Money Box

New regulations begin today (Wednesday July 15th) for shoppers using Buy Now Pay Later. Consumers using services like Klarna and Clearpay will now be given more protection but also a greater risk of rejection, as new affordability checks begin. BNPL schemes often provide interest free payment options over several months and have proved immensely popular. Experian estimates that a 100mn transactions were made that way last year, adding up to about £7bn. Meanwhile, new data from one of the country’s largest free money advice services, Money Wellness, shows BNPL has become an increasingly common feature of customers' finances over the past four years, with June recording 4,520 customers seeking help with BNPL debt. That's the highest June on record and second only to the traditional post-Christmas spike seen in January. Presenter Felicity Hannah talks to the Financial Conduct Authority to find out if the new rules are going to improve things for shoppers. She’s joined by an expert panel answering listener questions – Mick McAteer of The Financial Inclusion Centre, a UK not-for-profit policy and research group. and Matthew Sheeran from Money Wellness. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Craig Henderson Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson Photo credit: Pakorn Supajitsoontorn via Getty Images. (This episode of Money Box Live was first broadcast on BBC Radio Four at 3pm on Wednesday 15th July)

A deadline approaches for 860,000 self-employed people and landlords who must start reporting their income and expenses in a new way. It is called Making Tax Digital and it affects small businesses with a turnover or gross income above £50,000 a year. They have until 7th August to report their income and expenditure to HMRC. What do they need to know? It is “unacceptable” that the government has refused to commit to bringing the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme back in-house. That’s according to PCS Union, which says a rare joint committee hearing in Parliament this week highlighted the “catastrophic failures” of the scheme, leaving many members facing “unacceptable delays, errors and distress” when trying to access the pensions they have worked their entire careers to earn. The Cabinet Office, which has overall responsibility for the scheme, says immediately terminating the contract would cause more problems and severely disrupt the pension payroll, jeopordizing the financial security of hundreds of thousands of public servants. How are rules which make banks reimburse victims of fraud going? A new report evaluates the first year of Mandatory Reimbursement. And a major high street bank has changed its mind after deciding not to allow customers to deposit their cheques in a Post Office. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Catherine Lund Output Producer: Craig Henderson Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm Saturday 11th July 2026)

We look at whether artificial intelligence is a help, or a hazard when it comes to helping you with your personal finances. One in five adults in the UK - around 11 million people - are already open to the idea of using AI to manage their finances, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. But using AI to manage our money is not without risk. The FCA, the organisation tasked with keeping us financially safe, says that regulators are in an "arms race" to keep up with AI in financial services. We speak to the man behind its new report, Sheldon Mills. And with the increase in AI useage likely to attract the scammers and the deepfakers, just how will regulation evolve to protect us? Alongside presenter Ruth Alexander and taking listener questions is Simon Belshaw who is Chief Client Officer at the investment company Hargreaves Lansdown. And we hear from Elle Farrell-Kingsley, and advocate for AI ethics who has previously worked on artificial intelligence for one of the big tech companies. Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Craig Henderson Researchers: Niamh McDermott, Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson Pictured: Sheldon Mills, Financial Conduct Authority (This edition was first broadcast on Wednesday July 8, 2026)

Parliament was asked this week to help tens of thousands of young adults get access to their own money. It is sitting in the state-backed Child Trust Funds set up more than 15 years ago with contributions from the government, parents and other relatives. However, because these young people have learning disabilities the legal process for getting hold of their own money can cost more than the couple of thousand pounds typically in their fund. What happens next? New figures reveal that in a single year half a million people said 'no thanks' to joining a workplace pension. Like everyone taking up a new job they were automatically enrolled into a pension, but they opted out before it even began. How might that impact their future? Capita has missed the deadline to return services to normal for civil servants facing long delays in getting their pensions sorted. And, a major change to the Lifetime ISA could see it replaced with a new product designed solely for First Time Buyers. How will it work? Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Meghan Owen Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm Saturday 4th July 2026)

