Work down the list. Each one stacks on the last. Do one this week.
Max employer pension match + salary sacrifice
Talk to HR. Ask if they share NI savings. This is the single biggest return for the least effort. If you're a higher-rate taxpayer, every £100 you sacrifice only costs you £58 in take-home pay — but £100 goes into your pension. Read the full story →
£2.5–6k/yr
EV via salary sacrifice
Get quotes from HR. Compare to personal lease. Only 3% Benefit in Kind for zero-emission cars vs 25–37% for petrol. Insurance, maintenance, breakdown all included. Read the full story →
£5–8k/yr
Pension to dodge 60% trap / keep Child Benefit
If you earn £60k–125k, pension contributions are the most tax-efficient thing you can do. Between £100k–125k you're paying 62% marginal tax. Pension eliminates it. Read the full story →
£2–5k/yr
Max ISA allowance every year
Open a Stocks & Shares ISA. Set up a monthly direct debit. £20k/year growing tax-free forever. No capital gains, no dividend tax, no income tax. Use it or lose it. Read the full story →
£1–3k/yr
Install solar panels
0% VAT until March 2027. Get 3 quotes. Payback in 5–7 years, then free electricity for 20+ more. Pair with your EV for maximum benefit. Read the full strategy →
£1–1.2k/yr
Tax-Free Childcare
Government pays 20% of your childcare costs, up to £2,000/year per child. Takes 10 minutes to apply. Both parents must earn at least minimum wage for 16 hours/week. Read the full story →
£2k/yr
Marriage Allowance + backdate
5 minutes at gov.uk/marriage-allowance. If one partner earns under £12,570 and the other is basic rate, transfer £1,260 of allowance. Backdate 4 years for a one-off £1,258 cheque. Read the full story →
£252/yr
Smart energy tariff + V2H charging
Switch to Octopus Go. Charge your EV at 7p/kWh overnight, avoid 35p/kWh peak. When V2H hardware is ready, your car powers your home. Read the full strategy →
£1–2k/yr
Cycle to Work / tech scheme
25–42% off bikes, e-bikes, laptops and phones via salary sacrifice. A £2,500 folding e-bike could cost you £1,450 as a higher-rate taxpayer. Read the full story →
£300–1k
Claim all small reliefs
Working from home (£6/week), professional subscriptions (BCS, RICS, etc), Gift Aid reclaim for higher-rate taxpayers. Each takes 10 minutes via P87 form. Backdate 4 years. Read the full story →