Question 1

Is AskBritain an official government service?

Accepted Answer

No. AskBritain is independent. It is not run by, or affiliated with, HM Government or GOV.UK. Answers come from GOV.UK, mygov.scot, Social Security Scotland, GOV.WALES, nidirect and the NHS website (nhs.uk, for NHS services in England), and we link to each page used.

Question 2

Is it free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AskBritain is free, and so are the government services we link to. You never need an account.

Question 3

Is my data stored?

Accepted Answer

We do not store your name or ask you to sign up. Your IP address is turned into a scrambled code (a hash) mixed with the date, so we can apply daily limits. The raw address is never stored. Photos and PDFs you attach are read once to answer your question and never saved. Questions may be kept in anonymous form to reuse answers.

Question 4

How accurate are the answers?

Accepted Answer

Answers are drawn only from official pages, and each fact links to its source. AI can still make mistakes, and rules change, so always check the linked page before you act.

Question 5

Can you give me advice about my situation?

Accepted Answer

We give information, not personal legal, tax, immigration or financial advice. Where the official pages name a free adviser or service, we point you to it.

Question 6

Why use AskBritain instead of asking an AI chatbot directly?

Accepted Answer

General AI chatbots answer from a mix of websites and from what they learned during training, which can be out of date. AskBritain is built for one job: answering UK government questions from official sources only.
- Official sources only: answers come only from GOV.UK, mygov.scot, Social Security Scotland, GOV.WALES, nidirect and the NHS website (nhs.uk, for NHS services in England).
- Every answer shows its sources, so you can check them yourself.
- Checked before you see it: each answer is checked against its sources, and anything not supported is removed.
- Right for where you live: rules often differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and answers show those differences.
- Kept up to date: official pages are refreshed regularly, including when rates change each April.
- Free and private: no adverts and no account. We keep no record that identifies you, and we never sell data.
AskBritain is independent and not run by the UK Government. Always check the official source before you act.

Question 7

Why do I need to choose where I live?

Accepted Answer

Many rules are different in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Choosing your nation means we only use pages that apply to you.

Question 8

Why did I get a list of pages instead of an answer?

Accepted Answer

To keep the service free, there is a daily limit on AI answers. When it is reached we show the most relevant official pages directly.

Question 9

Will you tell me who to vote for?

Accepted Answer

No. We do not give party, candidate, campaign or opinion information. We can explain how to register to vote and how voting works.

Frequently asked questions.