2021

Around 200,000 women could be owed an average of £13,500 after their state pensions were underpaid, new figures reveal. These payments will now be made automatically following a Government review - although some women, depending on their circumstances, will still need to claim. 

The furlough scheme will now run until the end of September and self-employed income support will be extended to 600,000 who were previously excluded, the Chancellor has confirmed in today's Budget.

Millions of universal credit claimants will continue to get a £20/week uplift to their payments for a further six months, it was announced today, after Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a series of benefits adjustments in his 2021 Budget.

The contactless card payment limit will rise from £45 to £100, the Treasury has confirmed. The news comes ahead of today's Budget, although Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to formally announce the shake-up in his speech.

Some 1.3 million people are expected to start paying income tax and a million more will become higher-rate taxpayers by 2026 after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced income tax thresholds are to be frozen after a rise this April. The Government's also freezing the pensions lifetime allowance and the thresholds for capital gains tax and inheritance tax.

The current stamp duty holiday in England and Northern Ireland has been extended until the end of June, and some relief will continue until the end of September, the Chancellor announced in the Budget today. 

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has delivered one of the most important Budgets we've had for years, with key announcements on the future of coronavirus income support and big news on stamp duty, income tax, universal credit, the pensions lifetime allowance, mortgages, contactless payments and more. We've a round-up of the key news below, plus links to more in-depth analysis.

Guarantor loans have overtaken Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) as the most complained about product that the Financial Ombudsman Service adjudicates on. It's the first time in more than a decade that PPI is not the most complained about financial product.

O2 customers will be hit with price hikes of 1.4% from their April bills, the telecoms provider has confirmed. It is writing to affected customers to inform them of the increase this week. But you won't be able to cancel penalty-free unless you're out of contract as these rises are written into contracts. Here's what's happening. 

TalkTalk is to hit many broadband and home phone customers with price hikes of up to £36 a year from next month - but you can escape the hikes penalty-free as you wouldn't have been warned about them when signing up. Separately, the provider is also warning of larger increases planned for April 2022.