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 Kent, the Complaints Commissioner, set out the FCA's failings over Safe Hands. In response, the FCA has said it does not accept it was at fault, that it did not regulate the funeral planning firm at the time, and no compensation would be paid.

This month the Government has announced plans to scrap new leasehold flats, replacing it with a system called commonhold already used in Scotland where homeowners collectively own the building and the land. But how will the planned improvements to the rights of existing leaseholders work?

There's changes to how 'side-hustlers' report their earnings to HMRC, but it's not a tax cut, how will that work?

And there's extra money to help pensioners in Northern Ireland with their heating bills.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(This programme was first broadcast at 12pm Saturday the 15th of March 2025)

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 the limit to £4,000. In a statement to Money Box the Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that while it's important to support people to save, they want to get the balance right. She wants to create "more of a culture in the UK of retail investing." What does that mean and what might change?

Some listeners have been experiencing delays after trying to boost their state pension by filling old gaps in their National Insurance record. At the moment a window is open for people who have not yet reached pension age and those already on the new state pension to fill gaps in their record back as far as 2006. But in just a few weeks time that window will close. The government told us that it's processing payments as quickly as possible and that people who at least take the first step by 5 April will still be able to fill those gaps.

Are water companies banned from sending out bills for water used more than 12 months ago as energy suppliers are?

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 8th March 2025)

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 year. What can you do if you're struggling with those bills?

There's just a month left for people in the process of buying a home in England and Northern Ireland to complete the sale before stamp duty rises on April the first. Some estimates suggest there could be tens of thousands of buyers who will miss that deadline by just a few days. What can you do if you're trying to hit that deadline?

Train fares in England and Wales will go up on Sunday. At the same time, most railcards, which give you cheaper fares in England Wales and Scotland, will cost you more. We'll have more on that.

And energy prices will also go up in April. We’ll take a look at the issue of standing charges. Why do they vary regionally, and how might Ofgem’s proposals to reform them work?

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 1st March 2025)

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 10% deposit than it was two years ago.

In this Money Box Live we hear from someone trying to save enough for a deposit, someone trying to navigate through conveyancing to complete their sale - and someone who overcame the obstacles and challenges to move into their dream home.

Felicity Hannah is joined by Sarah Tucker, Director and Founder of the broker the Mortgage Mum and Emily Williams, Director, Residential Research at the estate agent Savills.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

(First broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday 26th February 2025)

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 which discovered thousands of people have wrongly been receiving back bills. Paul Lewis interviews Tim Jarvis, Director General of Markets at Ofgem.

And unspent pension pots will be subject to inheritance tax from 2027. This change, announced by Rachel Reeves in the Autumn Budget, means most unused pension funds will be included within the value of a person’s estate for Inheritance Tax purposes from 6th April 2027. Money Box has been getting lots of emails from listeners who're now reconsidering their financial planning and are worried and upset about the new rules. The Treasury told us it continues to incentivise pensions savings for their intended purpose of funding retirement instead of them being openly used as a vehicle to transfer wealth. But how will the new rules work?

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 22nd February 2025)

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 it was two years ago.

Energy prices are also forecast to rise by 5% from April, adding £85 a year to household bills meaning a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity would pay £1823 a year.

In this Money Box Live, we're finding out how to manage energy debts and how to avoid getting into the red in the first place.

Ruth Alexander is joined by Matthew Sheeran from the free debt advice provider, Money Wellness, and Eleanor Taylor from Baringa.

Presenter: Ruth Alexander

(First broadcast 3pm on Wednesday 19th February 2025)

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 chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero committee highlights Money Box's recent investigation into back billing, saying he considers there to be evidence of serious wrong doing on the part of energy suppliers and the need for intervention on the part of the regulator. Ofgem told Money Box it's reviewing supplier billing practices and "looking closely at supplier compliance with back billing rules to make sure customers get the service they are entitled to." For the first time since our investigation began Paul Lewis interviews Dhara Vyas, the chief executive of Energy UK, which represents energy suppliers.

State pensions paid to tens of millions of people will go up in April by 4.1%, but depending on how your pension is paid - weekly or monthly - some people may not get the extra money until May. How to make sure you get it as soon as possible.

And people who get into debt often find that it gets worse because of the high interest rates they are paying. Often they are only paying interest not reducing the amount owed at all. A new scheme by credit unions is trying to solve that by giving an affordable loan to people in debt at a low rates of interest so they can pay off their expensive debt and afford the repayments on their new debt. How will it work?

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 15th February 2025)

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.

In this Money Box Live we'll look at how to make the most of the savings you have as retirement approaches to how to start planning for retirement at the start of your career.

Felicity Hannah is joined by Sangita Chawla, Managing Director at Standard Life and Zoe Alexander, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association to answer your questions - and offer tips on how to plan for a good retirement.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

(This programme was first broadcast at 3pm Wednesday 12th February, 2025.)

The Chair of the House of Commons Energy Security Committee has told Money Box that the behaviour of the energy firms is "outrageous" following our investigation into so called back-billing. That's when energy firms send out a new bill for gas or electricity which was used more than 12 months before. Last week we reported that thousands of people have complained that is still going on.

Energy UK, which speaks for the big suppliers said if customers think they are being asked to pay for energy covered by the back-billing policy, they should contact their supplier as soon as possible to resolve the complaint quickly and efficiently.

The Department for Work and Pensions asks executors and families to repay state pensions it has sent to people who have already died. It says it asks for it back to protect public funds, but do you have to pay?

And high interest rates means more people paying tax on interest savings, but how do you know and what are the rules?

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 8th February 2025)

Paying for care in later life is something many of us will face. Unlike other NHS services, social care is not free at the point of use, the average annual care home cost is £60,000, if additional care is needed that price will go up.

After a recent special Money Box Live from Grange Care Residential Home in Sheffield we received so many questions that we simply couldn't get through them all on air, so we've raided the inbox and brought in the experts to return to the topic to answer as many was we can.

From how to plan to pay for care, what your money pays for, and how to challenge fees, Felicity Hannah, is joined by Tish Hanifan, the Founder of the Society of Later Life Advisors and Vic Rayner, CEO of the National Care Forum and Chair of the Care Providers Alliance.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

(This programme was first broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday the 5th of February, 2025).