Student checklist

If you work during term time or over the summer to keep yourself afloat, make sure you're paying the right amount of income tax.

Students are taxed just like anyone else. If you earn less than £12,570 a year, you shouldn't pay any tax, whether you're 20, 30, 40 or 50.

If students are employed (not self-employed) and taxed via Pay As You Earn (PAYE), they are automatically charged tax on earnings, so may need to reclaim it. Crucially, even if you only do summer or temp work, you'll be taxed as if you'd earn that rate all year.

If you're a student and total earnings for the 2022/23 tax year came to less than £12,570 (the 2023/24 personal allowance), and you paid tax, see the Gov.uk website for how to apply for a refund.

• If you’re working throughout the whole year, but still need to reclaim, you need to wait until the end of the year and reclaim tax then.
   

• If you know you're only working for a short time, eg, just the summer, then you can fill in a P50 to reclaim tax back at that point. You need to wait four weeks after your last day at the job to make the claim.

Check what tax you should pay. Use our Income Tax Calculator to get the true picture.

At the start of a new term, it's likely you'll be given a list of books you'll need over the year. Depending on your course, some textbooks can really break the bank and leave you out of pocket.

The uni library is likely to have the texts you need, but in the first few weeks of term there's usually a rush on them, meaning you could be left waiting. So, instead of buying them new, see if the local library has a copy. At the very least you can take time assessing how often you'll need it.

Alternatively, scout around campus, department noticeboards and even Amazon and eBay (see our Amazon tips and eBay buying tips for help) for anyone selling books they no longer need. If no new editions have been released since they bought them last year, you're getting exactly the same book, possibly just with a worn-in look. Charity shops are also good for cheap textbook hunting, especially in your university town.

And thanks to the internet, consider year-long book rentals. Sites like VitalSource will loan you the e-version of textbooks for up to a year, for up to 80% less than buying the text new – though of course, always compare prices before renting.

Students are also often able to get free access to specialist resource websites via their university, although sometimes you will have to be on campus to sign in. The library will be a good place to start to see which are available to you.

Most students and those working in education with an academic email address can get Microsoft's entire Office suite of programs, and other freebies, for zilch.

To see if you're eligible (those at 99.9% of universities and a large number of schools and colleges are), enter your academic email address on the Office website. You'll be asked to log in through your institution's online portal and if you're eligible, you'll be redirected to a page where you can download the software.

You can also get a certain amount of free online storage with OneDrive – for full details see Microsoft Student Freebies.

It's not just Microsoft either - here are some other useful software freebies:

• For typing, spreadsheets and presentations: The LibreOffice software suite includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database and design package. Handily, it's compatible with many Microsoft documents, and is available for PC, Mac and Linux.
   

• For image editing: If you're after something for basic cropping and editing, Paint.net is easy to use and PC-compatible. For a more advanced photoshop equivalent, GIMP is a powerful tool with free add-ons and (PC and Mac), while Inkscape is handy for scalable vector graphics and works on PC, Mac and Linux.
   

• For music and videos: One of the most widely compatible media players available, VLC Player can cope with pretty much any music or video format you throw at it. For recording, Audacity lets you add effects and create soundscapes from scratch. Again, both are available for PC, Mac and Linux.

Always check any software you put on your computer is suitable and compatible with your existing set-up first. For full info and loads more see the Free Office Software and Free Antivirus Software guides.

Knowing which student loan plan you're on is crucial as it affects how much interest you're charged, how high your repayments are, and when your loan gets wiped.

Which system you're on depends on when you started uni, as well as where you're originally from (NOT where you go to study). See Which student loan plan am I on? to find your student loan type.

If you're currently studying, but are thinking of taking a year out, make sure you know how much it'll cost you.

If you're working for part of your year out then you need to be aware that you may pay tax. Earn more than £1,048 in a month, and you'll be taxed. However, if you only worked six months of the year, you wouldn't reach the £12,570 tax allowance so you'll likely need to apply to HMRC for a rebate. If you're not sure whether you should have paid or not, use our tax calculator.

If you're going overseas, budget for your trip – and don't forget travel insurance. Many insurers offer backpacker policies which cover you for extended periods out of the UK, whether you're backpacking or living in luxury.

If you have plans to work abroad or take part part in skydiving, shark cage diving or other risky fun, check with the insurer that its policy will cover you.

Consider a 16-25 Railcard if you spend £90+ a year. These cut a third off off-peak train tickets and tube fares and they're also valid for full-time students of any age – a huge plus.

Cards can be bought from the Railcard website for £30 a year, or £70 for three years. So spend over £90 a year, even in just one trip, and you'll save.

You can currently get 15% off a one-year railcard if you're registered with Unidays, though check for other railcard deals too as those may beat this. Alternatively, Santander's student account gives a four-year railcard for free – full info in Student Accounts.

For more info on railcards see the Cheap Trains guide.

Trick to nab another year: Don't forget – renew just before your 26th birthday to grab another year, or before your 24th birthday for a three-year card (the same applies to older cardholders about to finish uni).