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Financial Education

Give your team the confidence to master their money

Money worries follow people to work. Give your team a flexible budget for financial coaching, budgeting tools and courses, plus tax-free Retirement Guidance, so they can plan with confidence.

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The money stress gap
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Money worries don't clock out

Almost a third (31%) of UK employees say money worries have hurt their performance at work, rising to 37% among those earning under £40,000. And one in four UK adults has low financial resilience.

You can't fix every bill. But you can give your team the knowledge and support to take control, on their terms.

Sources: CIPD Good Work Index 2025; FCA Financial Lives survey

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Complex tax law.
Simple software.

Your CFO fears audits. Your HR team fears paperwork. SideUp eliminates both with a fully automated compliance engine.

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What's covered

Real help, not another webinar

Every employee's finances look different. Let them choose the support that fits where they are right now.

01

Financial coaching

One-to-one sessions with a coach or financial planner.

02

Budgeting tools

Money management and budgeting app subscriptions.

03

Courses & workshops

Personal finance, investing basics and saving for a first home.

04

Debt advice

Help building a plan to manage and pay down debt.

Money coaching or Retirement Guidance? Here's how HMRC sees it

Most financial education is taxable. Guidance on pensions is the exception, up to £500 a year. Here's the difference in plain English, and where SideUp fits in.

Their choice

Financial Education budget

Lifestyle benefit

Taxable

What it covers

Financial coaching, budgeting apps, personal finance courses and debt advice.

How it works

You set a budget. Employees pay eligible providers with their SideUp card.

SideUp's role

Runs the whole benefit for you.

For their retirement

Retirement Guidance

Section 308C ITEPA 2003

Tax-free, up to £500 a year

What it covers

Advice on pensions, including the general financial and tax issues around saving for retirement, on any of their pensions.

How SideUp keeps it tax-free

Capped at £500. Per employee, per tax year. Anything above that is taxable.

Open to everyone. Every employee, or every employee at a location, can use it.

Pensions only. General money coaching sits in the Lifestyle budget instead.

SideUp's role

Runs Retirement Guidance as its own pot, tracked against the £500 limit.

A summary, not tax advice. Check your arrangement with a tax adviser.

See How SideUp Works in 4 Easy Steps

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01.

Choose your benefits

Decide which benefits you want to offer and who they apply to.
02.

Implement your policy

Set your budget, eligibility rules, and spending limits. Our platform handles the compliance and guardrails automatically.

03.

Connect to payroll

Seamlessly integrate with your existing payroll provider. We handle the tax implications and reporting for you.

04.

Join the SideUp platform

Invite your team. They get their cards, you get the credit for being an amazing employer. Everyone wins.

Set it up once. Watch their confidence grow.

Most spending happens on the card, so there's almost nothing to chase. Here's how it works, from day one.

  1. 1

    Add your employees

    Sync your team from your HR system, or add them manually. Either way, it takes minutes.

  2. 2

    Set up your programme

    Choose your benefits, decide when they're paid out, and pick how your company funds them.

  3. 3

    We invite your team

    SideUp emails each employee an invitation to the app. Once they've completed onboarding, their card is issued.

  4. 4

    Manage it month by month

    Track spend and take-up, and keep your compliance information in one place, ready whenever you need it.

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Retirement Guidance session

Tax-free, up to £500 a year

£150.00

Budgeting app

Monthly plan

£7.99

Retirement Guidance this tax year

£150 of £500

Illustrative example

REAL IMPACT, MEASURED IN RESULTS

The numbers don't lie

Based on SideUp’s internal research comparing clients with vs. without flexible stipends. When you give employees choice, the numbers speak for themselves.

eNPS Points
+35
eNPS Points
Clients using SideUp consistently score +35 points higher than those relying on standard perks.
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Profit
+ 23%
Profit
Employees who are happy with their benefits are more productive and can increase a company’s revenue by up to 23%.
ROI
10x
ROI
For every $1 spent on SideUp stipends, companies save $10 in retention costs and productivity gains.
The SideUp Marketplace

Every pound goes further. And stays local.

Our marketplace brings your team closer to the independent cafés, gyms, shops and services in their own neighbourhood. When they spend their SideUp budget there, they unlock exclusive discounts and freebies, so the same benefit buys more.

✓

Exclusive discounts for SideUp members

✓

Freebies and extras from local partners

✓

Your benefits budget, backing local businesses

A Saturday on the high street

The Corner Café

£8.95

Marketplace discount

−£1.35

Northside Yoga Studio

£12.00

Free mat hire

Freebie

Saved this month

£9.60

Illustrative example

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about financial education benefits in the UK.

What is a financial education benefit?

A budget from your company for financial coaching, money management tools and courses that help employees feel more confident with their finances.

Is a financial education benefit taxable?

As a rule, yes. Financial Education is a Lifestyle benefit, so it's treated as a taxable benefit. There's one important exception: Retirement Guidance.

Is Retirement Guidance tax-free?

Yes, up to £500 per employee per tax year, under section 308C ITEPA 2003. It covers advice on pensions and the general financial and tax issues around them, as long as it's open to all your employees, or all employees at a location. Anything above £500 in a tax year is taxable.

What can employees spend it on?

Sessions with a financial coach or planner, budgeting and money management apps, personal finance courses and workshops, and debt advice. You choose which categories are eligible.

How much should we offer?

You decide. Set a monthly or annual Financial Education budget per employee, and a separate Retirement Guidance pot of up to £500 a year if you'd like to offer it tax-free.

Does it help with retention?

Yes. Money worries show up at work as lost focus and time off, and financially stressed employees are more likely to look elsewhere. Helping them feel in control pays off in focus and loyalty.

How does SideUp handle it?

Employees pay eligible coaches, apps, course providers and pension advisers with their SideUp card. Financial Education and Retirement Guidance are tracked separately and automatically.

Help your team feel good about money

Turn money worries into financial confidence.

Because when employees feel in control of their finances, they show up more focused, committed and ready to stay. Book a demo to see Financial Education in action.