Martin Lewis has urged millions of households to do 17 things now before bills rise and the current tax year ends in . Everything from to your is set to become more expensive from this spring.

, water and Royal Mail stamps are also going up. Meanwhile, the current tax year is due to end on April 5 - and there are some important checks you need to make now to potentially claim back tax for previous tax year. It is also important to use up your ISA allowance before April 5. first revealed his 17 tips in the latest newsletter.

You only have until April 5 to use up your £20,000 ISA allowance before it resets ahead of the new tax year starting on April 6. The idea of an ISA account, is any interest you make on your savings is free from tax. You can split this allowance across different types of ISAs - for example, Cash ISAs, Stocks and Shares ISAs, Innovative finance ISAs and Lifetime ISAs.

Martin Lewis warned that if you don't use up your ISA allowance, you can't roll it over to the next tax year. He said: "If you're lucky enough to have enough, you can fill up this year's now, add another £20,000 on 6 April, and a year later the same again etc."

There are also ISAs for children under the age of 18 called Junior ISAs - and any money you save into one of these accounts for your child, won't affect your own yearly £20,000 ISA limit. You can save up to £9,000 into a Junior ISA each tax year, and each child has their own Junior ISA limit.

Children can earn £100 in savings interest, or £200 if both parents have given them money, but any money in a JISA is protected from tax. Martin Lewis said: "If you pay tax on savings, and give your kids money, JISAs come into their own."

If you are considering investing, you can invest up to £20,000 in a Stocks and Shares ISA and you don't pay dividend tax or Capital Gains Tax. Like with the other ISAs we've mentioned, you only have until April 5 to max out your allowance before it resets for the new tax year.

Martin Lewis said: "Investing is generally for money put away over the longer term (say, five years plus), in the hopes it'll substantially outperform savings - and while there's no guarantee that'll happen, it really is something many should consider." Have benefits cuts gone too far? Take our poll below and if you can't see it, click

If you're saving for your first home or retirement, a Lifetime ISA lets you put away £4,000 each tax year and you get a 25% bonus on your savings. This means up to £1,000 free each tax year. But you must use your Lifetime ISA to buy your first home or for retirement, or you'll be hit with a 25% penalty on your savings.

Martin Lewis urged savers to check they've used their allowance ahead of the new tax year. He said: "If you've not filled this year's up yet, and have the cash, do it before 5 April."

If you're married, you could be entitled to a tax break worth up to £1,258. Marriage tax allowance allows eligible couples to transfer £1,260 of their personal allowance to their spouse or civil partner to cut their yearly tax bill. Your personal allowance is the amount you can earn tax-free each tax year. The standard rate is currently £12,570 before you start paying tax.

Marriage tax allowance for the current 2024/25 tax year is worth up to £252 and you can also claim back for the last four tax years. If you claim for this tax year and backdate the maximum four years, you'll get up to £1,258. For the current tax year, the higher earner will have their tax code adjusted so they pass less tax, while any tax owed for previous tax years will be sent by cheque.

Martin Lewis urged couples to act now, before you miss out on applying for the 2020/21 tax year. He said: "If you've been eligible since 2020/21, you can backdate it for a total gain of up to £1,260, but go quick, as you must apply for backdating before 5 April or you'll miss the 2020/21 tax year."

If you wear a work uniform, you could be owed tax back if you have to wash, repair or replace it The standard allowance for uniform maintenance is £60, so if you're a basic-rate taxpayer, you'll get 20% of this £60 back, which works out at £12. For higher-rate taxpayers, you get 40% of this back, so £24.

Martin Lewis said: "Go quick to backdate to the 2020/21 tax year via free help."

Millions of people are on the wrong tax code and could be entitled to money back from HMRC. The most common code for the current tax year is 1257L for people who have one job or pension. You can apply for a refund going back the last four tax years. You should check your payslip first, then contact HMRC if you think your tax code is wrong.

Martin Lewis said: "It's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, not HM Revenue & Customs', nor your employer's, to check whether it's wrong, and if it is, it can mean you're overpaying and are due cash back."

If you've had a PPI payout, you may also be owed tax on top of this. This is because most people had tax taken off the "statutory interest" that was included, and can claim this back. To reclaim any tax you're due on PPI payouts, you'll need to fill out the R40 form on .

Like with incorrect tax codes and work uniform tax rebates, Martin Lewis explained you can claim back for the last four tax years. He said: "There were still many payouts in the 2020/21 tax year, the year you're about to lose the ability to claim tax back for."

