Money Box

BBC Radio 4
  • 4.1 (21)
  • Business
  • Semiweekly

The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money.

  1. 7h ago

    Capita Investigation and ISA changes

    In an exclusive interview the National Audit Office tells Money Box it hopes its investigation into Capita will begin a process of improvement. It's the latest development in a near year-long scandal that has seen tens of thousands of former and current civil servants face long delays in being paid money they are owed. After, in many cases, decades of dedicated public service. Capita has said it will cooperate with the investigation and that it accepts that performance remains below the standards that scheme members and the Government rightly expect. It's less than six months until major reforms in the rules for ISAs. The popular savings and investments plans are free of income and Capital Gains tax and up to £20,000 a year can be put into them in cash, investments, or a mixture of the two. From April no more than £12,000 can be put into a cash ISA by anyone under the age of 65. If they want to use the rest of their allowance they must put the remaining £8,000 of their ISA allowance into investments - such as stocks and shares. And as annuities reach an 18 year high - how do they work and what should you consider before getting one? Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm Saturday 17th October 2026)

  2. 2d ago

    Money Box Live: Capita, What Went Wrong?

    In this special episode of Money Box Live, we look at what is going on with Capita, which administers millions of people's pensions. Widows left without, newly retired people with no idea when they will get their money, just some of the cases being sent to the Money Box inbox. There have been repeated promises from Capita and the government that these problems would be fixed, yet deadlines pass and the delays remain. In this episode we hear from those people putting thier plans on hold, burning through their savings or even planning to go back to work whilst they wait for the backlog to clear. Capita told us, “We are sorry for the impact service issues have had on members. Despite good operational progress, we recognise there is more to do. We are working closely with the Cabinet Office to resolve outstanding cases and restore the service to the standard members should expect.” The Cabinet Office, which is ultimately responsibility for the pension scheme told us, "The service levels following the move to Capita have been completely unacceptable. Our immediate priority is to stabilise the service to give current and former Civil Servants the service they deserve." Joining us, Fran Heathcote, General Secretary at the Public and Commercial Services Union, and Sir Geoffry Clifton Brown, Conservative MP and Chair of the Public Accounts Committee. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers Reporter: Dan Whitworth Editor: Jess Quayle Senior Editor: Sara Wadeson (This episode was first broadcast on Wednesday the 14th of October 2026).

  3. 6d ago

    State Pension Age and Louise Botting Tribute

    The State Pension age went up again this week as part of its gradual shift from 66 years old to 67. The law says it will rise again to 68 by 2046, but that may change. A State Pension Age Review, the third to be held, is considering whether the rules around state pension age are appropriate in the light of the latest life expectancy data and will recommend how state pension age should be determined in the future. We'll speak to Dr Suzy Morrissey, who was appointed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions last year to prepare an independent report into the future of the State Pension age. Louise Botting, the former presenter of Money Box, has died at the age of 87 after a short illness. We'll pay tribute. Average mortgage rates hit a three year high this week affecting millions of homes owners looking to remortgage and people hoping to buy their first home. What's the best advice? And, the Bank of England has picked the animals to appear on the next series of bank notes. The hedgehog, barn owl, puffin and bumblebee were chosen after a public vote - with almost half a million people responding to a consultation. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researchers: Catherine Lund and Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm Saturday 10th October 2026)

  4. Nov 4

    Money Box Live: Care costs, will you pay less?

    One of the biggest financial questions facing families as they get older is: who pays for care if it's needed? Costs can vary significantly depending on where you live. In England, the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has promised a National Care Service which includes free personal care in the home. Personal care is already free at the point of use in Scotland, in Wales the cost is capped at £100 a week whilst in Northern Ireland it's means tested. When home help isn't enough, the next move might be care home, and figures suggest that costs £67,496 per year on average in the UK according to the directory carehome.co.uk. But who pays the bills and how do you find out what you're entitled to? In this episode, Felicity Hannah will be looking at what the rules are now and how they might change, as well as taking questions around selling the family home and care annuities. Joining the programme are Claire Rintoul, the CEO of Sheffcare, a charity which operates 9 care homes, Independent Financial Advisor Jonathan Rowley from the Society of Later Life Advisors, and Fiona Collie from the charity Carers Scotland. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle Senior Editor: Sara Wadeson (This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday the 7th of October, 2026)

