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UK life admin, sorted

Got a letter, bill or deadline you don’t understand?

Sorted tells you what it means, what matters and what to do next, using the official rules for where you live. Then it helps you keep track until it’s done.

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Action neededExample, made-up details

Council Tax reminder

Applies to
England
Deadline
7 days from the reminder

Do this next

Pay the missed instalment, or contact your council before the 7 days end to agree what you can afford.

Money to checkCouncil Tax ReductionDiscounts you may be due

Sourcelegislation.gov.uk · Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992

  • Official sources on every rule
  • England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
  • Mistakes corrected in public
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How Sorted answers

One clear next step, and the rule it comes from

Five everyday problems, worked through the way Sorted does it. The details are made up; the rules and sources are real and were checked on 29 September 2026.

Council tax reminder

Action needed“I got a council tax reminder and can’t pay by Friday.”

Council Tax reminder for a missed instalment

Applies to
England (Wales and Scotland have their own rules; Northern Ireland has rates, not council tax)
Deadline
7 days from the reminder

Do this next

Pay the missed instalment within 7 days, or contact your council before then and ask for an arrangement you can afford.

Prepare my message to the council

If you do nothing: you can lose the right to pay by instalments, the rest of the year’s bill can become due, and the council can ask a court for a summons, which adds costs.

SourceCouncil Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 · legislation.gov.uk · England · Checked 29 Sep 2026

Benefit decision

Deadline“DWP says I don’t get PIP any more.”

PIP decision: not awarded

Applies to
England and Wales (Scotland: Adult Disability Payment. Northern Ireland: Department for Communities)
Deadline
Usually 1 month from the date on the decision letter

Do this next

Ask DWP for a mandatory reconsideration before the month ends.

Draft my reconsideration request

If you do nothing: the decision stands, and you cannot appeal to a tribunal until you have asked for a mandatory reconsideration.

SourceChallenge a benefit decision (mandatory reconsideration) · GOV.UK · Great Britain · Checked 29 Sep 2026

Energy bill

Action needed“My energy supplier says I owe £420 and I can’t pay it.”

Energy bill arrears

Applies to
Great Britain, regulated by Ofgem (Northern Ireland: Utility Regulator)
Deadline
The date on your supplier’s letter

Do this next

Contact your supplier and ask for a payment plan, payment break or reduction based on what you can afford.

Prepare what to say

If you do nothing: the debt can grow and your supplier can take further steps to recover it.

SourceGet help with your home or business energy bills · Ofgem · Great Britain · Checked 29 Sep 2026

Wages not paid

Deadline“My boss hasn’t paid me for my last two weeks.”

Missing pay: possible unlawful deduction from wages

Applies to
England, Scotland and Wales (Northern Ireland has its own system)
Time limit
3 months less a day to start a claim, or 6 months less a day if the time limit starts on or after 1 October 2026

Do this next

Write to your employer asking for the missing pay, with the dates and amounts.

Draft my letter to my employer

If you do nothing: the time limit can run out. Before any tribunal claim you must contact Acas for early conciliation, which pauses the clock.

SourceEmployment tribunal time limits · Acas · England, Scotland and Wales · Checked 29 Sep 2026

Faulty purchase

Deadline“The washing machine I bought 2 weeks ago has stopped working.”

Faulty goods: short-term right to reject

Applies to
UK-wide (Consumer Rights Act 2015)
Deadline
30 days from when you got it, for a full refund

Do this next

Tell the seller the item is faulty and that you are rejecting it for a full refund.

Draft my message to the seller

If you wait: after 30 days the seller can usually try a repair or replacement first.

SourceConsumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 · legislation.gov.uk · UK · Checked 29 Sep 2026

How it works

From confusing letter to finished

  1. Understand

    What the letter or problem actually is, in plain English.

  2. Check

    The official rule, the UK nation it applies to, and the source.

  3. Act

    One clear next step, with a letter ready for you to send yourself.

  4. Track

    Save it to My Sorted with the deadline and a follow-up date.

  5. Resolve

    Record what happened, so you have the full history.

Start here

What’s in front of you?

A letter I don’t understandWho sent it, what it means, what to do. Money I might be missingBenefits, discounts and support to check. Bills or debts I can’t payYour options and who can help for free. Council tax and council servicesReminders, reductions and disputes. A message that might be a scamCheck it before you click or pay. A problem at workPay, dismissal, grievances and time limits.

Browse everything from A to Z

Money you may be missing

Every main UK benefit and grant, in one place

With 2026 to 2027 rates, who can get each one and how to claim, for all four UK nations. Every entry links to its official page.

55benefits and statutory paymentsSee benefits 108grants and one-off paymentsSee grants

My Sorted

Keep track until it’s done

My Sorted turns a problem into a case with steps, so nothing slips.

  • See what needs you today and what’s coming next
  • Deadlines and follow-up dates for each case
  • Letters filled in from your case, ready for you to send
  • A timeline of what you sent and what they said

Open My Sorted

ResolvedExample case, made-up details

Council tax: missed instalment

  1. Council tax reminder added
  2. 7-day deadline saved
  3. Message to the council prepared and sent
  4. Council replied
  5. Payment arrangement agreed

Everything on SortedUK

Every guide and tool, by topic

All 403 pages, grouped so you can find the one you need. Open a topic or type a word to filter.

403 pages
Urgent help7
About SortedUK and trust32
Benefits, grants and support55
Housing and renting22
Debt and money problems17
Energy, water and bills11
Work and employment35
Consumer rights and scams19
Family and children15
Health and disability13
Pensions, later life and bereavement12
Tax, savings and business26
Driving, travel and documents18
Council and local11
Letters, courts and legal11
Tools and calculators5
More guides94

Trust

Why you can rely on what Sorted says

Official sources, shown

Rules link to the government, regulator or legislation page they come from.

Our sources

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What each tool needs, sends and stores, in one place.

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No ads. No affiliate commissions. SortedUK is not a government body; the organisation that wrote to you makes the official decision. Run by CA Capital Limited, company number 10848369, ICO registration C1968991.

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What SortedUK helps with

What SortedUK helps with

SortedUK is a free, independent UK service for the paperwork and problems that come with everyday life in Britain. If you have had a letter you do not understand, a bill you cannot pay, or a decision you think is wrong, this is where you find out what it means and what to do next.

Letters, money and rights. Paste or photograph anything from HMRC, the DWP, your council, a court or a debt firm and get it back in plain English — what it is, how urgent it is, the real deadline and the safest next step. An estimated £24.1 billion in income-related benefits and social tariffs goes unclaimed each year across Great Britain (Policy in Practice, Missing Out 2025), so Sorted also checks benefits, Council Tax Reduction, grants and refunds against your circumstances, and helps you trace money you have lost track of.

Wherever you live in the UK. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run many of these systems themselves, under different names, through different departments, at different rates. Most UK help sites quietly give you England's answer. Ours does not. Guides on eviction notices, work grievances, county court judgments, NHS health costs and Work Capability Assessments each carry the date we last checked them and a link to the primary source.

Free to use, Free account - no card needed to start, and independent — SortedUK is not a government body. What we can and cannot do · How we check things