Money news, written plainly.
Independent UK money news from the Money Guide editorial team — rate changes, threshold updates, benefits, energy, scams and consumer rights. Information only — not personal advice.
Tax year 2026/27: the key changes to know
Most headline allowances are frozen again for 2026/27, so more people are pulled into higher tax bands as wages rise. Here's what that means for your pay, savings and investments.
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- Rates & inflation
Bank of England holds Bank Rate at 4.25% in May meeting
The Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep the base rate unchanged for a second meeting running, with two members favouring a cut.
Read → - Rates & inflation
UK CPI inflation falls to 2.1% in April
Headline inflation edged closer to the Bank of England's 2% target, with goods prices broadly flat and services inflation easing.
Read → - Mortgages & housing
Right to Buy: where it stands two years on from the discount cut
The maximum Right to Buy discount was sharply reduced in late 2024. Take-up has fallen as a result, with policy debate continuing.
Read → - Benefits
DWP launches new Pension Credit take-up campaign
Around 760,000 pensioners are estimated to be missing out on Pension Credit worth, on average, over £3,900 a year.
Read → - Tax
ISA allowance frozen at £20,000 for 2026/27
The Treasury confirmed the annual ISA subscription limit will remain at £20,000 for the new tax year, with no change to Junior ISAs or LISAs either.
Read → - Consumer rights
FCA warns consumers against relying on AI chatbots for financial advice
The Financial Conduct Authority urged consumers to treat AI-generated financial guidance with caution and to verify with regulated sources.
Read → - Mortgages & housing
Section 21 'no-fault' evictions formally abolished
The Renters' Rights Act provisions ending Section 21 evictions and converting all assured shorthold tenancies into periodic tenancies are now in force.
Read → - Mortgages & housing
Sub-4% two-year fixed mortgages return for high-deposit borrowers
Falling swap rates have pushed the cheapest two-year fixes for 60% LTV remortgages back below 4% for the first time since 2022.
Read → - Benefits
Winter Fuel Payment rules confirmed for winter 2026/27
Eligibility remains tied to receipt of Pension Credit or other qualifying benefits, with the £200/£300 payment paid automatically in November and December.
Read → - Banking
Bank switch bonuses return as competition heats up
Several major banks are again offering £150–£200 to switch through the Current Account Switch Service, with conditions on direct debits and deposits.
Read → - Scams & fraud
FCA warns of surge in bank impersonation scams
The regulator and UK Finance warned of an increase in highly convincing scams in which fraudsters pose as a customer's bank using spoofed numbers and stolen personal data.
Read → - Energy & bills
Warm Home Discount eligibility broadened for winter 2026/27
More low-income households will qualify automatically for the £150 winter rebate, with the high-property-cost screen narrowed.
Read → - Tax
EV road tax has been in force for over a year — what changed
Electric vehicles registered after April 2025 now pay standard VED, with the £40,000 'expensive car supplement' adding £410 a year.
Read → - Pensions
Pensions in scope of Inheritance Tax from April 2027
Most unused pension funds will fall within the Inheritance Tax net from April 2027, ending the long-standing 'death benefit' planning advantage.
Read → - Benefits
Universal Credit 'managed migration' enters final phase
Most legacy benefit claimants have now been moved to Universal Credit. Around 600,000 households on Employment Support Allowance remain in the final wave.
Read → - Regulation
PRA consults on raising FSCS deposit protection above £85,000
The Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority opened a consultation on increasing the £85,000 per-bank deposit protection limit, unchanged since 2017.
Read → - Benefits
30 funded childcare hours from 9 months: where the scheme stands
The September 2025 expansion is fully bedded in. Providers report continued pressure on places, with codes needing to be renewed every three months.
Read → - Energy & bills
Energy suppliers launch debt relief scheme for arrears
A new industry-funded debt relief mechanism will help households written off energy debts accumulated during the 2022–24 price crisis.
Read → - Banking
NS&I trims Premium Bonds prize fund rate to 3.6%
NS&I cut the Premium Bonds prize fund rate by 0.2 percentage points, reflecting falling rates across the savings market.
Read → - Regulation
Buy-now-pay-later regulation comes into force
BNPL providers are now FCA-authorised, with affordability checks, Section 75 protection on larger purchases, and Ombudsman complaints rights.
Read → - Benefits
Government to review the two-child benefit limit
Ministers confirmed a formal review of the two-child limit on Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit. Any change would not take effect until at least 2027.
Read → - Banking
Over £1.7bn in Child Trust Funds still unclaimed
HMRC estimates around 670,000 young adults aged 18 to 23 still haven't claimed their matured Child Trust Fund, holding an average of £2,200.
Read → - Banking
Variable Recurring Payments roll out beyond pilot in 2026
Open Banking's 'VRP' technology is moving beyond sweeping into commercial use, opening the door to a direct-debit alternative for subscriptions.
Read → - Rates & inflation
Easy-access savings rates drift below 4% as base rate cuts bite
Average easy-access savings rates fell to 3.8% as banks passed on this year's Bank Rate cuts, although the best buys still pay over 4.5%.