  5. Oct 31

    Pension Inheritance Tax and Access to Work

    It's six months until changes bringing unspent pension pots into Inheritance Tax come into force. From 6th April, any money left in pension pots will be added to the rest of the deceased’s estate and be liable for Inheritance Tax. This will be due if the total estate exceeds the threshold where the tax begins, which can be as low as £325,000. At the moment pension funds can be passed to heirs free of Inheritance Tax. The government has said that pension funds were being used not to live on in retirement but to pass wealth on to heirs tax-free instead. What might this mean for your plans? Criminals stole more than £900 million from tens of thousands of victims of investment fraud in the last financial year according to the latest report from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. The amount stolen was up a fifth and the number of victims also jumped up - by a staggering 37%. This is why the National Crime Agency has this week started a campaign aimed at cutting this most devastating of crimes. And, why are some disabled people who already receive support through the government’s Access to Work scheme having their funding reduced or removed? Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Jo Krasner and Amber Mehmood Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast on Radio 4 at 12pm Saturday 3rd October 2026)

  6. Oct 28

    Money Box Live: Unmarried Couples and Their Cash

    Cohabiting couples are the fastest-growing family type in the UK. There are three and a half million couples living together without being married or in a civil partnership. Sharing a home, and perhaps a family and finances, is a huge commitment, you might assume that years of living like this would give you similar protection to a married couple. But in England and Wales, it doesn’t. However, big changes could be on the way, the government is planning to give cohabiting couples more rights when it comes to property and finances and has been consulting on what that might look like. There are already frameworks in place for those living in Scotland and Ireland. In Northern Ireland there are fewer protections. Felicity Hannah is joined by Hannah Saxe, a specialist family solicitor at Brabners law firm who also sits on Resolution’s National Cohabitation Committee and Laura Suter, director of personal finance at AJ Bell. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (This episode was first broadcast on Wednesday the 30th of September, 2026)

  7. Oct 24

    Boost Your Workplace Pension and Winter Fuel Opt Out

    Almost half of people in work don't know how much their employer is contributing to their workplace pension. That is one finding from a survey by the consumer group Which? It also found that people looking for a new job are more likely to value things like holiday allowance and flexible working than what the employer paid into their pension. What can be done to help the hundreds of thousands of low income pensioners who're missing out on benefits they're entitled to? We'll hear from one pensioner on the Isle of Wight who boosted her income by nearly £400 per month after finding out she qualified for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction. If you're a pensioner due to receive the Winter Fuel Payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland you have until 20th September to opt out if you want to. And, the UK's biggest lenders put up mortgage rates. What’s the best advice for first-time buyers or those who need to refix their deal?   Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researchers: Catherine Lund and Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm on Saturday 12th September 2026)

  8. Oct 23

    AI Money Advice and Heating Oil Costs Rise

    New research published this week found that free AI chatbots gave inaccurate answers to financial questions more than half of the time. This research was carried out by a company called Saturn AI which works with financial advice firms. It ran a series of financial questions through 18 different AI platforms more than 10 thousand times, checking them against key criteria to decide whether they passed or failed. The research identified errors relating to student loans, mortgages, pensions, tax, savings and debt. What's the best advice for using AI to help with your personal finance? The price of heating oil has risen sharply this month to around £1,100 to fill a 1,000 litre tank, £400 more than it cost in early July. The price spiked in March to as much as £1,340 because of the Middle East conflict. Before that prices were stable at around £600 for a tank. What should people do now as we head into winter? Is there enough information available when it comes to choosing your home or travel insurance? And, the government has paid out more than £300 million pounds since the start of a scheme designed to help those on low incomes to build up a savings pot. This week new figures show that more than 650,000 people are now using the Help to Save Scheme, which was set up in 2018. Who's eligible and how do you apply? Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Amber Mehmood. Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm Saturday 26th September 2026)

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Hosts & Guests

4.1
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2007 - 2026
  • Episodes
    760
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Money Box

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