Benefits

Today's Pre-Budget Report (PBR) was a story of higher taxes for most of us to help pay for the country's £178 billion of borrowing this year.

Hundreds of thousands of pensioners will see their benefit entitlement rise by up to £415 a year from today.

Millions of pensioners are paying too much tax because the system is so complex, the National Audit Office (NAO) said today.

The deadline for Tax Credits renewal is this Friday. Most claimants must reply to any letter sent or they may miss out on cash, or even face a fine.

A government initiative to prevent struggling homeowners from losing their property only helped one borrower in April. This takes the grand total to just two since the Mortgage Rescue scheme was launched in January.

The minimum wage will rise for most workers this October by 7p an hour to £5.80, it was announced today.