Buying a flat used to be a stepping stone to owning a house – but has this all changed? Research is telling us that the gap in price between flats and houses has hit a 30 year high. According to the property platform Zoopla, so far this this year two-thirds of one and two-bedroom flats listed for sale still haven't been sold. The leasehold system in England is being blamed, in large part, for the declining popularity of flats. There are concerns about the length of leases and the maintenance and service charges often involved when owning a flat. The Government is in the process of introducing new measures to deal with some of these issues. So today we're asking - what does buying a flat mean for your finances? Maybe you live in one and love it! Perhaps your children do? Or are you struggling to sell and feeling a bit flattened? Presenter Felicity Hannah puts listeners’ questions and concerns to an expert panel. Polly Gilbert is a director at the digital mortgage brokers Tembo, and Liam Spender is a trustee at the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Craig Henderson Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 1st July, 2026)

More than 15,000 people have responded to a Government review into access to banking services in just three weeks since it opened. The review comes after a decade which has seen almost 7,000 bank branches close, with hundreds more happening this year and some announced in just the past few days. Richard Lloyd, a former Director at the consumer group Which?, gives his first interview since being appointed to lead the review. HMRC must "learn lessons" for the future after incorrectly suspending child benefit payments from thousands of claimants last year. That is the conclusion of a report published this week by the National Audit Office. The mistake happened during the wider roll out of a pilot scheme designed to cut some of the hundreds of millions of pounds estimated to be lost to fraud and error in child benefit claims each year. People who are 66 today, born 27 June 1960, are the youngest people who will get the Winter Fuel Payment this year. Normally the qualifying date is three months later. How does the payment work? And, VAT has been cut on summer attractions used by children - from theme parks to fast food - what kind of discounts are there? Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Sarah Rogers and Jo Krasner Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast at midday on Saturday 27th June, 2026)

We’ve seen a big fall in the number of bank branches over the last decade. Around 6,700 bank and building society branches have closed since the beginning of 2015, according to Which? With more due to close this month. Now the government is carrying out a review following concerns about the reduced access to face-to-face banking, and how this affects banking customers both in towns and in rural areas across the UK. In this special programme Money Box Live asks what IS the future for banking and what do these changes mean for you? Will online banking ultimately be the end of banking face-to-face – or will there always be some form of bank to pop into? Presenter Felicity Hannah is joined by Charles Randell, former chief of the regulator the Financial Conduct Authority and a member of the Financial Exclusion Commission, and Gareth Oakley, the CEO of Cash Access UK, to answer your questions. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Craig Henderson Editor: Jess Quayle Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday 24th June, 2026)

Capita chiefs promised MPs on the Public Accounts Committee it would fix long-running problems with its administration of one of the biggest pension schemes in the country by the end of this month. Tens of thousands of retired and serving civil servants have been reporting long delays to payments, leading to serious financial hardship to pensioners and their families.  But Money Box has learned the deadline isn't likely to be met. We speak to the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee about what happens next. And cases of reported are still increasing. We explain how AI has become the latest weapon in the fraudsters' armoury. Also, holiday season is upon us. What can we do to minimise the hit from those annoying non-sterling transaction fees levied every time we use our plastic. A consumer expert shares his advice.

Six million people who expect to be paying housing costs once they've stopped working say they don't know how they'll be able to afford it. That's according to new research from pensions and investment firm Royal London. It surveyed 4,000 people and says the findings suggest around 1 in 3 UK adults are already paying, or expect to pay, rent or a mortgage once they've retired. What can be done to help them afford it? A record number of solar panels are being fitted to homes and businesses across the UK. Last year's record is forecast to be beaten this year as electricity prices rise on July 1st. Solar panels on your roof don't just help pay your electricity bills. You can also sell spare energy back to your supplier to help pay your remaining heating bills. We'll investigate why one supplier is reducing that rate. And, what creatures would you like to see on the new Bank of England banknotes? There's a plan to replace the humans on fivers, tenners and so on with other species. The shortlist chosen by a panel of wildlife experts published by the Bank of England has 18 mammals, birds, amphibians, insects and fish. We'll speak to the Bank of England Chief Cashier Victora Cleland about what's behind the change. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast on Radio 4 at 12pm on Saturday 13th June 2026)

