Money Box

The State Pension age went up again this week as part of its gradual shift from 66 years old to 67. The law says it will rise again to 68 by 2046, but that may change. A State Pension Age Review, the third to be held, is considering whether the rules around state pension age are appropriate in the light of the latest life expectancy data and will recommend how state pension age should be determined in the future. We'll speak to Dr Suzy Morrissey, who was appointed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions last year to prepare an independent report into the future of the State Pension age.
Louise Botting, the former presenter of Money Box, has died at the age of 87 after a short illness. We'll pay tribute.
Average mortgage rates hit a three year high this week affecting millions of homes owners looking to remortgage and people hoping to buy their first home. What's the best advice?
And, the Bank of England has picked the animals to appear on the next series of bank notes. The hedgehog, barn owl, puffin and bumblebee were chosen after a public vote - with almost half a million people responding to a consultation.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researchers: Catherine Lund and Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 10th October 2026)

One of the biggest financial questions facing families as they get older is: who pays for care if it's needed?
Costs can vary significantly depending on where you live. In England, the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has promised a National Care Service which includes free personal care in the home. Personal care is already free at the point of use in Scotland, in Wales the cost is capped at £100 a week whilst in Northern Ireland it's means tested.
When home help isn't enough, the next move might be care home, and figures suggest that costs £67,496 per year on average in the UK according to the directory carehome.co.uk.
But who pays the bills and how do you find out what you're entitled to?
In this episode, Felicity Hannah will be looking at what the rules are now and how they might change, as well as taking questions around selling the family home and care annuities.
Joining the programme are Claire Rintoul, the CEO of Sheffcare, a charity which operates 9 care homes, Independent Financial Advisor Jonathan Rowley from the Society of Later Life Advisors, and Fiona Collie from the charity Carers Scotland.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Sarah Rogers
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior Editor: Sara Wadeson
(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday the 7th of October, 2026)

It's six months until changes bringing unspent pension pots into Inheritance Tax come into force. From 6th April, any money left in pension pots will be added to the rest of the deceased’s estate and be liable for Inheritance Tax. This will be due if the total estate exceeds the threshold where the tax begins, which can be as low as £325,000. At the moment pension funds can be passed to heirs free of Inheritance Tax. The government has said that pension funds were being used not to live on in retirement but to pass wealth on to heirs tax-free instead. What might this mean for your plans?
Criminals stole more than £900 million from tens of thousands of victims of investment fraud in the last financial year according to the latest report from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. The amount stolen was up a fifth and the number of victims also jumped up - by a staggering 37%. This is why the National Crime Agency has this week started a campaign aimed at cutting this most devastating of crimes.
And, why are some disabled people who already receive support through the government’s Access to Work scheme having their funding reduced or removed?
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Jo Krasner and Amber Mehmood
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast on Radio 4 at 12pm Saturday 3rd October 2026)

Cohabiting couples are the fastest-growing family type in the UK. There are three and a half million couples living together without being married or in a civil partnership.
Sharing a home, and perhaps a family and finances, is a huge commitment, you might assume that years of living like this would give you similar protection to a married couple. But in England and Wales, it doesn’t.
However, big changes could be on the way, the government is planning to give cohabiting couples more rights when it comes to property and finances and has been consulting on what that might look like. There are already frameworks in place for those living in Scotland and Ireland. In Northern Ireland there are fewer protections.
Felicity Hannah is joined by Hannah Saxe, a specialist family solicitor at Brabners law firm who also sits on Resolution’s National Cohabitation Committee and Laura Suter, director of personal finance at AJ Bell.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Sarah Rogers
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(This episode was first broadcast on Wednesday the 30th of September, 2026)

Almost half of people in work don't know how much their employer is contributing to their workplace pension. That is one finding from a survey by the consumer group Which? It also found that people looking for a new job are more likely to value things like holiday allowance and flexible working than what the employer paid into their pension.
What can be done to help the hundreds of thousands of low income pensioners who're missing out on benefits they're entitled to? We'll hear from one pensioner on the Isle of Wight who boosted her income by nearly £400 per month after finding out she qualified for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction.
If you're a pensioner due to receive the Winter Fuel Payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland you have until 20th September to opt out if you want to.
And, the UK's biggest lenders put up mortgage rates. What’s the best advice for first-time buyers or those who need to refix their deal?  
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researchers: Catherine Lund and Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast 12pm on Saturday 12th September 2026)