Money Box

New figures reveal that more than a quarter of a million homeowners have temporarily reduced their mortgages payments, or extended their mortgage term, since lenders agreed to offer better support to customers in June 2023 through what was called the Mortgage Charter. There's been a sharp rise in people taking their tax-free lump sum out of their pension over the past year. Since 2015 people over the age of 55 could take 25 per cent of their pension pots tax-free and then use the rest as they wished. These figures from the regulator the Financial Conduct Authority show tens of thousands more people made that choice - why?Millions of people are missing out on tens of billions of pounds worth of help ranging from benefits to social tariffs from utility companies. That's according to the latest analysis Policy in Practice suggests. What type of benefits are people missing out on?And the £100 limit on contactless card payments looks set to be scrapped. The regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, published plans this week to let banks set their own limit - or indeed have no limit at all. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm on Radio 4 on Saturday 13th September 2025)

About a quarter of a million 18-year-olds in the UK secured a university place this summer and are now preparing to head off to their chosen institution. The numbers increased by about 5% at a time when the costs associated with getting a degree are also rising. There's a patchwork of different funding models across the UK, but for students in England and Wales tuition fees have gone up for the first time in eight years. We take a look at how tuition and day-to-day costs are funded across the UK, and hear from students about their housing - another major cost that has been increasing.Debt is also now a major part of the university experience, with students in England graduating with an average debt of £53,000. One graduate explains how she has struggled to make a dent in her debt over the past 10 years despite holding well paid jobs.Felicity Hannah is joined by Tom Allingham from the student money website Save the Student and Clare Dickens, director of the Student Life team at the University of Wolverhampton.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producers: James Graham and Helen Ledwick Editor: Jess Quayle(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on the 10th of September 2025).

We look at changes which the Government has announced – and the speculation around those it hasn’t. Pension inheritance rules will change in 2027. It may seem a long time away, but people are making plans now. We hear from some of those pension planners as they try to clear up any confusion around the changes. We also look at speculation around what might be in the Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Autumn Budget, which she announced this week will take place on November 26.His Majesty's Revenue and Customs tells Money Box it's deploying hundreds of staff to bring down waiting times for people making claims about missing state pension payments. It's already written to 370,000 people, mainly women, who took time off work to care for children and now might be getting less money than they should be because of an error in their National Insurance records. But given that HMRC has already admitted it's been, in its words, "inherently challenging" to try to fix the problem it might come as little surprise the vast majority of people still missing money, haven't been paid what they're owed. Just a few weeks ago thousands of would-be university students found out whether they had achieved the right grades to get into the university of their choice. Now comes the reality check, when many wonder how they will afford to pay for it. Some argue that the level of Government maintenance loans only covers half the true cost of student living. The Higher Education Policy Institute has just conducted a study into maintenance loans in England and reckons they only cover half of the true costs of student life.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Amber Mehmood, Jo Krasner, Catherine Lund Editors: Jess Quayle, Craig Henderson

Being a tenant can be pricey — and it’s only getting pricier. Private rents rose by almost six per cent in the year to July, and while the pace may be slowing, the average UK rent still stands at over £1,300 a month. So what does that mean for the millions of people living in private rented homes? This week on Money Box Live, we're looking at the cost of renting — and what it’s doing to your finances. We’ll hear from a family forced to live apart because they can’t afford to rent together, and from a woman struggling to rent because of debt problems. We’ll ask what the upcoming Renters Rights Bill means for tenants — and what tax breaks are available to people who choose to rent out a spare room. With rising prices, limited supply, and big reforms on the horizon, join us as we unpack the pressures facing renters — and what support is out there. Felicity Hannah is joined by Matt Hutchinson from Spare Room, Vicky Spratt, Housing Correspondent for The i, and Matt Sheeran from Money Wellness Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Helen Ledwick Editors: Jess Quayle and Craig Henderson (This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on the 3rd of September 2025).