Your entitlement to the state pension is dependent on your National Insurance record. If you have gaps in your record, then you may not be entitled to the full amount of state pension. At the moment, you can buy missing National Insurance years dating back to 2006 - but after April 5, you will only be able to go back six tax years. It generally costs around £824 to buy a missing class 1 National Insurance year.

Martin Lewis explained how one reader boosted their state pension by £118,000, based on if they live 20 years claiming the state pension, by purchasing 18 years of missing class 2 National Insurance contributions, which cost £2,968. He said: "It'll be incredibly lucrative for some."

are rising again from April 1, with the Ofgem energy price cap set to increase by 6.4%. It means the average dual fuel household paying by direct debit will see their annual energy bill increase from £1,738 a year to £1,849 - a rise of £111 a year, or £9.25 a month. The exact amount you will pay depends on how much gas and electricity you use.

recommended comparing prices and locking into a cheap fix now to . He said: "As the current cheapest fixes are 7% below today's price cap, they're 13% cheaper than the average cost of April's price cap, so use our to see what's out there for you."

Stamp prices are going up from April 7. The cost of a first-class stamp will climb to £1.70, a 5p increase, while second-class stamps will be 87p, a 2p rise. It means first-class stamps have more than doubled in price in the last five years, after they cost just 76p in 2020.

However, you can beat the price rise by stocking up on stamps now. Martin Lewis said: "Buy now and they're valid after, and they're unlikely to drop in price, so stock up on all you'll need in future now."

The stamp duty thresholds in England and Northern Ireland are going back to their lower levels from April 1, which means thousands of first-time buyers and homemovers face paying thousands of pounds more if they complete on a property sale after this date.

If you're not a first-time buyer, you currently pay stamp duty if the property you're buying is your only home and is worth over £250,000. This higher rate was introduced in September 2022 but is due to be reduced to its previous level of £125,000. If you're a first-time buyer in England and Wales, you pay stamp duty if the property you're buying is worth over £425,000 - but this will go back down to £300,000.

Water bills will also rise from April 1 - with the average person set to see their annual cost increase by £123. The average water and wastewater bill will rise from £480 to £603 for the next year alone - a rise of around 25%. However millions of households face even steeper rises, for example, Southern Water customers have been told they will see a 47% increase.

Martin Lewis has recommended checking if you'd save money by installing a water meter. He said: "More bedrooms in your home than people (eg, three bedrooms, two people), or the same number? If so, a water meter is likely to save you cash."

The majority of households in England will see their council tax bill rise by 5% from April 1. Some councils have been given special permission to introduce bigger hikes - for example, City of Bradford residents will see their council tax rise by 10%. In the current tax year, 2024-25, council tax on a typical band D property in England is an average of £2,171.

Martin Lewis urged households to check if they're missing out on a council tax discount - for example, you get 25% off if you live alone - and to also see if you've accidentally been placed on too high of a council tax band. He said: "Are you one of up to 400,000 in the wrong band? If yours is too high, you could be due a backdated payout of £1,000s plus a lower bill."

Broadband and mobile companies must now tell customers in "pounds and pence" how much their contract will rise by each year, instead of linking it to inflation. But if you're on an older contract, you may still find your price rise is linked to inflation. This means some people will still see their bills rise by between 6% and 7.5% from April 1.

The best way to lower your broadband and mobile bill, is to either haggle down your current provider, or compare prices to find a better deal elsewhere. Martin Lewis said: "The solution is to grab a new contract. Not only will the price often be less than half of what you pay now, you'll usually know if and when it'll rise, and by exactly how much."

Martin Lewis explained how, as a general rule, your child should be entitled to free school meals in England, if your household income is under £7,400, not counting any benefits. You need to apply before March 31 so your child keeps receiving free school meals - otherwise you'll have to apply again.

The money expert warned: "If you do it after April, the rules change and it's likely to mean more regular eligibility checks (the Govt. won't confirm exactly what this means)."

The rules for the Help to Save account are changing from April - and it means more people will qualify for this account. Help to Save is a savings account that is issued by the Government for some people claiming or Tax Credits. It allows you to put away between £1 and £50 each month - and for every £1 you save, you get 50p back, which is a 50% return on your money.

The account lasts four years with bonuses paid after the second and fourth years of the account being opened. If you're able to save the maximum of £50 each month, you will have saved £2,400 by the end of the four years and accrued £1,200 in bonuses from the Government.

Under current rules, you can only open a Help to Save account if you, or you with your partner, if you have a joint claim, had a take-home pay of £722.45 or more in your last monthly assessment period. But from April 6, anyone who claims Universal Credit and earns at least £1 from work will be able to open a Help to Save account. Martin Lewis said: "It's very much worth a look at."

READ MORE: