Money Box

BBC Radio 4

4.1 (21)
BUSINESS
UPDATED WEEKLY

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

1D AGO

Energy Costs for Families and Salary Sacrifice Pensions

New research suggests there are 6 million children across the UK living in fuel poverty, according to the charity National Energy Action. It defines fuel poverty as when a household has to spend at least 10% of its income to keep their home warm. It says the impact on children of living in a home which parents and carers struggle to keep warm can be significant. We'll hear more about what it would like to see change and discuss how the government and suppliers already help those struggling with bills. Of all the Budget measures perhaps the most misunderstood is the plan to restrict what is called salary sacrifice - giving up some of your pay so your employer can use that money to boost your pension. It won't actually happen until April 2029 but many Money Box listeners have been getting touch with questions. We'll take a look at those. How to keep Christmas costs low, as a debt charity finds thousands of people used its website for help on Christmas Day. And how tax relief for people who are asked to work from home is changing. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast on Radio 4 at 12pm Saturday 6th December 2025)

25 min
4D AGO

Money Box Live: Making Sense of Your Pay

How much do we really understand about our pay? From frozen tax thresholds to salary sacrifice and minimum wage increases, a number of changes made in the Chancellor's budget might have left you looking a bit more closely at your payslip. So, what do all those figures mean, what is your employer legally obliged to provide and what can you do if you think your pay is wrong? Joining Felicity Hannah to answer your questions and comments this week is Dr Hilary Ingham, Professor of Economics at Lancaster University, Funmi Olufunwa, a Personal Finance Expert and financial educator and Kevin Rowan, Director of Dispute Resolution from ACAS the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producers: Helen Ledwick and Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday 3rd December 2025).

28 min
12/27/2025

Cash ISA Change and Carers Allowance

The Chancellor announced dozens of changes in the Budget that will affect the money in your pocket from wages and energy bills to savings. Many of them won't happen for some time - years in some cases - so we look at the more imminent tax changes. That will include the freezing of tax thresholds that will see higher taxes for many and changes to the Cash ISA limits. A "bewildering system" of benefits - that's how the author of a new report has described the plight of tens of thousands of unpaid carers who were thrown into debt because of the overpayment of Carer's Allowance. This week an independent review was published that's been a year in the making. It started because carers had been working but had unwittingly slipped over the amount they're able to earn before losing their Carer's Allowance - a payment they're entitled to if they care for someone for over 35 hours a week, leaving them in debt to the government. Paul Lewis interviews the author of the report Liz Sayce, who has told Money Box the government must implement her recommendations "at pace". And, the families of thousands of people who were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C by the NHS when it used contaminated blood in the 1970s and 80s will not have to pay tax on the compensation many of them are still waiting for. That commitment came from Rachel Reeves in the Budget, after Money Box reported on a campaign to ensure those relatives weren't subject to inheritance tax bills of tens of even hundreds of thousands of pounds. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm Saturday 29th November 2025)

25 min
12/24/2025

Money Box Live: Autumn Budget 2025

For months we’ve heard speculation about what the Autumn Budget might bring - now we know. The Chancellor has delivered her statement, setting out plans for taxes, benefits, and spending. But what does it mean for your money? Our panel of experts break down the key announcements and explain how they could affect you. Felicity Hannah is joined by David Dodgson, a partner at the independent financial advisors, The Private Office; Helen Thornley, a tax expert from the Association of Taxation Technicians; and Sarah Pennells, a consumer finance specialist for the mutual life and pensions company, Royal London. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Helen Ledwick Researcher: Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on the 26th of November 2025).