Hundreds of former retained firefighters have come forward to claim millions of pounds in missing pension payments after Money Box covered the story earlier this summer. We'd reported how their union, the Fire and Rescue Service Association, had warned thousands of its members risked missing out on the payments very often worth tens of thousands of pounds for each individual.Scammers have been sending texts pretending to be from the government to try and trick pensioners into applying for the Winter Fuel Payment. That's a payment that can be worth up to £300 off energy bills over the colder months. It's prompted the Department for Work and Pensions to issue a warning, telling people to beware of the texts, which ask people to click on link which could be used to steal money from victims.How are the rumours about changes to stamp duty affecting the housing market? And a reminder that if you’re the parent or carer of a 16-19 year old you’ve got until Sunday to renew your child benefit claim.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Catherine Lund and Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 12pm Saturday 30th August 2025)

Dragons' Den investor and entrepreneur Deborah Meaden joins Felicity Hannah to look at the money wisdom and advice you wish you'd known when you were starting out.They hear from listeners who say they wish they'd known more about everything, from how to budget to asking for a pay rise. Others regret not understanding the power of compound interest or what to do with a workplace pension after changing jobs.Dave Fishwick, founder of Burnley Savings and Loans, sets out his top tips and explains his biggest money mistake. And maths teacher and broadcaster Bobby Seagull stresses the importance of financial education. They're also joined by financial planner Kirsty Stone from the financial advice firm The Private Office.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producers: Sarah Rogers and James Graham Editor: Jess Quayle(This programme was first broadcast at 3pm on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday 30th of July 2025)

When will you retire? And will you have enough money to live comfortably? Big questions and this week the government announced two major reviews to study them after concerns that today's workers will be poorer in retirement than their parents. The first is a revived Pension Commission with a wide remit. The second is a review into the state pension age. We'll speak to Pensions UK, which represents pension schemes that together provide a retirement income to more than 30 million people. From September working parents of children aged 9 months to school age will get 30 hours of childcare funded by the Government. It simplifies the present system which has different rules at different ages and means working parents of children under three will potentially save thousands of pounds on the cost of childcare. Who is eligible and how does it work?Thousands of people who were retained firefighters are being urged to claim pension payments worth thousands or tens of thousands of pounds. Retained or on-call firefighters generally work part-time. Sixteen thousand of their colleagues have already claimed but a further 10,000 could be eligible to buy back pensions after two legal changes in the past few years.And some money saving tips for anyone going abroad for their summer holiday.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 26th July 2025)

Every adult has a credit score but you've been telling us the factors affecting it can be mystifying and frustrating. So in this edition of Money Box Live we've been digging into the inbox to answer your questions on credit scores. Whether you’re trying to get a mortgage or loan or just the best rate on a credit card, the information on your file can have a big impact at any stage of life, so what does it all mean and if you want to improve yours, how can you do it?We'll hear from someone battling to rectify his score after fraudsters took over his credit card and we hear from a man with an excellent credit rating who is struggling to get any credit at all.Felicity Hannah is joined by John Webb, a credit expert at the credit reference agency Experian, and Lisa Webb, a senior lawyer and consumer champion at Which?Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle(This programme was first aired on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday 23rd of July 2025)

For every £1 a man has in his private pension pot a woman has just 42p according to research from pension company Royal London.When it comes to the State Pension, the gap has closed considerably for people retiring today. But women in their 80s are still getting up to 25% less than men.This week on Money Box Live, we're looking at the reasons behind is as well as what can be done to boost savings.Find out more about a little known pot of money the government has set aside mainly for women, who didn't work because they were looking after children, between 1978 and 2010 - which is largely going unclaimed. We also hear the struggle of a woman who struggled after the state pension age for women was raised from 60 to 66 and what might happen next with the campaign against it.With Felicity Hannah is Sir Steve Webb, former pensions minister and and now partner at pensions consultancy Lane Clark and Peacock and Daniela Silcock who has her own pensions research company.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers and Helen Ledwick Editor: Jess Quayle(This episode was first broadcast on Wednesday the 16th of July 2025)

