Guides
The UK refund schemes, in plain English.
Short, honest write-ups of the rules Untap checks against. Sourced to gov.uk, HMRC, the ORR, the CAA, Ofcom, the VOA, and the operators themselves. Each one shows you the free route first, because you should never need us to claim what you are owed.
Start here
What the UK owes you
The single roundup of every scheme on this site, with realistic numbers and links to the detailed guide for each.
Recurring
The four pipelines that watch your inbox
These four schemes are what Untap checks automatically when you forward a booking confirmation. Read the rules, then you decide whether to keep doing this yourself or hand it to us.
Delay Repay, operator by operator
6 min readA 20 minute delay is worth nothing on one operator and a quarter of your fare on another. All 23 compared.
UK261 flight compensation, explained
7 min readWhen a delay or cancellation pays out, how much, and what an airline can do to get out of it.
TfL refunds: how to claim your money back
5 min readMissed tap outs, two cards on one journey, and service delays: where Transport for London owes you money, and how to ask for it.
TfL refund tools, and the routes they all end at
7 min readThree refund routes, two paid tools that want your TfL sign-in, and an 8 week window that closes at the same moment your journey history does.
UK parking fines, explained
6 min readThe difference between council PCNs and private parking notices, and the grounds that actually win.
Train delay claim tools, and which of them still exist
8 min readThe best known apps for claiming train delays have closed. What is left, who pays automatically, and who only looks automatic.
One-off opportunities
Tax, council, housing, bills, and class actions
The categories Untap helps with through Nell, the voice agent. Each guide is the standalone reference for the scheme, written so you can claim it without us if you want to.
Marriage Allowance, explained
5 min readUp to £252 a year, four-year backdate, and a free ten-minute form on gov.uk. The eligibility rules in plain English.
Council Tax Single Person Discount
5 min readA 25% discount when you live alone, plus the lesser-known rule about "disregarded" adults that lets couples qualify too.
Council Tax Wrong Band Challenge
8 min readHow the 1991 valuation works, the neighbour-comparison method, and the honest risk that the band can go up.
Tenancy Deposit Protection compliance
8 min readThe Housing Act 2004 rules, the three approved schemes, and the 1x to 3x penalty when a landlord gets it wrong.
Rent Repayment Orders: 12 months or 24, and what decides it
9 min readThe maximum doubled to two years’ rent on 1 May 2026, but not for offences before that date. One date decides which cap is yours.
Your landlord kept your deposit. What to do next
8 min readThe scheme holding your deposit runs a free dispute service. About 1 deposit in 100 ever reaches it, and most tenants who do get something back.
How to check a car finance claim free, and when payouts start
8 min readNo official checker exists and no payout date exists. The free lender list, the free complaint route, and the deadline.
Car finance compensation: who can claim, and by when
6 min read12.1 million agreements are in scope for around £830 each. What the suspension means, and the deadline most coverage misses.
Mastercard Merricks class action
4 min readA £200m settlement, automatic eligibility for 46 million UK adults, and what the registration window means for you.
Working From Home tax relief
4 min readWhy the rules tightened in April 2022, who can still claim £6 a week, and how to backdate the years you missed.
Uniform and work-clothing tax relief
8 min readAll 83 jobs on HMRC’s list, what each allowance is actually worth in cash, and why the refund firms get there first.
Professional Subscriptions tax relief
4 min readHMRC keeps a list of approved professional bodies. If yours is on it, you can deduct the fee from your tax every year.
Mileage tax relief, now 55p a mile
6 min readThe approved rate rose from 45p to 55p on 6 April 2026, the first change since 2011. What it is worth when your employer pays less.
Surface water drainage rebate, by water company
7 min readThe same charge for the same service runs from £24.48 to £118.33 a year depending only on which company serves your street. All eleven, with each one’s own figure.
Smart meter £30 missed-appointment compensation
3 min readSuppliers must pay £30 when they cancel a smart-meter installation late, miss the slot, or fail to turn up.
Broadband and landline auto-compensation
4 min readThe Ofcom scheme that pays you a daily amount when your broadband goes down, your engineer fails to show up, or your service starts late.
Ferry delay compensation, band by band
6 min readA late ferry pays a quarter of the fare, and half if it is twice as late. The four bands, with a calculator for your crossing.
Coach delay compensation and the 250 km line
6 min readBelow 250 km the coach delay rules do not apply at all, and the widely quoted 50% is not automatic. What you are actually owed.
Supporting reading
Hubs, life-events, and the data behind the rest
The big-picture pages and the practical playbooks for moments where several schemes apply at once.
Just moved house: a money checklist
6 min readCouncil Tax exit refund, energy final bill, deposit protection check, mail forwarding, and the deadlines that catch everyone out.
Cost of living 2026: what you can claim back
7 min readThe schemes most relevant to households watching every bill this year, in the order most people get the biggest win first.
How much UK adults leave unclaimed each year
5 min readThe published figures from the ORR, the CAA, HMRC, Ofcom, and TfL, with the methodology behind each one and what it means for your household.
How to write a complaint letter that works
6 min readThe structure that gets a real response, the regulators to escalate to when you do not get one, and the templates we use ourselves.
How to write to the phone or broadband ombudsman
7 min readThere is no single telecoms ombudsman. Two schemes share the work, your provider picked one, and the wait dropped to six weeks in April 2026.
What claims companies charge, and when they are worth it
7 min readThe published fees run from 20 to 42 per cent, and up to about half your money once VAT and legal action are counted. What that costs in pounds.
Ways to claim flight compensation, compared
9 min readDirect, free tools, the two complaint schemes, the small claims court and seven paid firms. What each route leaves in your pocket.