Money Box

The charity Citizens Advice says it's seen a sharp rise in the number of working people accessing crisis support in the past few years. In 2022, of the 200,000 people helped with a food bank voucher or an emergency grant, almost 24,000 - about 1 in 8 of them - worked. That figure was up more than double the number in 2020. We'll speak to Citizens Advice and get a response from the government.

We'll hear from Harriett Baldwin, the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, on how she wants banks to stop dragging their feet when it comes to implementing changes designed to stop people from becoming victims of push payment fraud. UK Finance, which speaks for banks, says the industry is investing billions to try to keep customers' money safe and is working on plans to slow down certain high-risk payments to prevent fraud.

From this week unmarried parents whose partner dies can claim bereavement support payment worth up to £9800. We reported a few weeks ago that the change was coming and this week the application process has opened. Anyone who thinks they should be eligible can now put in a claim online via gov.uk, over the phone or using a paper application form. More details here: www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment and from the charities Child Bereavement Network (https://childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/) and Widowed and Young (https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk/).

And we'll discuss what GDP means for our personal finance with Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and a former advisor to the UK Treasury.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 11th Feb, 2023)

In the UK, millions of people go without the refunds, the replacements and resolutions they're entitled to - because they don’t know how to complain. In this podcast, we talk about the art of the complaint. What are your rights and how can you enforce them?

The experts on the panel are Lisa Webb, senior lawyer at the consumer rights company Which?, and Helen Dewdney, a consumer champion.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

Paul Lewis hears how complaints to the Energy Ombudsman reached a record high last year. Plus, the child benefit trap that is catching parents unawares. And we hear one listener's difficult experiences trying to sort out the financial affairs of her terminally ill father.

Presented by Paul Lewis.

It’s estimated that more than 900,000 people in the UK have dementia but that’s a number that's on the rise.

It’s a diagnosis that raises a lot of questions, from the care that might be needed to the impact on family members, and of course there are worries about how best to manage finances as the illness progresses.

This podcast is for everyone, but especially anyone who has concerns about how to protect their financial future if they lose the ability to manage their own affairs. It’s also for anyone who wants to know how they can best provide support for the people they love.

To answer your questions, the experts in this podcast are, Victoria Lyons from the charity Dementia UK and Gary Rycroft a solicitor in private practice.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

For the first time unmarried parents will be entitled to bereavement benefits after a change in law was passed this week. Until now these benefits have only been given to a bereaved spouse or civil partner. It comes more than four years since the Supreme Court ruled that denying them benefits was unlawful under the European Convention on Human Rights. The change will be backdated to the the day of that judgement 30 August 2018. We'll explain how it works and who can claim.

Nearly a third of the vouchers issued to people on prepayment energy meters so they can access the government's Energy Bills Support Scheme have not been claimed according to figures released this week. It means more than a million households on the lowest incomes struggling to pay their energy bills are missing out on £400 of financial support offered this winter by the government. We'll investigate why that's happening, and what you should do if you haven't claimed yours.

New figures from His Majesty's Revenue and Customs reveal that £5.3 billion was generated from inheritance tax, from April to December last year. That’s £700 million more than in the same period a year earlier. We'll explain how it works and who it applies to.

Plus a reminder that the deadline to fill out you Self Assessment tax return is in just a few days time. (31st January 2023)

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast 12pm, Saturday 28th January, 2023)

In this special programme we'll answer questions on mortgages, from interest rates to what to do if you're struggling to afford yours. Perhaps you’re looking to move or you need to re-mortgage this year - this is the podcast for you.

The experts on the panel are, David Mendes Da Costa, Principal Policy Manager at Citizen's Advice, Charles Roe, Director of Mortgages at UK Finance and Sonya Matharu, Senior Mortgage Broker at The Mortgage Mum.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 25 January, 2023)

As hundreds of people at two large debt advice charities face redundancy – we visit a local debt advice centre to see who they help and how.

Mortgage rates are at their highest for 14 years - the average is five and a half per cent for a two year fix, nearly six and half for the standard variable rate. The regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, predicts more than half a million people will be at risk of falling into arears over the next couple of years. We'll discuss what to do if you’re struggling to afford your mortgage

When and how will people who live off grid - without a gas or electricity supplier - get the government help with their energy bills?

And what are the options for saving if you're on a low income? We'll discuss the government's Help to Save scheme.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast, 12pm Saturday 21st January, 2023)

If you feel your income needs a boost, or you want a pay rise, then this is the podcast for you. We discuss top tips on how to negotiate a higher salary.

Official figures show that wages have grown at the fastest rate in more than 20 years - but prices are rising even faster and the gap between public and private sector pay is at close to record levels.

On the expert panel are, Helen Tupper, CEO of 'Amazing If', a career development company, Radha Vyas, CEO and Co-Founder of Flash Pack, and Ed Rossiter co-founder and CEO of Phoenix, a recruitment agency.

Presenter: Ruth Alexander

(First broadcast, 3pm Wednesday 18th January, 2023)

The anti-fraud charity the Fraud Advisory Panel says banks are inconsistent and being caught off guard by the emerging and growing threat of mobile phone fraud. It's when criminals steal people's phones not for the actual handset but to gain access to banking and financial apps. We'll hear from one man who had £16,000 stolen when he was mugged last year. UK Finance says the industry is constantly monitoring fraud threats to help protect customers and that this type of mobile phone fraud is not a common occurrence, but that the industry is not complacent about new and emerging threats.

In April we investigated complaints about Scottish Widows after listeners told us about struggles to get hold of pensions and other sums. Since then our inbox continues to receive a steady stream of similar grievances. New figures from the Financial Ombudsman Service given to Money Box show that complaints about the company rose by more than a third last year. We investigate and get a response from the company.

We discuss the new details of how His Majesty's Revenue & Customs is going to change the law to help protect consumers from rogue tax repayment agents - companies who claim things like marriage or work from home allowance on people's behalf. In the autumn Money Box discovered the number of complaints to HMRC about repayment agents more than tripled in just two years with nearly two thousand being made in just the first eight months of last year alone.

And, how to get a pay rise and what you should think about before you ask.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast at 12pm Saturday 14th January, 2023)

As 31st January looms, there’s less than one month left for around 5.7 million Self Assessment customers to file their tax return or they may face a penalty.

More than 12 million customers are expected to file a tax return for the 2021 to 2022 tax year by 31 January 2023 (HMRC).

Whether you’re doing it for the first time this year, or not, we have the answers to all your tax-related questions.

On this episode, we hear from experts, Clare Merrills, from HMRC, and Anita Monteith, Head of Taxation Policy, at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 11th January, 2023)