Money Box can exclusively reveal there has been a sharp rise in the number of people applying to have water meters fitted to try to bring their bills down. The data has been shared with this programme by the Consumer Council for Water, the CCW, the which speaks for water consumers in England and Wales. It comes after record April price rises for water with average bills rising more than £120 to over £600 per year. Cash ISAs appear to have been reprieved - at least for now. Until Friday morning there was widespread speculation that the Chancellor might announce on Tuesday that the amount you could put into a cash ISA would be slashed from £20,000, perhaps to as little as £4000. The idea was that would fit in with government plans to encourage investment by nudging people with £20,000 to spare to use the rest of their tax free ISA allowance to invest in shares instead. However, Money Box understands that won't happen - certainly not on Tuesday when Rachel Reeves gives her annual Mansion House speech to the City of London. We'll look at what that might mean.And what does a major ruling on a divorce case in the Supreme Court mean for how wealth is split between couples in the future?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 12th July 2025)

It was a momentous day on Tuesday as the government and regulators announced major changes in the way investments will be sold. What's been proposed and what's the role of the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, in that?Inflation rose to 3.6%, this week the highest it has been since January 2024 - what's behind that?And two of the UK's leading end of life charities have told Money Box people given less than 12 months to live should not have to pay Council Tax before they die. The call from Marie Curie and Hospice UK comes just a few weeks after Manchester City Council became what's believed to be the first local authority in the UK to introduce such a scheme. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 19th July 2025)

Unemployment recently rose to its highest level in almost four years. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate went up to 4.6 per cent in the three months to April, up from 4.5 per cent in the three months to March. That's the highest since the Summer of 2021 in which the country was in the depths of the Covid pandemic.So today on Money Box Live we're asking what happens when you lose your job? What are your rights, what kind of payout might you get and how do you manage the money during a job hunt?Felicity Hannah is joined by employment lawyer Rupa Mooker, Mike Fenn who's Head of Employee Relations at ACAS, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and Sarah Coles who is the Head of Personal Finance at Hargreaves Lansdown.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producers: Sarah Rogers and Helen Ledwick Editor: Jess Quayle(This programme was first aired on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday 9th of July 2025)

Reform of the state pension, auto-enrolment into company pensions and consolidation of small pensions spread across several providers are proposed this week in a major report on the future of pensions. It says major changes are are necessary to ensure today's workers have an adequate income in retirement. The conclusions come at the end of a two year study by the independent research organisation the Institute for Fiscal Studies, we'll speak to them about the report.Hundreds of thousands of people whose homes are heated using communal heat networks are less than 6 months away from greater protection as the industry gets ready to come under Ofgem regulation for the first time. Up until now people in homes that are on heat networks, which use a single heat source to pipe hot water to multiple households, have not had the same rights as those on mains gas or electricity, but that is about it change. What difference could the new regulations make?How could the way you get financial advice change in the future? We'll discuss new proposals by the regulator the Financial Conduct Authority aimed at helping more people get financial advice.And, what would you like to see on a new bank note from the Bank of England? Email us now moneybox@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Eimear Devlin Editor: Jess Quayle(audio credit British Pathé)(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 5th July 2025)

In this special programme Money Box Live has been given exclusive access to a centre working with former prisoners to find out how money works behind bars.There are around 98,000 people serving prison sentences in the UK right now, but how does money work on the inside and why do offenders even need it?Felicity Hannah meets former prisoners working in the centre as they rebuild their lives. They talk about so-called 'bang up' pay, how much you can earn in prison, and the struggle some ex-offenders have getting basic financial products like a bank account on release.Around one third of ex-offenders will go on to reoffend costing taxpayers £18 billion a year as well as causing great distress to victims. So, what role can financial security play in reducing that?Felicity Hannah is joined by Andrea Coady, Head of Policy at Nacro, a social justice charity that works with offenders and Ana Caldeira, in charge of Finance, Benefit and Debt Services at the charity Catch 22, which provides money advice and support to ex-offenders.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle(This episode was first aired on Radio 4 at 3pm on Wednesday the 2nd of July 2025)

Six million people will have £150 knocked off one winter electricity bill this winter. The Government has announced an expansion of the Warm Home Discount scheme which will almost double the number getting it. Who is eligible and how will people get the payment?Money Box has been receiving a steady stream of emails from members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme complaining about how their pensions are being managed. With more than 2 million members and liabilities of £278 billion the TPS is one of the largest in the UK. So what is going on? Dan Whitworth investigates.Child maintenance is a regular financial payment made by a parent who doesn't live with their child to help support the child's living costs. This week the government has announced plans for some significant changes to the way those payments are collected and transferred. We'll explain what's changing.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner Studio Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 28th June 2025)

