Student and postgraduate loan thresholds and rates
From 6 April 2025, new thresholds for student loan repayments will take effect, impacting borrowers across the UK. Whether you’re on Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4, or repaying a postgraduate loan, here’s a breakdown of the latest changes and what they mean for you.
Student loans are a key component of the
Private rental deposits
There are special rules under the Tenancy Deposit Scheme that limits the amount of deposit that landlords in England can request. There are also further limitations on what landlords and agents can charge tenants.
If you are renting a residential property you may have to pay a deposit before you
Changes to the High Income Child Benefit Charge
The changes to the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) announced as part of the Spring Budget came into effect on 6 April 2024. The income threshold at which HICBC starts to be charged has been increased from £50,000 to £60,000.
The HICBC is charged at the rate of 1% of the full Child Benefit
Childcare Account chores
HMRC’s Childcare account can be used to claim free childcare (if eligible) or pay for Tax-Free Childcare. HMRC’s sign in page for the account states that in order ‘…to keep getting free childcare or Tax-Free Childcare, you must sign in every 3 months and confirm your details are up to date’.
There
New employment protections
New legislation, including three Government backed cross party Acts, came into force from 6 April 2024.
Pregnant women and new parents will now receive special treatment in a redundancy situation, as a suite of new laws are introduced – delivering the Government’s plan to support families and back
Assistance with debt management
Earlier this month, saw the 10th anniversary of the StepChange Debt Charity’s annual Debt Awareness Week. This is designed to shine a spotlight on the causes of problem debt.
The focus on this year’s campaign is looking at the main barriers to getting debt advice. This includes understanding that
Rent a Room Scheme – another income stream
The rent-a-room scheme is a set of special rules designed to help homeowners who rent-a-room in their home to create a valuable tax free income stream. If you are using this scheme, you should ensure that rents received from lodgers during the current tax year do no exceed £7,500. The tax exemption
Cost of living final payment 2023-24
The Cost of Living support package has been designed to help over 8 million households in receipt of means tested benefits. The details of Cost of Living Payments due in the 2023-24 tax year were published in 2023 and have recently been updated with details of the final payment.
Eligible recipients
Setting up a payment plan with HMRC
The 31st of January is a key date for those of us who are registered for self-assessment. There are three deadlines:
The closing date to file your 2022-23 tax return without incurring an initial £100 late filing penalty.
The date by which any balance of tax, NIC, or student loan payback needs to
Help with childcare costs
HMRC is reminding parents that they may be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) to help pay for childcare costs. The scheme was used by almost 650,000 families during the 2022-23 tax year. This represented a significant increase over the previous year.
The TFC scheme can help parents of children