Amalia Illgner

Senior Writer – Money Features

Amalia's experience

After graduation with an MA in journalism at Goldsmiths in London, Amalia spent three years as a freelance writer covering blockchain, social mobility, oil and gas for The Economist, 1843, The Guardian, Oil Review Middle East and New Scientist. She joined MSE in 2019 and was part of the team leading its coverage of the Government's coronavirus financial support.

A little more about Amalia

Amalia loves reading cook books, having friends over to try out new recipes, and discovering obscure London eateries. But above all, she loves belting out old school Broadway bangers in her kitchen while her two daughters run riot and her husband puts in earplugs...

Amalia says...

"I cover benefits and pensions for MSE. What I love most is translating impenetrable financial jargon into plain English and encouraging people to check that they're getting all the help they're entitled to. There is nothing better than when readers write in to say we've made a massive difference to their lives."

Latest from Amalia Illgner

If you're on a low income, you could get as much as £200 a year towards the cost of your child's school uniform – saving you £100s or even £1,000s (if you have more than one child) over their school years. With coronavirus plunging 100,000s into new financial hardship, many will be newly eligible, so check now to see if you're one of them and what you could get.

12 October 2021

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Applications for the fifth and final self-employment income support scheme (SEISS) grant have now CLOSED, marking the end of this particular Government scheme. For your reference, we've kept information in this guide about how SEISS worked, and who was able to apply.

30 September 2021

The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live. It's an anxious and upsetting time, especially as it's now been more than a year-and-a-half since the crisis began. This guide looks at which benefits you may be able to claim – with many available alongside other Government support. You can also check the benefits you're entitled to by using our 10-minute Benefits Calculator.

30 September 2021

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30 September 2021

The largest guarantor loan lender Amigo Loans has admitted the financial regulator does not support its proposed new redress scheme. But it says it's been told the regulator doesn't plan to take action to stop the scheme if it's agreed on by borrowers and sanctioned by the High Court.

25 March 2021

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.

3 March 2021

Anyone with a current or future guarantor-loan mis-selling claim from the sector's largest lender, Amigo Loans, may not get the full amount they're owed. It's because the firm has asked the High Court to approve a new scheme that would limit payouts and set a time restriction on them in a bid to stave off liquidation given the surge of complaints it's facing.

22 December 2020

There are as many as 365,000 static caravans in the UK, and van owners tend to pay upfront fees to caravan parks – which are £1,000s each year. They've asked us if they can get partial refunds because they cannot access their vans, or the parks, as a result of lockdown restrictions.

30 June 2020

An HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) webinar has told confused potential claimants that the second Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant applies to June, July and August – even though its new rule means you actually need to declare your business was affected by coronavirus on or after Tuesday 14 July to qualify.

22 June 2020

Some Nationwide customers who took out personal loan payment holidays mistakenly had it reported as a missed payment on their credit report late last week, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal.

21 May 2020

Every week, thousands of homeowners who remortgage to new lenders are paying extra cash – sometimes £100+ – simply because their old deals end on a Friday, Saturday or a bank holiday.

4 December 2019

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More than 3.4 million disabled pensioners could be missing out on up to £4,500 a year in help towards the costs of their care, a national debt charity has warned. If you think you may be eligible for the attendance allowance benefit, here's how to check.

22 November 2019

Some 16-year-olds are struggling to open a Help to Buy ISA before the deadline at the end of this month because they haven't yet received their national insurance (NI) numbers. The problems come after a change to the way NI numbers are sent out earlier this year resulted in a massive backlog – if you're affected, here's what you can do about it.

14 November 2019