Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

22 September Savers, whether you're in work, have kids, went on holiday, have debts and more
Back to school, back to work, back to life, back to reality (& Martin's back too)

September is a restart for millions. Many children are donning school uniforms again or for the first time, Parliament is back in session, workplace rosters are back at near full capacity as people return from holiday, and the days are shortening as we leave summer behind.

Of course, nowt is universal - Scottish kids have been back for a while, many grown-ups didn't get a break - yet as a nation, it's a deep-breath-and-time-to-get-back-to-it moment. And that includes me, my fingers are dancing on my keyboard again to try and save you money and protect your pockets with a key checklist for you to scan down...

1. Did you have a flight delayed or cancelled this summer? You may be due fixed compensation of up to £520 per person. Our flight delay and flight cancellation rights guides have full info and include free tools to help, but here's a summary of who might be due. And it doesn't have to be this summer, you can go back as far as six years (five in Scotland). To qualify, it must have...

- Been on any flight from a UK/EU airport, or a flight to a UK/EU airport, but in the latter case, it must also have been on a UK/EU AIRLINE.
- Landed three or more hours late to count as delayed.
- Been cancelled less than 14 days before it was due to fly.
- Been the airline's fault, so not bad weather, or issues with air traffic control - though airline staffing or servicing issues or knock-on delays due to previous flights usually do count.

The amount you are due is fixed depending on the length of the flight and delay. For some family long-haul flights, it can be £1,000s.

2. Putting on a uniform ready for work - are you due a wee tax rebate? If you wear a branded T-shirt, overalls or other uniform for work, which you wash yourself and don't wear elsewhere, you're entitled to a small tax rebate, which is backdateable. Claiming is easy and free to do. See uniform tax refunds.

3. Are you eligible for free insulation ahead of winter? (For those on benefits or in low energy performance homes.) Energy providers and local authorities have funds available to make some homes more energy efficient - if you qualify, get it done before winter hits. Check if you're eligible for free insulation.

4. Child in or starting senior school? Use our calc NOW to see how much you may need to save in case they go to uni. As each new school year starts, your children are a year closer to potentially going to university. Many parents are unaware that, for most, the living loan your child will get when they go is effectively means-tested based on parental income. The gap left by that reduction can be thousands - and in effect, you're expected to fill it! Use our How much should you save for their uni? calculator so you have an idea.

5. Got credit card debt you can't fully pay off? If you pay interest, try to shift it to interest-free till Aug 2028. If you've built up (further) credit card debt over the summer - all too common as people sometimes take a break from financial discipline while on holiday - don't just leave it at high interest. A 0% balance transfer is where you get a new card that pays off your old cards for you, so you owe it instead, but interest-free for a set period.

• Find which card you've best chance to be accepted for. Our eligibility calc shows your odds of getting each top card BEFORE you apply, minimising applications to protect your credit score.
• Go for the lowest fee with a 0% long enough to clear what you owe. Longer 0% cards usually have bigger one-off balance-transfer fees, so if you can clear quicker, go shorter. Unsure? Play safe & go long.
• Usually rejected when you apply? Our eligibility calc also includes poorer credit scorers' deals, and our free Credit Club (available via the MSE App - download it for Apple or Android) can analyse it for you.

The longest 0% cards include MBNA's up to 34mths 0% (2.99% fee) and Tesco's 34mths 0% (3.45% fee). With Tesco, unlike MBNA, all accepted customers will get the full 0% length. The longest NO-FEE 0% deal is Barclaycard's up to 14mths, though again, Virgin's 13mths has the advantage that all accepted customers will get the full 0%.

If you do get a card, follow my Golden Rules... a) Clear the debt or balance-transfer again before the 0% ends or you'll pay the higher rep APR. b) Never miss the minimum monthly repayment. c) Don't spend/withdraw cash on the card. Full help and info in Best balance transfers.

6. Train delayed on a summer trip (or your regular commute)? Get repaid. If the delay was 15 minutes or more, you could claim up to 100% of ticket costs back. See Delay Repay rights.

7. Is your tax code correct? If not, you could be owed £1,000s. If you're an employee (ie, you work for someone), it's important to understand that legally your tax code is your responsibility to check, not your employer's nor HM Revenue & Customs'. Millions of these are wrong each year. If yours is, you may be overpaying tax and due money back, or underpaying and likely to face bill shock in future. See if it's correct with our Tax Code Checker tool & guide.

Michele did and emailed: "I discovered I was paying on every penny I earned, without any allowance. Likely because I'd been self-employed, but I stopped trading three years ago, and my tax code for my salaried employment was not changed. It took an hour on the phone, but I have never earned so much in an hour, I have now been refunded £9,400! Thank you so much Martin."

8. Print your summer memories for free (or cheap). If you've snaps that deserve more than sitting stored as data, see our round-up of photo-printing deals, including 10 free 6" x 4" photo prints and 50 prints for £4.49.

9. About to (re)start paying for childcare or after-school clubs? 800,000 families are missing out on up to £2,000 of free help. There's a scheme that allows 'working parents' of children aged under 12 (under 17 if they have a disability) who pay for childcare to get £1,000s of financial help. It's got the terribly misleading name of 'Tax-Free Childcare', but don't let that put you off.

