Financial advice enquiries surge ahead of major tax changes: 5 urgent steps to protect your money

10th December, London

UK households are worried about rising taxes and are keen to protect their money ahead of sweeping policy changes announced in the Autumn Budget on 26 November.

Enquiries for expert financial advice have risen 23% between 26 November and 28 November, compared to the same period in the previous week, according to data from Unbiased, the UK's leading financial advice platform.

Unbiased has also seen a rise in people seeking financial guidance from its articles, as searches increased:

• 74% for pension-related articles

• 65% for business articles

• 36% for general advice articles

One of the best ways for people to preserve and grow their wealth is to plan ahead and consider expert financial advice.

Here are 5 urgent steps to consider before key changes from the Autumn Budget take effect:

Watch out for tax on interest

From April 2027, the tax rate on savings income outside your personal savings allowance will rise by 2%.

Basic-rate taxpayers have a £1,000 allowance, higher-rate taxpayers only have a £500 allowance, and additional-rate taxpayers have none.

Moving savings into a cash ISA can protect your interest from tax.

Use your full ISA allowance now

The £20,000 annual ISA limit will drop to £12,000 for under-65s in April 2027, with £8,000 allocated for investments.

It’s worth using the full allowance for the current and next tax year to protect your savings and investments from tax.

Couples can both use their ISA allowances to protect up to £40,000 a year from tax until April 2027.

Prepare for dividend tax hikes

Dividend tax rates will rise by 2% for basic and higher-rate taxpayers from April 2026, while the dividend allowance remains at £500.

A stocks and shares ISA can protect investments from income tax, dividend tax, and capital gains tax.

If you hold investments outside an ISA, consider selling and rebuying them within an ISA before the changes.

Use salary sacrifice schemes

Salary sacrifice schemes let you boost pension contributions while saving on national insurance contributions (NICs) and income tax.

From April 2029, NIC relief will be capped at £2,000 per year, affecting those who earn over £40,000.

It’s worth maximising contributions while the full relief is available, and considering the benefits of using salary sacrifice after the changes, as it can help avoid moving into a higher tax band.

Avoid the 60% tax trap

Frozen tax thresholds mean more people earning over £100,000 risk falling into the 60% tax trap as wages rise.

To avoid this, increase pension contributions, consider charitable donations, use salary sacrifice, and use your ISA allowance.

Karen Barrett, founder and chief executive of Unbiased, comments:

“The Autumn Budget has revealed major changes that will affect millions of UK households.

With the extension of the frozen tax thresholds, upcoming salary sacrifice and ISA changes and tax hikes, people must act to protect their finances. 

These measures may feel challenging to navigate, but with planning and expert advice, millions across the UK can make informed decisions to preserve and grow their wealth.” 

About Unbiased 

Unbiased is an AI-enabled financial advice platform, empowering people to make confident financial decisions and delivering unrivalled growth for advice firms.  

With the greatest wealth transfer in history now underway, Unbiased connects people to trusted advice across pensions and retirement, inheritance planning, mortgages, accountancy, and more.  

The Unbiased platform applies advanced models trained on a rich dataset of user activity to intelligently match individuals with qualified advisers, providing the easiest and most reliable way to access financial expertise.  

Since 2009, Unbiased has generated over $100 billion in AUM opportunities for financial advisers, with 65% of prospects new to advice. Reaching more than 10 million consumers annually, it is the leading source of client demand in the industry.  

For more information, visit unbiased.co.uk