Money Box

April Bills and Child Benefit

The cost of just about everything we need to run a home will be more expensive for millions of households from Tuesday. Switching on the lights, turning on the heating, turning on the tap, calling your mum or your best friend, logging on to emails, will all cost more with…

26 Apr 26 min

Money Box Live: Spring Statement

As the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, presents her Spring Statement, Money Box Live sifts through the details about what it all means for your personal finances. Changes to the welfare system have already been announced. It will be harder to claim a disability benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP) under plans…

23 Apr 30 min

Back Bills and Benefits

We report from Parliament as the Minister for Energy Consumers and the regulator Ofgem face questions from MPs about the banned process of back-billing. That's when energy suppliers wrongly send new bills for energy use longer than 12 months ago. We'll get reaction from Labour MP Bill Esterson who is…

19 Apr 24 min

Funeral Plan Compensation and Leasehold Reform

There will be no compensation for more than 46,000 people who lost thousands of pounds each when the funeral plan firm Safe Hands went bust 3 years ago. The regulator - the Financial Conduct Authority - was told this week it should consider compensating them after a report by Rachel…

12 Apr 24 min

ISAs Future and Later Life Mortgages

Over the past few weeks there's been speculation over the future of ISAs - Individual Savings Accounts. At the moment each saver can deposit up to £20,000 each tax year into an ISA tax-free, but there have been reports that the Treasury is considering making some changes. Things like lowering…

5 Apr 24 min

Water Bills and Stamp Duty

From April water bills for millions of households in England and Wales will go up by record amounts. Exactly how much more you'll pay will depend where you live but, on average, bills will increase by more than £10 per month meaning a total average cost of over £600 a…

28 Mar 26 min

Money Box Live: Home Ownership Dreams

Politicians, banks and builders all talk about the dream of homeownership, but it's not easy to get on the property ladder. New figures given to Money Box Live show that, even though the Bank of England has reduced interest rates, it's now more expensive for a first-time buyer with a…

25 Mar 31 min

Ofgem Back Billing and Pensions and IHT

The energy regulator Ofgem says suppliers must take urgent action to find out how widespread a problem back billing is. It's when suppliers send out new bills for electricity and gas from longer than 12 months ago, a practice that was banned in 2018. The development follows Money Box's investigation…

22 Mar 27 min

Money Box Live: Energy Debt Help

People owe more money for gas and electricity bills than ever before. New calculations from the energy consultancy firm Baringa reveal the average typical energy debt is £1,500 - that's up £300 in a year. The total owed to energy companies is 3.8 billion pounds, which is almost double what…

18 Mar 31 min

Banned Back Billing and Debt Help

The energy regulator Ofgem has been given less than two weeks to get answers for Parliament on the banned practice of back billing, which is when people are sent new bills for energy used longer than 12 months ago. In a letter written to the Chief Executive of Ofgem the…

14 Mar 26 min

Money Box Live: How to Retire Well

We all dream about what we will do when we don't have to work anymore. The perfect retirement looks different for everyone, from travelling the world and luxury holidays to spending more time with family and friends, but the cost of stopping work can be bit of a wake-up call…

11 Mar 30 min