This guide provides a brief introduction to the UK public finances and to the terms used to describe them in the official statistics. In doing so authors are looking at the finances of the public sector as a whole – which encompasses not just central government, but also the devolved administrations, local councils and public corporations. The figures presented in this guide are taken from our March 2017 forecast, which covers the five fiscal years up to 2021-22. Each fiscal year runs from April to March.