On 6 April every UK tax year resets — new ISA and dividend allowances, frozen tax thresholds, fresh CGT AEA, and a possible tax-code revision. Tell us your situation; we’ll return a prioritised checklist of what to do, what changed for you in pounds, and the deadlines to hit.
"Frozen + reset" means: the allowance figure does not change year-on-year, BUT the unused portion does not carry over — it resets to zero on 6 April. If you do not use it before then, it is gone for the year.
How to check whether you've banked all the year-end allowances before 5 April and reset cleanly for the new year.
Anna — basic-rate, ISA + pension to check
ISA contributions to date
£12,400 of £20,000
Pension contributions
£3,600 personal + £2,400 employer = £6,000 of £60,000 AA
CGT realised this year
£1,200 of £3,000 exemption
Days remaining to 5 April
11
The math:
ISA: £7,600 unused — top-up to use the rest
Pension: well under AA, could carry forward unused future years
CGT: £1,800 of allowance unused — opportunity for Bed-and-ISA on any unrealised gains
Marriage Allowance: check if eligible to backdate to 2022/23 before window closes (4-year limit)
Result: Anna should top up her ISA by £7,600 (if cash available), Bed-and-ISA up to £1,800 of gains, and review pension contribution strategy. The 11 days of overlap with the new year give a small buffer to act.
Sacrificing £3,000 more to pension brings ANI to £100k — full PA restored
Tax saving: 60% × £3,000 = £1,800
Net cost of additional pension contribution: £3,000 − £1,800 = £1,200
Plus AA carry-forward unused — could go higher if cash flow allows
Result: Marcus has a £1,800 tax-saving opportunity by topping up his pension by just £3,000 before 5 April. Annual allowance carry-forward gives him room to contribute up to £100,000 in total this year if he wants to use historic capacity — useful for one-off bonuses or RSU vests.
Figures use 2026/27 UK tax-year rates and thresholds. Always verify against your specific payslip or tax statement before acting.
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