The new year is almost upon us and you may have started filling in your phone planner for 2025 or scribbling key dates on next year's family calendar. But it's not just birthdays, weddings and get-togethers to keep in mind - there are various bits of life admin (some nice, others not-so-nice) to grapple with in 2025.
To make things a little easier, Guardian Money has a month-by-month guide to sorting out your finances.
(Though of course, if you are really keen, there's nothing to stop you getting stuck into some of these earlier in the year.)
January
Sort out your self-assessment form (if you haven't already)
More than 12 million people need to file a self-assessment tax return for 2023-24, and the deadline for filing is midnight on 31 January 2025. (Although you could do it now: for example, 25,593 people filed their return on New Year's Eve last year.)
If your affairs aren't complex, then don't be daunted. The online process is straightforward and fairly intuitive - for some, it can take as little as 20-30 minutes to file a return - and HM Revenue and Customs offers lots of online help and YouTube videos to assist people, including first-time filers.
If you can't pay what you owe in full by 31 January, you may be able to pay in instalments over 12 months by setting up a payment plan. "If you owe less than £30,000, you may be able to do this online without speaking to us - our YouTube video explains how and will guide you through each step," HMRC says.
February
Give your pension some love
Review your pension at least once a year to make sure you are on track to meet your retirement goals.
If you are saving into a "defined contribution" pension (the most common type), your provider must send you an annual statement, so if you have not had one for a while, ask.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 28, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 28, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
New year refresh A month-by-month guide to sorting out your finances
Rupert Jones and Hilary Osborne offer a checklist of the vital tasks you need to tackle throughout the year, from filing your tax return to making the most of your holiday cash
Lost in music How Britain's clubs are disappearing fast - and why they are worth rescuing
When the patrons of Watford's Przym nightclub celebrated New Year's Eve a year ago, they were marking the end of an era - or rather, seven eras.
Nissan shares down 15% as investors react to plan for merger
Shares in the Japanese carmaker Nissan have taken their biggest fall since August's stock market sell-off, as investors turned their attention to the company's planned tie-up with domestic rivals Honda and Mitsubishi.
Climbing out of trouble? Rise in share price suggests BA's turbulent days may be over
It's been a long and turbulent time since anyone used British Airways' old slogan \"the world's favourite airline\" with a straight face.
North-south divide flips as EU's periphery beats core economies
The European Central Bank is facing a tough balancing act in 2025, trying to navigate a reversal of fortunes in eurozone economies as the hardest-hit nations of the 2010s debt crisis outperform the traditional core.
Number of retailers on the brink of collapse up by 25%
Footfall levels up 18% on Christmas Eve compared with last year.
London-listed mining company halts operations in Mozambique
The London-listed mining company Gemfields said yesterday it had temporarily halted its ruby mining operation in Mozambique after groups \"took advantage\" of political unrest to attempt to invade and set fire to its site, resulting in two deaths.
Aid convoy reaches besieged area of Sudanese capital
An aid convoy has reached a besieged area of Khartoum for the first time since Sudan's civil war broke out in April 2023, bringing food and medicines in a country where half of the people are at risk of starvation.
Mexico The mayor who turned wasteland into a utopia
Mexico City's mayor, Clara Brugada, has never been afraid to court controversy and has taken some imaginative steps in her efforts to undo decades of economic and cultural inequality.
Crisis on cat island On Aoshima, is time finally running out for human and feline inhabitants?
The reason for Aoshima's nickname is clear before we set foot on the island.
