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Choose the guide that matches the decision you are trying to make: salary, savings, borrowing, property or household affordability.
MONEY GUIDES
Practical explanations behind the numbers.
WorthChex guides answer common questions in plain language and connect the explanation to a calculator where a visitor can test their own scenario. The guides are designed to explain assumptions, trade-offs and limitations rather than simply repeat a headline figure.
HOW TO USE THE GUIDES
Read the context before you trust the number.
Check the assumptions
Look for tax year, jurisdiction, interest-rate assumptions and other facts that can change a calculation.
Then test your numbers
Use the linked WorthChex calculator to move from the general explanation to a personal planning scenario.
For time-sensitive tax, property or VAT rules, the guides link to official GOV.UK sources. Rules can change, so check the current source before making an important decision.
FEATURED CORNERSTONE GUIDES
Start with a guide when you need more than a calculator result.
These longer guides cover the reasoning behind common money questions and are intended to be useful even before you enter any figures into a calculator.
How to build a household budget
Work from reliable income, recurring costs, annual bills, irregular spending and a realistic buffer before judging what you can afford.
Read the full guide →Understanding loan costs
Learn how APR, fees, term, total repayment and overpayments change the cost of borrowing.
Read the full guide →How to use financial calculators properly
Learn how to check inputs, compare scenarios, read assumptions and recognise when a simplified model is not enough.
Read the full guide →Pay & tax
£30,000 after tax
Monthly, weekly and hourly take-home pay on £30k in 2026/27.
Read the guide →£35,000 after tax
Full breakdown of tax, National Insurance and take-home pay on £35k.
Read the guide →£50,000 after tax
What £50k pays each month, plus pension and student loan effects.
Read the guide →£60,000 after tax
Take-home pay on £60k and how higher-rate tax really works.
Read the guide →£100,000 after tax
Take-home pay on £100k and the 60% tax trap above it.
Read the guide →Student loan repayments 2026/27
Thresholds for every plan and what you repay each month.
Read the guide →Salary after tax
Understand Income Tax, National Insurance and why gross salary differs from take-home pay.
Read the guide →What is the take-home pay on £40,000?
See how tax region, National Insurance and deductions affect net pay for 2026/27.
Read the guide →Salary to hourly rate
Convert annual salary into hourly, weekly and monthly figures and understand the assumptions.
Read the guide →Salary sacrifice explained
Understand how salary sacrifice can affect taxable pay and take-home pay.
Read the guide →Pay rise calculator guide
See why a gross percentage increase does not usually produce the same percentage increase in take-home pay.
Read the guide →UK salary calculator
Move from the general explanation to a 2026/27 salary calculation with deductions and pay-rise comparison.
Use the salary calculator →Affordability & budgeting
How much car can I afford?
Look at disposable income, running costs, savings and finance rather than the purchase price alone.
Read the guide →Should I pay cash or finance a car?
Compare the upfront cash impact with the ongoing payment, APR and total borrowing cost.
Read the guide →What is disposable income?
Understand which expenses belong in a practical monthly disposable-income calculation.
Read the guide →What should I include in a monthly budget?
Build a realistic budget that includes regular and irregular household costs.
Read the guide →Savings & growth
How much emergency savings should I have?
Build an emergency-fund target around essential costs and the amount of flexibility you need.
Read the guide →How long does it take to save £10,000?
See how starting savings, monthly contributions and interest assumptions affect the timeline.
Read the guide →How to save £5,000
Turn a large goal into a practical monthly contribution and deadline.
Read the guide →How much should I save each month?
Set a contribution that fits your budget and the date you need the money.
Read the guide →How long does it take to save £500 a month?
See simple target timelines and understand the role of starting savings.
Read the guide →What is compound interest?
Understand how time, contributions and a growth assumption combine mathematically.
Read the guide →Debt
How long to pay off £5,000 of debt?
See how APR and monthly payments affect the payoff timeline and interest.
Read the guide →Does paying £50 extra a month help?
Understand how an extra payment can change interest and the debt-free date.
Read the guide →How does debt interest work?
Learn how interest and principal reduction interact under a simple monthly model.
Read the guide →Mortgages & property
Stamp Duty in Scotland (LBTT)
LBTT rates, first-time buyer relief and the 8% ADS explained.
Read the guide →Stamp Duty in Wales (LTT)
Main and higher LTT rates with worked examples.
Read the guide →Stamp Duty on a second home
Extra charges for additional homes in England, Scotland and Wales.
Read the guide →How much mortgage can I afford?
Separate a lender's maximum from a household budget you can actually live with.
Read the guide →What is a 10% deposit on a £300,000 house?
Understand the £30,000 deposit, mortgage size and 90% LTV starting point.
Read the guide →How much does a £300,000 mortgage cost?
See why rate and term make such a large difference to monthly cost and total interest.
Read the guide →Is mortgage overpayment worth it?
Compare how extra payments can reduce the balance, interest and term under a simple model.
Read the guide →Stamp Duty on a £300,000 house
Understand the residential SDLT bands and the buyer details that can change the result.
Read the guide →First-time buyer Stamp Duty
Understand the current first-time buyer relief and the conditions that can affect eligibility.
Read the guide →HOW TO USE THE LIBRARY
Start with context, then put your own numbers into the tool.
The guides are intended to answer the question behind a calculation: what the number means, which assumptions change it, what a simple example looks like and where the calculator stops being representative of a real product or personal situation.
Broad guides
Start with household budgeting, loan costs, salary after tax or mortgage affordability when you need the concepts before the arithmetic.
Scenario guides
Use the focused examples for questions such as £40,000 salary take-home pay or a £300,000 property as worked illustrations rather than universal answers.
Verify changeable rules
Tax, property and VAT rules can change. Follow the official source linked on the relevant guide before making an important decision.
Editorial standard
WorthChex aims to publish fewer, more useful explanations rather than padding pages to meet a target word count. A guide should add context, examples, calculations, trade-offs or limitations that are useful even when the reader does not use the linked calculator.
For broader financial guidance, MoneyHelper provides independent consumer information and tools. Visit MoneyHelper →