Scammers are using increasingly convincing AI generated videos to steal people's money. We hear from a victim who had £165,000 stolen and ask an expert how to spot the warning signs before it's too late. The government has promised new financial rights for cohabiting couples. We examine what the plans could mean for the three and a half million couples in the UK who live together without being married or in a civil partnership. Households in Northern Ireland will see their gas and electricity bills rise next month. We find out what's behind the increase and what support is available. Plus, why is one MP comparing parts of England's student loan system to some of the country's biggest financial scandals? Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Hannah Mullane, Jo Krasner, and Niamh Mc Dermott. Editor: Sarah Rogers (First broadcast 12pm Saturday 6th June 2026)

The PCS union is calling for Capita to lose its contract to administer the Civil Service Pensions scheme six months after it took over. It follows problems which have seen thousands of retired civil servants waiting months for pension payments. The Union says it would like the contract to be managed by the government instead. Capita says it is making progress on getting things 'back to normal levels' and that it’s got extra trained staff working on the backlog. Why is the take-up of child benefit, which is worth at least £1,400 per year, at its lowest level for more than twenty years? HMRC says it works with 'many partners' to promote take-up and provide information to new parents in hospitals across the UK. But what else can be done? A debt advice provider calls for a new social energy tariff to give cheaper gas and electricity to those on lower incomes, ahead of price rises in July. And, the new rare bank note to celebrate Scotland qualifying for the World Cup for first time in more than 25 years. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Hannah Mullane and Jo Krasner Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle (First broadcast 12pm Saturday 30th May 2026)

Newly released research seen exclusively by this programme suggests a quarter of the UK's nearly 6 million carers have paused or stopped paying into their pension because of the financial pressures of caring for a loved one. Most often, that loved one has complex needs and the costs of caring for them can be high. In the same research, from Carers UK, three quarters of carers said they're worried about their financial futures. An independent review is to take place into how the closure of bank branches affects people who rely on being able to physically go into their bank and speak to someone. The government says it wants to make sure those needing access to in-person service are protected. It has appointed Richard Lloyd, a former Director at Which?, to review face-to-face banking. On Wednesday National Savings and Investments will start a year-long process of contacting the executors and personal representatives of 34,000 former customers whose money it had kept after they died, some as long ago as 2008. How will that work? And a new report looks at the quality of financial guidance being offered by some social media posts. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Catherine Lund and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast at 12 noon on Saturday 23rd May, 2026)

If you’re fortunate enough to have set some money aside for a rainy day the Government wants you to invest more rather than keep it all in cash savings accounts. The Treasury, has appointed the Investment Association, alongside 19 financial services firms, to lead an industry initiative to persuade people with savings to move at least some of that money into shares. As a nation, we invest much less than in other similar countries, but why? What puts you off and what would you need to take the plunge? Presenter Felicity Hannah is joined by Karen Northey, Director of Corporate Affairs at the Investment Association, and David Dodgson, an Independent Financial Advisor with The Private Office to answer listener questions. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Craig Henderson Editor: Jess Quayle Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 3pm on Wednesday 20th May 2026)

Millions of adults across the UK, have not told their families what they want to happen to their money and property when they die. STEP, the Society for Trust and Estate Planners, reported this week on a survey which found 8 out of 10 adults had kept their loved ones in ignorance of their wishes. A third of them did not even have a will, leaving its distribution to complex legal rules rather than what the family itself might want. What should people do to avoid this? It is nearly forty years since the government sold off British Gas and encouraged us all to Tell Sid as part of Margaret Thatcher's 1986 dream of a share owning democracy. Today, the present Labour government wants people to invest more and it has appointed the Investment Association, alongside 19 of the UK's leading financial services firms, to lead an industry wide initiative to persuade people with savings to move at least some of them into shares. This "Invest for the Future" campaign has its own mascot - Savvy Squirrel. Could this lead to cultural change in the way we invest? And when might you have to pay tax on the interest you earn on savings? We'll explain all. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle News Editor: Justin Bones (First broadcast at 12noon, Saturday 16th May 2026)

We may be living longer, but are our finances in the best of health? On today’s Money Box Live we take a stroll through the decades and examine the kind of financial challenges that living longer might throw at us. A growing number of people in the UK are reaching 100 – Sir David Attenborough among them - and there are now more than 600,000 people in their nineties, but are we sufficiently prepared for the true costs of sustaining a healthy income into later life. Felicity Hannah is joined by two expert panellists who are answering listener questions - Dr Suzy Morrissey, deputy director of the Pensions Policy Institute, and Jonathan Cribb, deputy director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. How do you ensure your money lasts as long as you do? Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Craig Henderson Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast at 3pm Wednesday 13th May 2026)