Read → - Consumer rights
FCA confirms motor finance redress scheme after Supreme Court ruling
The Financial Conduct Authority will run an industry-wide compensation scheme for undisclosed commission on car finance agreements taken out between 2007 and 2024.
Read → - Scams & fraud
FCA action against unauthorised investment promotions on social media
The regulator brought further enforcement action against unauthorised individuals promoting investments to followers on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Read → - Pensions
Pension Dashboards staged launch begins for large schemes
Larger occupational and personal pension schemes have started connecting to the new dashboards platform, with public launch planned for 2027.
Read → - Tax
Reminder: Marriage Allowance can be backdated four tax years
Couples claiming Marriage Allowance can backdate to 2022/23, worth up to £1,260 in total tax savings.
Read → - Benefits
Scotland's Winter Heating Payment continues in place of Cold Weather Payment
Eligible Scottish households receive a fixed £58.75 payment regardless of temperature, replacing the trigger-based system used elsewhere.
Read → - Tax
VAT registration threshold stays at £90,000
The VAT threshold remains at £90,000, with the deregistration threshold at £88,000, as the government chose not to raise it further in the Spring Statement.
Read → - Tax
Making Tax Digital launches for self-employed earning over £50,000
From this tax year, sole traders and landlords with combined income above £50,000 must keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC.
Read → - Benefits
Carer's Allowance earnings limit rises to £196 a week
The weekly earnings threshold above which Carer's Allowance is withdrawn rose for the new tax year, with the DWP continuing to review overpayment recovery.
Read → - Tax
High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold stays at £60,000
The April 2024 reform that lifted the HICBC threshold from £50,000 to £60,000 is now baked in, with no change for 2026/27.
Read → - Tax
Income tax thresholds remain frozen until April 2028
The Personal Allowance stays at £12,570 and the higher-rate threshold at £50,270, dragging more workers into higher tax bands through fiscal drift.
Read → - Pensions
State Pension rises 4.1% under triple lock from April
The new full State Pension reached £241.30 a week — an extra £494 a year — under the triple lock formula based on average earnings growth.
Read → - Tax
Council tax bills rise by around 5% across most of England
The vast majority of upper-tier councils raised council tax by the maximum allowed without a referendum, with several given permission to go higher.
Read → - Tax
One year on: Stamp Duty thresholds back to pre-2022 levels
The temporary nil-rate band uplift introduced in 2022 ended a year ago, returning the first-time buyer threshold to £300,000.
Read → - Benefits
National Living Wage rises to £12.21 for over-21s
The 21-and-over hourly minimum increased by 6.7%, with even sharper rises for 18–20-year-olds as the government moves towards a single adult rate.
Read → - Mortgages & housing
Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act provisions take effect
Long-awaited reforms removing ground rents on most new long leases and cutting lease extension costs began to come into force this spring.
Read → - Benefits
Household Support Fund extended through to March 2027
Councils receive a further year of funding to provide crisis grants and energy support to low-income residents, with rules set locally.
Read → - Consumer rights
Reminder: Section 75 still protects credit card spending of £100–£30,000
Despite the rise of debit cards and account-to-account payment, paying any part of a £100–£30,000 purchase on credit card still triggers full Section 75 protection.
Read → - Regulation
FCA publishes first major review of the Consumer Duty
The regulator's first comprehensive look at how firms are applying the Consumer Duty highlighted progress on price and value but ongoing weaknesses in vulnerable customer support.
Read → - Pensions
Auto-enrolment extension to 18-year-olds confirmed for 2027
The age at which employees must be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension is set to drop from 22 to 18, with contributions calculated from the first pound earned.
Read → - Regulation
Lifetime ISA: pressure grows to reform the early withdrawal penalty
Consumer groups and the Treasury Committee continue to call for reform of the 25% LISA withdrawal charge, which can leave savers worse off than they put in.
Read → - Pensions
Lifetime Allowance replacement: lump sum allowance rules clarified
Two years after the Lifetime Allowance was abolished, HMRC published further guidance on the lump sum allowance and lump sum and death benefit allowance.
Read → - Mortgages & housing
First-time buyer numbers rebound in 2025, says UK Finance
Around 354,000 first-time buyer mortgages were completed in 2025, up around 15% on 2024, as rates fell and the post-Stamp Duty rush boosted Q1.
Read → - Regulation
FCA crypto promotion rules: two years on
The financial promotion regime for crypto assets has been in force for over two years. Many firms have left the UK market; others have complied.
Read → - Tax
Self Assessment: 96% filed on time, HMRC reports
HMRC said 11.5 million tax returns were filed by the 31 January deadline, with around 600,000 missing it and facing an automatic £100 penalty.
Read → - Consumer rights
Broadband mid-contract price rises now in pounds and pence
Ofcom's new rules require providers to state any in-contract price rises as a single £-per-month figure at the point of sale, rather than as a CPI-linked formula.
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