The UK household renewal calendar

The fixed dates

These apply to most UK households. Figures are the latest confirmed when this page was checked.

When	What changes	What to do
1 January	Energy price cap changes for January to March. Ofgem announces the 1 January 2027 cap on or before 25 November 2026.	If you’re on a standard variable tariff, check the new rates against fixed deals.
31 January	Deadline to file an online Self Assessment return and pay the tax owed. For the 2025 to 2026 tax year, it’s 11:59pm on 31 January 2027, according to GOV.UK.	Only if you file a tax return. Gather your figures in early January, not on the 30th.
Late February	Ofgem announces April’s price cap. For 2027, on or before 23 February.	Note whether prices are expected to rise or fall in April.
1 April	Energy price cap changes. Council tax, water and the TV licence go up. Many broadband and mobile contracts rise mid-contract.	Check each bill’s new amount, and your broadband and phone terms (see April, below).
1 July	Energy price cap changes for July to September.	Compare again if you’re on a variable tariff.
Late August	Ofgem announces October’s cap. In 2026, it was announced on 26 August.	Decide whether to fix before winter.
1 October	Energy price cap changes for October to December. In October 2026 it was set at £1,723 a year for an average household paying by Direct Debit.	Take a meter reading on the day, so you’re billed the old rate for what you used before.

Month by month

January

The new price cap starts on the 1st, and Self Assessment returns are due by the 31st. It’s also the easiest month to write down every renewal date for the year ahead, because the letters from last year’s renewals are still recent.

February and March

Ofgem announces April’s cap in late February. Before April, look up your broadband and mobile terms. MoneySavingExpert lists several big providers whose prices rise every April by a fixed amount, such as £4 a month. Under Ofcom rules, contracts taken out from 17 January 2025 must state any mid-contract rise in pounds and pence, not as a percentage linked to inflation, so the rise should be written in your contract.

April

The month most bills go up at once:

• Council tax rose from 1 April 2026. In England, councils can normally raise it by up to 5% without a local referendum, and seven had permission to go higher, according to MoneySavingExpert. Scottish councils’ rises ranged from 4% to 10%. Wales varied by council.
• Water bills in England and Wales were forecast to rise by £33 (5.4%) on average for 2026 to 2027, from £606 to £639, according to Water UK figures reported by MoneySavingExpert. The change shows from your April bill.
• The TV licence went up to £180 a year from 1 April 2026, according to GOV.UK.
• The energy price cap changes on the 1st.

May

Check passports before summer bookings. HM Passport Office’s target for a straightforward renewal is up to three weeks, but that’s a target, not a guarantee, according to MoneySavingExpert. Renewing online costs £102 for an adult on GOV.UK. For EU travel, your passport must be less than 10 years old on the day you arrive and valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave.

Check your GHIC too. It’s free, lasts up to five years, and you can apply for a new one up to nine months before it expires, according to the NHS. Use the official site: unofficial ones may charge a fee.

June to August

The July price cap starts on the 1st, and October’s is announced in late August. If you’re weighing up a fixed energy deal for winter, late summer is when you can see which way prices are heading.

September and October

Book the boiler service before the cold weather, when engineers are busiest with breakdowns. See how often to service a boiler. The October price cap starts on the 1st: take a meter reading that day.

November and December

Ofgem announces January’s cap in late November. December is quiet for renewals, which makes it a good time to check your list for the coming year and set reminders for anything due in January.

Your own dates: when to start

Most of what a household pays for renews on a date set when you first bought it. For these, the renewal date is too late to start. This is when to act:

Renewal	Start	Why
Mortgage fixed rate	6 months before it ends	Lenders who signed the Mortgage Charter let you secure a deal up to six months ahead. Guide
Energy fix	49 days before it ends	No exit fees in the last 49 days, and your supplier writes 42 to 49 days ahead. Guide
Car insurance	3 to 4 weeks before	Quotes are often cheaper a few weeks ahead than the day before. Guide
Home insurance	3 to 4 weeks before	Time to compare and check what’s covered. Guide
Broadband and mobile	When the end-of-contract notice arrives	Providers must tell you before the minimum term ends. Guide
MOT	Up to a month (minus a day) before	You keep the same renewal date, and have time to fix a fail. Guide
Passport	Well before you book travel	Check the EU rules on age and validity, not just the expiry date.

“The fixed dates are easy because everyone talks about them. It’s your own dates that slip, because they’re different for every household and nobody else is keeping track of them.”

A worked example

Take a household whose car insurance renews on 20 June, energy fix ends on 30 September and mortgage fix ends on 31 March 2027. On top of the fixed dates, their year looks like this:

• Late May: car insurance quotes, about 25 days before 20 June.
• 12 August: the energy fix enters its last 49 days, so they can switch without an exit fee. Late August brings October’s price cap announcement to compare against.
• Early October: six months before the mortgage fix ends, they talk to a broker or their lender.

Three dates, each with a few weeks’ room. Missed, the mortgage alone could mean months on the lender’s standard variable rate.

A simple plan

1. List every renewal you have, with its date. Your bank statements and email inbox will turn up most of them.
2. Work out each start date using the table above, not the renewal date.
3. Add the fixed dates that affect you: the four price cap changes, April, and 31 January if you file a tax return.
4. Set reminders for the start dates. For MOTs, you can also sign up to GOV.UK’s free MOT reminders.

For why missing these dates costs money, see the renewal tax.