Since lenders were ordered to repay billions to consumers who signed up to unfair car finance deals, millions of people have been sent adverts exhorting them to claim compensation through claims managers or law firms. But now the Financial Conduct Authority is to investigate the industry amid concerns of sharp practice and misleading marketing. Paul Lewis asks if the regulator has acted quickly enough to root out the rogue operators. And we hear from the serial switchers - those tempted by cash perks to change their bank accounts. Is it worth it? Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Jo Krasner and Felicity Hannah Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Rob Cave Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Teenage years are formative in many different ways – and being able to handle finances is one of them. In this programme - one of our special Money Box Life episodes – presenter Felicity Hannah talks to teenagers from varied backgrounds about their early experiences of handling money. We get their views on the guiding role of parents. We hear how making mistakes can prove helpful – if you learn from them. And how jobs can shape the understanding of money and how to use it, providing of course you are able to secure some form of work in an increasingly competitive environment. Advice is on hand from Stephanie Fitzgerald, head of young people's programmes at the Money Charity, and Julia Evans from Spear, which is a charity which supports young people to find work. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producers: Craig Henderson, James Graham Editor: Robert Cave Senior News Editor: Sarah Wadeson (First broadcast on Wednesday 6 May 2026)

Some bereaved listeners whose relatives had money put away with National Savings and Investments are facing weeks and months of delay in getting their own money. It comes as NS&I works to track down the accounts of tens of thousands of people who had died, after it admitted keeping nearly half a billion pounds in its coffers that should have been passed to their estates. The state-owned bank has apologised and says its working hard on its plan to ensure those affected are paid what is owed to them, along with returning the processing of current and new bereavement claims to their normal time-frame. The cost of borrowing has been held steady by the Bank of England. On Thursday its Monetary Policy Committee held the Bank Rate at 3.75%. How is that affecting mortgage deals? And, how can young people, who’re out of work, find a job? Dan Whitworth reports on a scheme run by the charity Spear to address barriers to work. It comes as University College London publishes research which finds being out of work and education between ages 16 and 24 has long-term consequences for people’s employment and finances in midlife. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm, Saturday 2nd May 2026)

A huge amount is about to change for anyone who rents their home or who owns a rental property in England. The Renters' Rights Act comes into force on May 1 and there's a lot in it, from ending so-called 'no fault' evictions to limits on rent increases. It will make a big difference to 11 million private renters and their 2.3 million landlords. After all, for tenants it involves their homes while for landlords it concerns their financial security. Felicity Hannah is joined by Rachael Williamson, director of policy at the Chartered Institute of Housing; Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association; and Tarun Bhakta, policy manager at the housing charity Shelter. Together they address listeners' questions on how the new law will affect different aspects of the rental market, including tenancies, evictions and how anti-discrimination measures will work. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: James Graham Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sarah Wadeson (First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 29nd April 2026)

In just a few days time the biggest shake up to renters rights in a generation will come into force in England. It will mean no more than one rent increase a year, an end to bidding wars an end to no fault evictions. The Renters' Rights Act will significantly change the current system not just for 11 million private renters in England but also their 2.3 million landlords. How will it work in practice? There's a call for urgent reform of recently introduced fraud regulations to better protect victims of push payment scams - when people are tricked, groomed or manipulated into transferring money to criminals. National Trading Standards says a 13 month time limit on how long people have to tell their banks they've been scammed means some victims aren't being refunded because it often takes much longer than that before they even realise their money's been stolen. The Payment Systems Regulator, which introduced the rules, says they provide a minimum standard for banks to meet. UK Finance says only a small number of cases ever fall outside the 13 month deadline and victims can always complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service. We'll ask if you should fix your energy bill now. And, how a disabled man lost £5,000 he'd raised for a new wheelchair after paying it into the wrong bank account. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Niamh McDermott Researcher: Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson (First broadcast 12pm on Saturday 25th April 2026)