You just set up a Tax-Free Childcare account online, then for every 80p you pay in, the state adds 20p on top, up to a max of £500 'free' every three months (£1,000 for some with children with disabilities).

This works even if you're just paying out for childcare via, say, a summer school or after-school classes, as long as they're registered with Ofsted or an equivalent (most are). To qualify as a 'working parent', you, and your partner if you live together, must usually:

- Be employed or self-employed.
- Earn £10,000+ish a year (equivalent to 16hrs a week on min wage).
- Earn under £100,000.01 a year (after pension contributions).
- Not be on Universal Credit (if so, see childcare help through UC).

10. Got a child aged under 5 in England? You can now get up to 30 hours of childcare help. Once your child is nine months old, they can get up to 30 hours of state-funded childcare (often called 'free' childcare) until they're school age. It used to be 15 hours for those under three years old.

To qualify, you (all criteria apply to both if in a couple) must be employed or self-employed, earning from £10,000ish a year (equivalent to 16hrs a week on minimum wage) up to £100,000 a year (after pension contributions). Some who don't qualify may still be able to get 15 hours a week (the link above explains). Also, see what's available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

11. Diarise when your annual travel insurance ends - especially if you've holidays already booked. It's always useful to do this, yet it's critical if you've got a trip booked or you're about to book one, as you could be caught out if something happens that stops you from going on holiday in the time between policies. More help in our cheap travel insurance guides... Annual travel insurance | Over-65s' travel insurance | Pre-existing medical condition travel insurance.

12. Child born between 1 Sept 2002 and 2 Jan 2011? Over half a million people may have forgotten £100s or £1,000s in Child Trust Funds. You (or your child) may have cash lying dormant. It's quick, free and simple to check - watch my 3-minute Child Trust Fund reclaim video briefing as part of our full guide.

13. Find out what you'll take home with our Income Tax Calc. If anything's changed work-wise - a new job, promotion or change of hours - try our Income Tax & National Insurance Calc.

14. Teacher or school staff? Free Headspace, 35% off Ocado, 20% off Wagamama, 5% off Ikea & more. It's back to the classroom, but you can learn how to save with our Discounts for teachers guide.

15. Free car check - oil, battery, wipers etc. (Normally £15.) As the weather turns wetter and colder, there's a way to get Halfords' 10-point car check for free. It examines oil levels, the battery, tyres, wipers and bulbs, and includes a screenwash top-up.

16. Did you (or your child) get a summer job? Claim holiday pay and possible tax back. If you worked over the summer and didn't take time off, you're likely owed. See are you due £100s in missing holiday pay?

Do also check you paid the right tax. If the only work you do is in the summer, you're unlikely to earn enough for your income to be over the standard £12,570 personal allowance for the tax year. Yet employers take tax off as if you'd earn the same each month (or worse, you're put on an emergency tax rate). See reclaim overpaid summer tax.

17. FREE financial education textbook - for you or your kids. Financial education has been on the curriculum for years in all UK nations, but it's currently not compulsory for schools to teach it. (I've been speaking to the curriculum review for England about trying to change this.)

Meanwhile, if your child's school isn't doing it, you can download the free 150-page PDF of the 'Your Money Matters' financial education textbook. It's designed for key stage 4 (so 14- to 16-year-olds), though some younger children may enjoy it... and many grown-ups learn from it too. More suggestions for other ages in our Financial education guide.

18. Got holiday currency left over? Use the 'friends buyback' method. If you've leftover cash, try to find a friend, family member or colleague who's going where you went. Quickly check the exchange rate to find the main market rate and swap at that. You get a better rate than official buyback and they get a better rate than buying.

If you can't find anyone to do this with, our buyback tool on TravelMoneyMax shows where to get the best rates.

19. Overdrawn? See if you can shift Direct Debits to a few days BEFORE you're paid. Move them towards the end of your pay month (eg, if you're paid on the 25th, aim for a few days before), leaving you overdrawn for less time or by a lesser amount to cut costs. Also see nine ways to cut overdraft costs.

20. Before you put your passport and EHIC/GHIC away, check how long they have left on them. Check when you will need to renew your passport now (if it's a while away, get it in your diary to do later). Many countries now have strict validity rules, and if it's due, it's better to be prepared rather than to be in a rush before next summer. While you're at it, check if you need a new EHIC/GHIC (gets free/discounted healthcare in the EU).

21. Don't throw open sun cream away - it may last two more years. There should be a number (eg, 12 or 24) on the back or underside of the bottle next to an image of a lid. The number denotes how many months since it was opened that you can use it for, so write on it when you opened it and you know when it can be used until.

22. And finally... it's time to start saving for Christmas (if you haven't already). While I try to avoid using the C-word this early... it costs some families more than a holiday, so it's hard for most to pay for from December's income alone. Start putting cash aside now - that's better than the nightmare of having to pay each month after Christmas, plus interest, if it puts you in debt. See more saving for Christmas tips, and you could consider a pact to ban unnecessary presents too.