Finanse

A third of parents highlighted feeling more pressure financially since having a child, the Current Account Switch Service said.more

Seven in 10 parents who had child benefit suspended in an HMRC fraud crackdown last year were in fact legitimate beneficiaries who had not emigrated, the tax authority has revealed. The chief executive of HMRC, John-Paul Marks, told the Treasury select committee that 71% of those targeted, higher than the 63% previously admitted, were in error.more

TSB has launched a new current account switching offer worth up to £200. Customers who switch to a TSB Spend & Save or Spend & Save Plus account and switch using the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) can earn £150, with the chance to get another £50 for deposits made in April.more

Competition among lenders suggests that mortgage rates could be cut in the coming weeks, according to brokers and analysts. In a newly-published report, financial information service Moneyfacts said "expectations are high for a booming market in 2026".more

The average UK adult receives two scam calls each week, research has indicated. Nationwide Building Society, which commissioned the survey, found more than half (57%) of people believe that suspect calls are becoming more frequent. More than a quarter (28%) of people surveyed said they are not confident in spotting a genuine call from their bank.more

Tax revenues in Poland, relative to GDP, are among the lowest in the EU, especially when compared to rapidly growing public spending, the "Puls Biznesu" newspaper reported in Tuesday's edition. However, Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański has declared that there will be no new taxes, the newspaper noted.more

Debt charities say they are receiving an influx of calls as people worry their financial situation has slipped towards becoming unmanageable. The first weeks of January are usually the busiest time of year for helplines following a particularly expensive period. more

The tip may appear straightforward, but it may just save you a surprising amount on household costs, writes Express.co.uk.more

Money-Saving Expert Martin Lewis has flagged up a key HMRC deadline in 2026 that could land you with a £100 fine. Lewis explained that if you've got savings of £10,000 or more, you'll need to fill out the necessary forms.more

High-stakes fraud and traditional text message scams are being favoured by fraudsters, according to data from a major bank. Barclays said that its own data indicates investment scams, which often involve significant amounts of money, are making up a growing proportion of the value of fraud cases reported to it.more

More than a million people across the UK have been issued an unexpected tax bill from HMRC, after a sharp rise in the number of households caught by the “simple assessment” system. The latest figures show that over 1.3 million people received these bills in 2023/24, almost twice as many as two years earlier.more

Shop price inflation edged up in December as food price rises continued to add pressure to household budgets, figures indicate. Food inflation increased to 3.3%, up from November’s 3% and far outstripping wider shop price inflation of 0.7%, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NIQ data.more

The UK faces a “turning point” this year, with the number of deaths to outnumber births by ever-greater margins for the next 50 years, a think tank has predicted.more

The start of a new year is the ‘perfect time’ to reset financial goals according to Pensions UK, which commissioned the research. Nearly one in three (31%) working people are aiming to review and reduce their monthly spending for 2026, making it the most common financial new year’s resolution in a survey.more

The difference in the pensions received by women and men in Europe in some countries even exceeds 35% and is greater than the disparity in wages between these two groups, reported Euronews, citing Eurostat data.more

The sorry state of London’s hygiene poverty crisis has been laid bare, with almost a third of residents aged 16-55 struggling to live their life normally because they can’t afford basic products.more

From 1 January, the minimum wage will increase by PLN 140 to PLN 4,806 gross, and the minimum hourly rate to PLN 31.40 gross. The take-home pay will be approximately PLN 3,605. In the last 25 years, the largest increase in the minimum wage was in 2024. At that time, the benefit increased by a total of PLN 700.more

Almost 20 postcodes across the UK have fallen below freezing, making thousands of people eligible for Cold Weather Payments. The Department for Work and Pensions began making payments in November.more

The wealth of the world's 500 richest people increased by a record $2.2 trillion over the past year, reaching $11.9 trillion thanks to gains in the stock, metal, cryptocurrency and other asset markets, according to Bloomberg.more

Many households’ energy bills are to rise on Thursday, just as a swathe of cold health alerts have been issued for large areas of the UK. The 0.2% increase to Ofgem’s energy price cap will equate to a rise of about 28p a month for the average household in England, Wales and Scotland remaining on a standard variable tariff.more

As 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking a look at the data to see how life in London was lived. From the cost of renting a room to the price of a pint, we’ll crunch the numbers, analyse the trends, and sum up what it meant for you.more

Air passengers are being warned to brace for ticket rises as regional airports across the UK face “unprecedented” rises in property tax next year. Analysis of government data for PA Media has revealed regional airports are among those facing the steepest increases in business rates of any sector in the UK amid an overhaul of property valuations underpinning the tax.more

While most regions saw an increase, Londoners actually tightened the purse strings over the past year, writes MyLondon.news.more

Thousands more Londoners will face average council tax bills of over £2,000 for the first time next year, analysis by the Standard has revealed. Most benchmark Band D London homes will see almost £80 added to their annual levy from April 2026 if boroughs increase payments by an expected 5%. It means Hackney, Hillingdon and Lambeth residents face paying more than £2,000 for thmore

Christmas is typically a boozy period, but British people are drinking less alcohol than at any time on record, a new study has shown. UK adults consumed on average 10.2 alcoholic drinks a week last year, which is the lowest figure since 1990 when data collection began, according to research from company IWSR.more