Cost of living 2026: what you can claim back
Inflation has cooled, but the cost of living in the UK remains sharply higher than it was four years ago. The schemes below are the ones that move the most money for the most ordinary households this year. The list is in priority order: not by the size of any individual win, but by the realistic combination of how likely you are to qualify and how big the typical payout is.
Last updated April 2026
The top five for 2026
If you do nothing else this year, do these in this order:
- Marriage Allowance, if you are married or civilly partnered with one basic-rate taxpayer and one non-taxpayer. Up to £1,260 for a first-time claim. Full guide →
- Council Tax Single Person Discount, if you are the only adult counted in your home. Around £570 a year in England, plus backdating. Full guide →
- Lodge a Motor Finance complaint with the lender now if you had a car finance agreement between 2007 and 2021. The FCA scheme opens 30 June 2026; getting a holding complaint in early protects your position. Average payout ~£829. Full guide →
- Mastercard Merricks settlement, if you were a UK adult between 1992 and 2008. Around £45 each (estimate) for five minutes of registration when the portal opens. Full guide →
- Uniform or Professional Subs tax relief, if you wear a uniform or pay a professional body. £12 to £200+ a year, four years of backdating. Full guide →
At a glance
- Realistic combined return
- £1,500 to £4,000 (first year)
- Time to do all five
- About one evening
- Cost
- Free (zero CMC fees)
- When to start
- Now (motor finance window opens 30 June)
Household bills
Three schemes that quietly take money off the running cost of your home:
- Water Surface Drainage Rebate if rainwater from your roof goes into a soakaway, watercourse, or private drain rather than the public sewer. £30 to £120 a year, six years of backdating. Full guide →
- Broadband and landline auto-compensation if you have had service drop-outs, missed engineer appointments, or a delayed service start. Daily rates set by Ofcom. Full guide →
- Smart meter missed appointment: £30 per missed slot. Full guide →
If you are employed
HMRC has a row of small reliefs that compound nicely:
- Marriage Allowance if you are married/CP with the right income split.
- Uniform tax relief if you wear work clothing you launder yourself.
- Professional Subscriptions if you pay an annual fee to a body on HMRC List 3.
- Working From Home if your employer requires you to work at home (post-2022 rules tightened).
- Overpaid PAYE / P800: log into your Personal Tax Account and check for any reconciliation due. Median refund ~£200.
If you use transport regularly
The four pipelines we automate, and the realistic numbers for each:
- Train Delay Repay: ~£60 to £200 a year for a regular commuter. Full guide →
- UK261 flight compensation: typically £220 per long delay; many people have one or two qualifying journeys a year. Full guide →
- TfL refunds: ~£100 to £400 a year for a regular commuter, often hidden in incomplete journeys you did not notice. Full guide →
- UK parking fines: appeals are free; 33% of challenged council PCNs are overturned. Worth doing if a fine looks unjust. Full guide →
Longer-term wins
- Council Tax Wrong Band Challenge, with the full risk warnings. Big upside, real downside, careful process. Full guide →
- Tenancy Deposit Protection penalty if your landlord did not protect the deposit on time. Full guide →
- Pension pot tracing via the free Pension Tracing Service if you have changed jobs more than two or three times in your career. Average lost pot is around £9,500.
- Pension Credit if you or a parent is over State Pension age and on a low income. Average award around £3,900 a year and unlocks several other discounts.
How Untap helps
Untap watches your inbox for the four recurring transport categories and Nell, our voice agent, walks you through the one-off categories above. We do not file on your behalf and we do not take a cut. The product is free while we work out a sensible business model that does not involve charging anyone a percentage.
Questions readers actually ask
- Why is Marriage Allowance number one?
- Because it is high-probability for a large pool (around two million eligible UK couples), the payout is meaningful (£252 a year plus four years of backdating), the form is genuinely free, and the result feels concrete. Few interventions hit that combination.
- I am on benefits. Are there things specific to me?
- Yes. Pension Credit if you are over State Pension age (worth around £3,900 a year on average and unlocks Warm Home Discount and free TV licence over 75). Council Tax Reduction. The Household Support Fund through your local council. We have not built deep guides for these yet because the rules vary by council, but the gov.uk pages and Citizens Advice cover them well.
- I rent. Where should I focus?
- Tenancy Deposit Protection if you have any uncertainty about the deposit. Council Tax Single Person Discount if applicable. Water surface drainage if your home is not on a public sewer. The renting category often has the highest individual payouts (deposit penalties can be £3,000+) but lower frequency than the tax-relief items.
Related guides
- What the UK owes you in 202612 min read
A single roundup of every refund and compensation scheme available to UK adults this year, with realistic numbers and links to each detailed guide.
- Just moved house: a money checklist6 min read
Council Tax exit refund, energy final bill, deposit protection check, mail forwarding, and the deadlines that catch everyone out.
- How much UK adults leave unclaimed each year5 min read
The published figures from the ORR, the CAA, HMRC, Ofcom, and TfL, with the methodology behind each one and what it means for your household.
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Always read the scheme's own rules before sending a claim.