when side income, freelance work, contracting or business admin has become part of the picture.

  • Check filing duty before structure.
  • Model profit and tax under the realistic route first.
  • Add VAT, IR35 and director extraction only when relevant.
Retirement route

I am approaching retirement

Use this when you need the retirement income picture, not just a pension balance.

  • Project the pot, then map income and tax.
  • Check State Pension and National Insurance gaps.
  • Compare ISA and pension flexibility before drawdown.
Tax-year command centre

The dates and resets that quietly change the answer

Some decisions should be reviewed when allowances reset, thresholds bite or Self Assessment deadlines approach. Use these pages when the timing is part of the decision.

April tax-year reset

Check ISA allowance, pension annual allowance, dividend allowance and frozen-threshold effects at the start of the year.

January Self Assessment

Use this when payments on account, filing, penalties or missing records are the immediate risk.

UK tax calendar

One calendar for the deadlines that can change what you should do next.

Household dashboard

Build a full household picture in four passes

Premium planning is rarely about one perfect tool. It is about doing the passes in the right order, then saving scenarios while the numbers are still fresh.

If the words are the blocker

Use the knowledge route before the calculator route

If a term, letter or threshold is confusing, pause before entering numbers. The professional habit is to understand the rule, inspect the assumptions, then run scenarios.

Glossary

Plain-English definitions for common tax, investing, options and pension terms.

FAQ library

Short answers for search-style questions before opening the deep tool.

Methodology

How the site approaches rules, estimates, assumptions and educational limits.

Open methodology

How to inspect the calculator logic and avoid treating a black box as authority.