Register to vote – and boost your credit rating

There’s an extra benefit to registering to vote

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In any General Election, the final outcome will have a big impact on your finances, and the election on 4 July 2024 will be no different.

It’s really important that you find out about the issues you care about, financial or not, and work out what your vote will do if your candidate’s party gets the most MPs and it forms a government. Potentially even talk to friends and family about why you’re voting the way you are.

But of course in order to vote, you also need to register. And this registration process has an added financial benefit you might not be aware of.

Why registering to vote will boost your finances

Registering to vote produces a clear record of who you are, where you live and where you’ve previously lived.

And this is key for companies who access your credit report. They want evidence you are who you say you are, and the electoral roll is the best way the credit reference agencies can do this.

So, this means when you apply for a mortgage, credit card, loan or even just a Direct Debit to pay your energy bills, having an accurate address history increases the chances you’ll be successful.

If you’re not registered then the lenders have to look elsewhere for proof of address. This could delay the application or even make it less likely that you get accepted.

It should take 30 days for your credit report to update to reflect that you’ve registered. So if you register ahead of this one, you should see it on your report by July. 

Now, once you’ve registered, subsequently not voting won’t affect your rating, so you don’t have to. But we’d encourage you to carefully read about the issues you care about and try not to get caught up in all the spin (which is easier said than done!).

How to register to vote

You can register by post, or online. All you need is your National Insurance number and a few other basic details. You can also update if you want a postal or proxy vote. 

You can also contact your local registration office to check if you’re already registered.

Deadline to register to vote for the 2024 General Election

You need to register by midnight on Tuesday 18 June 2024.

If you want to vote by post then you have until 5pm on 19 June in England, Scotland and Wales and 5pm on 14 June in Northern Ireland.

You’ll need photo ID for the next General Election

Since May 2023 you’ve needed photo ID when voting in UK elections. That means that for the first time, you’ll need ID at the polls for the 2024 General Election.

There are more than 20 forms of ID accepted, and we’ve rounded up the cheapest ones that you can get ahead of the election in our guide.