April Bills and Child Benefit
Summary
This episode delves into the significant financial burden faced by millions of households due to rising costs across council tax, water, and energy bills. It explores the impact on residents, offers advice on managing debt and reducing water bills, and discusses the fairness of current charging policies. Additionally, the podcast covers a dispute over school payment card refund fees and explains a new, simpler system for paying tax on child benefit.Episode description
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 rises usually well above the rate of inflation. We'll have tips on how to tackle those bills if you're struggling to pay them.
A payment service provider for hundreds of schools has decided to cease trading in the UK. What does this mean for parents who still have money on their accounts?
And hundreds of thousands of better off parents who claim Child Benefit should soon have a simpler way of paying the tax they owe on it. Some higher earners who’ve had to register for self-assessment to pay something called the ‘High Income Child Benefit Charge’ will soon be able to pay it via PAYE. What does the announcement, which was in the Spring Statement, mean in practice?
Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast at 12pm Saturday 29th March, 2025)