Allowances you might not know you have

Most people know about ISAs and pensions. But the tax system has several smaller allowances that are easy to miss — each aimed at a particular situation. None of these is a loophole; they're simply allowances you're entitled to when they fit.

Marriage Allowance

If you're married or in a civil partnership and one of you earns under the Personal Allowance, that person can transfer £1,260 of it to a basic-rate partner — reducing their tax by up to £252 a year.

The £1,000 side-income allowances

Earn a bit on the side? The trading allowance covers up to £1,000 a year of casual or freelance income tax-free, and a separate property allowance does the same for £1,000 of property income. Below the threshold, there's usually nothing to report at all.

Rent a Room

Letting a furnished room in your own home? The Rent a Room Scheme lets you earn up to £7,500 a year from it tax-free.

Dividend and Capital Gains allowances

If you invest outside an ISA, the first £500 of dividends each year is tax-free, and you can make up to £3,000 of gains before Capital Gains Tax applies. Inside an ISA, both are irrelevant — it's all sheltered.

For families

Junior ISAs let you save up to £9,000 tax-free per child each year, entirely separate from your own allowance. And Tax-Free Childcare adds government money towards childcare costs — though it interacts with Universal Credit, so it's worth comparing which suits you.

Which of these apply depends on your circumstances. 'Your tax picture' tailors the list to you, and every one links to the official GOV.UK page. This is general information, not personal tax advice.