More people are living alone, in fact 3 in 10 households are made up of single adults, according to the latest government figures.Research from the pension specialist Royal London also suggests single people are more likely to be in their overdrafts at the end of the month and have smaller savings and pension pots than married couples.Today, we're looking at the impact of the single supplement, from travel costs to inheritance tax thresholds as well as hearing from those very much enjoying their financial freedom.Joining presenter Felicity Hannah is Sarah Pennells, Consumer Finance specialist at Royal London and Laura Suter, Director of Personal Finance at the investment platform AJ Bell.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producers: Sarah Rogers and Helen Ledwick Editor: Jess Quayle(This episode was first broadcast on at 3pm on Wednesday the 25th of June 2025 ).

Campaigners say more needs to be done to help the parents and carers of tens of thousands of disabled young adults access their own money held in Government backed Child Trust Funds. The Financial Inclusion Commission has told Radio 4's Money Box it wants the Government to officially endorse an informal process that some financial providers are already using to help grant access in days, instead of months or, in some cases, not at all. The cost of insurance might be falling but if you choose to pay monthly then you could be paying an extra 20-30% more. The Financial Conduct Authority has been carrying out a study into the market but what can it do to help protect people who can't afford to pay the whole amount up frontAnd we also look why a record number of people are taking money out of their pension pot as soon as they're able to at the age of 55. What could be the impact on your financial situation later in life?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Catherine Lund Editors: Sarah Rogers and Justin Bones

Three quarters of financial firms are already using Artificial Intelligence, according to the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority, with more set to follow in future.Last month a new inquiry by the Treasury Committee began looking into the potential impacts of AI in banking, pensions and other financial services.So what does that all mean for your money? We speak to the experts about how it's being used, the rise of the chat bot and how to spot AI scams after one woman lost £10,000 to fraudsters. Joining Felicity Hannah this week are Gbenga Ibikunle, Professor and Chair of Finance of Edinburgh University and Jana Mackintosh, Managing Director for Payments and Innovation at UK Finance. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers and Catherine Lund Editor: Sarah Rogers(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on the 18th of June 2025)

We'll discuss proposals to reform the bailiff industry, hearing from a man whose small parking fine ballooned into a debt of more than £400 once bailiffs got involved. Paul Lewis interviews the minister responsible for the planned changes: will they be fair on both creditors and debtors and will they bring rogue bailiffs into line?Also, the Chancellor's changes to the Winter Fuel Payment have been broadly welcomed by Britain's pensioners, but how easy will it be for them to manage the payment when it comes to filling in their tax returns? With the help of a personal tax expert, we try to answer your questions.And what are Premium Bonds and what are your chances of winning a prize? We've got the definitive guide with Sir David Spiegelhalter, Emeritus Professor of Statistics at the University of Cambridge.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin Researcher: Jo Krasner Editors: Jess Quayle and Rob Cave(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 14th June 2025)

New research, seen exclusively by Money Box, suggests a third of households in England and Wales are trying to cut the amount of water they use to help reduce their bills. The research comes from the Personal Finance Research Centre at the University of Bristol which worked with the Financial Fairness Trust to speak to 6,000 households about their money situation. On water bills, 34% said they're using less to try to cut their bills with around 30% saying their bills have increased "a lot" over the past 6 months. What can people do to bring their bills down?Some major mortgage lenders have been relaxing their lending rules to make it easier for people to borrow the money to buy a home. They have been encouraged by a letter from the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, which reminded them that they had flexibility around what is called the stress test, which is supposed to ensure borrowers can meet their monthly payments even if rates rise or their circumstances change. What does that mean for the risks around lending?The listeners puzzled by a 25p rise in their state pension because of a rule that started back in 1971.And, how much do you know when it comes to savings? If you don't know your Premium Bonds from your ISA and where to put your money to make the most out of your cash, we'll give you a little bit of help.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth, Peter Ruddick and Jo Krasner Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Rob Cave Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 7th June 2025)