The UK household renewal calendar
A month-by-month map of every UK household renewal — MOT, insurance, energy, council tax, passports — with the lead time to set for each one.
On this page
Nobody can hold twenty renewal dates in their head — and in most families, one person is trying to. This is the full map of a UK household’s renewal year: what renews, how often, how much warning you get, and when to be reminded. Use it once to build your own list; after that the list does the remembering.
Every renewal, with its rules and lead time
| Renewal | Cycle | Warning you get | Set reminder | The rule that bites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car insurance | Annual | Renewal notice 3–4 weeks before (must show last year’s price) | 4 weeks | Auto-renews; a gap = uninsured car (stop auto-renewal) |
| MOT | Annual | Nothing unless you set it | 4 weeks | Test up to a month (minus a day) early and keep the anniversary (early MOT) |
| Road tax (VED) | 6 or 12 months | DVLA reminder (V11) ~3 weeks before | 3 weeks | Can’t tax without a valid MOT; expired = automatic fine; doesn’t transfer with the car |
| Breakdown cover | Annual | Renewal notice | 3 weeks | New-customer prices far below renewal (pay less) |
| Home insurance | Annual | Renewal notice 3–4 weeks before | 4 weeks | Same FCA no-loyalty-penalty rule as motor; check cover changes |
| Mortgage deal | 2, 3 or 5 years | Lender letter ~6 months before | 6 months | Reverting to SVR costs hundreds/month; new rates lockable 6 months out (when to remortgage) |
| Energy fixed tariff | 12–24 months | Supplier notice 42–49 days before | 7 weeks | Exit fees waived in the last 49 days; price cap changes 1 Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct (fixed deal ending) |
| Broadband | 12–24 months | End-of-contract notice 10–40 days before | 6 weeks | Out-of-contract rate for the same service; One Touch Switch (check your end date) |
| Mobile | 12–24 months | End-of-contract notice 10–40 days before | 6 weeks | Same rules as broadband (out of contract) |
| Council tax | Annual, from April | Bill in March | March | Miss an instalment → 7 days → whole year due (missed council tax) |
| TV Licence | Annual | Renewal letter/email | 2 weeks | £180 from April 2026; evasion is a criminal offence (who needs one) |
| Boiler cover / warranties | Annual | Renewal notice | 3 weeks | Renewal often 30–50% above new-customer price (boiler cover) |
| Life / income protection | Ongoing, review yearly | None | Annual review | Cover should track mortgage and dependants, not stay static |
| Pet insurance | Annual | Renewal notice | 3 weeks | FCA loyalty rule doesn’t apply; switching excludes existing conditions (pet renewals) |
| Travel insurance (annual) | Annual | Often auto-renews | 3 weeks | Check destinations and activities still covered (auto-renewal check) |
| Adult passport | 10 years | None | 6 months | Usually ≤ 3 weeks but no guaranteed date; EU 10-year/3-month rule (renewal times) |
| Child passport | 5 years | None | 6 months | Same, twice as often (child passports) |
| GHIC | 5 years | None | 6 months | Free; 15 working days; renew up to 9 months early (GHIC) |
| Driving licence photocard | 10 years | DVLA reminder (if address is current) | 2 months | £1,000 fine for an out-of-date photocard; free address change (renew photocard) |
| Driving licence at 70 | Every 3 years | DVLA reminder ~90 days before | 3 months | Free; must renew to keep driving (at 70) |
| Subscriptions | Monthly / annual | Rarely | Annual audit | Annual plans renew silently — audit once a year (subscription audit) |
The year, month by month
- January — Energy price cap changes (1 Jan). Tax return deadline (31 Jan) if you self-assess or pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge. Quiet month to do the one-hour renewal audit.
- February — Broadband/mobile providers announce April price rises; end-of-contract notices for April-ending deals arrive.
- March — Council tax bill for the year ahead. Check the band and any discounts. Insurance premiums often peak seasonally — quote early.
- April — Tax year starts (6 Apr). Council tax instalments begin. TV Licence fee changes (1 Apr). Energy price cap changes (1 Apr). Child Benefit and most benefits uprate. Most telecoms price rises land.
- May–June — Passport demand peaks: check every family passport before booking summer travel. Travel insurance and GHIC check. Many car insurance anniversaries (spring purchases).
- July — Energy price cap changes (1 Jul). School-year admin: uniform, clubs, term dates into the shared calendar.
- August — Summer holidays; nothing renews, everything gets forgotten. Good month to renew passports ahead of next year.
- September — New school year. Nursery/childcare funding reconfirmation. Mortgage deals taken in autumn 2–5 years ago start ending.
- October — Energy price cap changes (1 Oct). Heating season: boiler cover and home emergency renewals; clocks change.
- November — Black Friday subscription traps; check annual plans that renewed “free trial → paid”. Christmas travel: passport validity check.
- December — Insurance renewals for December purchases; set January reminders. Review life cover and will if the family changed this year.
Building your own list
For each renewal, record five things: what, provider and reference, renewal date, cost, and lead time (from the table). Then set the reminder at the lead time, not the date — a reminder on the day is a bill, not a decision. Keep it somewhere both partners can see; the shared household admin guide explains why that one change prevents most misses.
In short
A UK household has 15–25 renewals a year, clustered around April, summer travel and each policy’s anniversary. Record date, provider, cost and lead time for every one in a single place both of you can see, set reminders at the lead time (6 months for passports and mortgages, 4–7 weeks for insurance, MOT, energy and telecoms), and the calendar runs itself.
Frequently asked questions
Are most renewals annual?
Yes: car and home insurance, MOT, road tax (6 or 12 months), TV Licence, breakdown cover and pet insurance run yearly. Energy fixes are often 12 months; broadband and mobile 12–24 months; mortgage deals 2–5 years; passports 10 years (adult) and 5 (child); GHIC 5 years; driving licence photocard 10 years.
When does the UK tax year start, and why does April matter so much?
The tax year runs 6 April to 5 April. Council tax bills for the year ahead arrive in March for April; the TV Licence fee changes on 1 April; Ofgem’s energy price cap changes on 1 April (and 1 January, 1 July, 1 October); many broadband and mobile price rises land in April. It’s the month to check everything.
How far ahead should reminders be?
Long enough to act, not just to notice: passports 6 months; mortgage deal 6 months (you can lock a new rate that early); car/home insurance 4 weeks (quotes are cheapest 3–4 weeks out); broadband/mobile 6 weeks (the end-of-contract notice arrives 10–40 days before); MOT 4 weeks (you can test up to a month early and keep the date); energy fix 7 weeks (you can switch penalty-free in the last 49 days).
What’s the easiest way to keep track?
One shared list, with each renewal’s date, provider, cost and reference, and a reminder at the lead time. Paper works; a shared calendar works; the DueOwl app is built for exactly this, with both partners seeing the same list.
Which renewals are the most expensive to miss?
Car insurance (uninsured car = fine and points, even parked), MOT (no valid MOT invalidates insurance and blocks road tax), road tax (automatic fines), council tax (7-day reminder then the whole year due), mortgage deal end (reverting to the standard variable rate can cost hundreds a month) and passports (fast-track fees or a lost holiday).
Sources & last checked
- Vehicle tax, MOT and insurance — GOV.UK
- Getting an MOT — GOV.UK
- Council Tax — GOV.UK
- TV Licence — GOV.UK
- Energy price cap — Ofgem
- Are you in or out of contract? — Ofcom
Last checked against official sources: 26 August 2026.