Paul Lewis: September money news
The latest money news from our expert including state pension compensation, ISAs and whether a water meter could save you money.
Image credit: GettyImages
The latest money news from our expert including state pension compensation, ISAs and whether a water meter could save you money.
If your train arrives late you may be able to get some or all of your money back. The national scheme called Delay Repay should make the process simple.
How much you get depends on which train company you are travelling with as they all have their own schemes. Delays of 15 minutes are enough for most, a few start at 30 minutes and a couple insist on an hour’s delay.
The longer the delay, the more you will get back. Ask the rail company you travelled with how to apply. Ask for a refund rather than vouchers as you can usually only use vouchers at a station ticket office, not online.
Read about secret tricks to save money on train travel.
The Department for Work and Pensions has given up trying to find hundreds of thousands of married women whose state pension was underpaid. It had hoped that writing letters to them all would be enough but barely one in 12 has come forward and it now expects to pay out £129 million instead of the £1 billion it had set aside.
If you got child benefit between 1978 and 2010, your National Insurance contributions record may be wrong, resulting in your state pension being too small. Check at gov.uk – search ‘home responsibilities protection’ and scroll down to ‘Check if you’re eligible.’ It is worth doing – the average payment made so far has been £8,377.
A reduction in the amount you can put away each year into a cash ISA has been put on hold. The Chancellor was planning to restrict the amount of the £20,000 annual allowance that could be put into a cash ISA, perhaps to £4,000.
She was hoping to encourage savers to use the balance to invest. But that change will not happen – at least for now. Rachel Reeves is expected to clarify her plans in the autumn Budget.
Find out more about the latest on Cash ISAs as well as what tax changes could be in the next Budget.
A record number of people in England and Wales have applied for a water meter after the price rises in April. The general rule is that if you have more bedrooms than people in your home then it is worth considering a meter.
The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) has a calculator to check if you would save money. Search ‘CCW water meter’ online. If you cannot have a meter, you should be put on an assessed charge which will usually be less than you pay now, especially if you live alone. Contact your water supplier.
The experts at Saga Money have more information on whether a water meter could save you money, with tips on how to cut your water usage.
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