28 min
12/20/2025

Life-changing Scams and Child Benefit

Money Box takes a special look at how victims of fraud are treated by those supposed to help them in the weeks and months afterwards. How are they helped in their fight for justice by the police, their banks and the courts? Or are they all too often left struggling to deal with both the financial and mental impact on their own? We also hear how a small regional charity in the UK has partnered with police to be there for victims when the spotlight of the original crime has faded. Parents who lost their child benefit because HMRC wrongly believed they had left the country deserved better treatment according to a senior MP. Dame Meg Hillier, the chair of the Treasury Select Committee, made the comments after the tax office stripped payments from almost 24,000 families after it used travel data to conclude they had left the UK permanently. As we previously reported, some of those people had simply been on holiday. HMRC says it took swift action and that, where there was evidence that customers had continued UK employment, it reinstated payments automatically without any need for customer contact and those payments have been backdated. As the Budget draws nearer how do frozen tax thresholds already impact people and how might that change on Wednesday? Plus, if you've got significant savings in a UK bank or building society or credit union, the level of protection you’d have if one of them goes bust is to rise from £85k to £120k – how will that work? Presenter: Felicity Hannah Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm Saturday 22nd November 2025)

25 min
12/13/2025

Water Bills and Graduate Jobs

A record number of households across England and Wales are now getting social tariffs from water suppliers to help cut their bills. Two million households now get support according to a new report from the Consumer Council for Water, which is up by 22% on last year. It comes as nearly 3 million are now in debt to water companies, owing an average of £744. What's behind that rise? If you're a recent graduate - or you know one - then you're probably already aware of how tough the jobs market can be right now. Several recent reports show finding work with a new degree has got harder in recent years. We'll look at what help there is for graduates. New data shows that hundreds of thousands of former students are eligible for nearly £100 million pounds worth of refunds on their loans. How can you apply? And how can banks do more to support people with learning disabilities? Presenter: Felicity Hannah Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast on Radio 4 at 12pm, Saturday 15th November 2025)

25 min
12/06/2025

Suspended child benefit and the cost of school trips

MPs on the Treasury Select Committee are seeking answers from HMRC after thousands of parents have had their child benefit stopped because they took a holiday abroad. The mistakes happened during a fraud crackdown on people emigrating from the UK but still claiming the benefit for their children. Now, among all the financial pressures of recent years the costs faced by parents for school trips has continued to go up. And it's not just a cause for concern for parents, but also for school governors. The body which represents them in England, the National Governance Association, has told Money Box that schools should try to help parents with these costs to ease the growing financial pressures many feel. Plus, a big change is underway aimed at helping victims of domestic violence in financial trouble. And we continue to look at Budget issues raised by listeners. This week it’s potential changes to council tax. Speculation suggests that the two highest bands, and the way bands are decided, could be subject to change later this month. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin Editor: James Graham Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

25 min
11/29/2025

Funeral insurance cancelled and not-so-simple assessment?

Thousands of people who've paid millions of pounds into an insurance plan they thought would cover their funeral costs face getting nothing in return. The insurer has told them their policies are being cancelled. Some had paid into the plan through their credit union for decades expecting a cash payment to go to their families when they died. But the cover will now come to an end as the insurer says a clause in the contract allows it to pull the plug with 30 days’ notice and give its customers - a number of whom are in their 80s - nothing. Now you might think receiving one tax demand a year is more than enough, but if you happen to be subjected to a so-called 'Simple Assessment' by HMRC you may well just have received a second one. HMRC have confirmed that they have started either issuing – or updating previously issued – Simple Assessments to include savings interest from 2024-25. But some tax advisors are concerned that people who paid their first bill covering earnings - back in the summer - could easily get confused and find themselves paying twice, once this new demand arrives. And - with speculation mounting as to what will be in the Chancellor’s budget – now just four weeks away – listeners have contacted us with their views about what may, or may not happen to Cash ISAs. This follows speculation that Rachel Reeves may reduce the cap on the amount you can save tax free in a cash ISA from £20,000 to a much lower amount such as £10,000, with the caveat that savers would be incentivised to invest more into the stocks and shares of British companies. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Sarah Rogers, Jo Krasner Researchers: Eimear Devlin, Catherine Lund Editor: Craig Henderson Snr News Editor: Sarah Wadeson

25 min

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Paul Lewis

Host

4.1

out of 5

21 Ratings

Great advice

11/12/2012

Newsjunkie84

Always full of great advice and useful information.
Avid Listener

10/11/2012

Toni Wall

Great show. I always look forward to listening.
Love from the states

05/12/2011

FanofLawyerFriday

I love listen to this show during my long shifts at work even thought I'm not in the UK