Important personal finance dates around the holiday season: Hargreaves Lansdown

Coles says: “When you’re counting the days until you get help for runaway price hikes, it helps to know exactly how many days are left to count. And if you’re bracing for hits and bad news, you also need to know when they’re coming.

“There hasn’t been a formal announcement on some of the key dates yet – including the second living allowance payment for people on Universal Credit – but some key dates are already on the calendar and worth knowing.”

The dates are:

September 2nd

Over a million families with tax credits will start receiving their first living expenses payment starting September 2. The £326 will be automatically deposited into bank accounts and there will be a second payment in the winter.

5th September

The new Prime Minister will be announced today – which will give us an idea of ​​what to expect in terms of financial support with prices skyrocketing.

September

England is expected to have legislation later this month to protect parents from unnecessary branded school uniform costs – Scotland already has legislation. However, schools have until September 2023 to bring in the changes if it means they have to find a new supplier.

13.september

Wage data announced today feeds into the triple-lock guarantee for April’s public pension increases. That number is unlikely to drive the rise as the inflation figure – measured in September and announced in October – is likely to come in higher.

September 14th or September 21st

When Secretary of State Liz Truss becomes the new prime minister, we expect a financial report outlining plans to support the cost-of-living crisis and important financial changes.

September 15th

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee is due to make its next interest rate announcement and the current forecast is for a 0.5 percentage point hike.

September 20th

Disability living expenses payment of £150 will be paid out from today. Anyone who qualifies will receive the money automatically, and most will do so by early October.

September 22nd

The new UK and London living wage rates for 2022-2023 are announced. This is the voluntary living wage real wage – and not the state minimum.

30. September

Old £20 and £50 notes will be confiscated. You can’t spend them in shops, but you can still deposit them at your bank and the Bank of England will continue to exchange any notes confiscated.

September

The law is expected to be amended to allow unmarried parents to claim death benefits.

October 1

The staggering 80% increase in the energy price cap is set to materialize – taking the cost per year of dual-fuel for an average household from £1,971 to £3,549.

October 1

This is the protest period for Don’t Pay. If a million people sign up to participate by that time, it will encourage people to cancel their energy bill debits in protest of price increases. Anyone considering joining the campaign needs to be aware that their utility company will still be chasing the money, you’re building up debt, and failure to pay could have a profound impact on your credit score. The utility might insist on installing a prepaid meter, so you can’t use energy without paying for it – and that will make energy bills even higher.

5th October

HMRC registration deadline for self assessment tax returns.

October 31st

Deadline for filing the tax return in paper form.

October

All households paying an energy bill directly will have £400 paid directly to their provider in installments between October and March.

October

The Warm Home rebate is a £150 rebate paid by suppliers sometime between October and March. If you are eligible and your provider is part of the scheme, you will usually now receive it automatically in England and Wales.

October 19th

Inflation figures for September will be released today. This serves as one of the measures in the triple security of the statutory pension and also serves as a basis for performance increases. This is a concern this year as it will not reflect the October energy price cap hike or further hikes in January and April next year, so prices could have risen well above this level by the time inflation starts to pick up next April.

end of October

Unless the new prime minister makes financial changes sooner, the budget would normally be due at the end of October.

autumn

The first payment of living expenses for people on Universal Credit, Retirement Credit and other means-tested benefits was made in July. The second – from £324 – will be made in the autumn but the date has not yet been announced

November

The cost-of-living allowance for pensioners will be rolled up and paid out with the winter fuel allowance – which is paid out in November or December to everyone over the statutory pension limit. The amount you receive depends on your age and circumstances.

From November on

Cold weather payments can be made at this point. In England and Wales, the elderly and those on special needs receive £25 for every seven-day period between November and the end of March when the average temperature is below freezing. In Scotland, this has been replaced with a one-off payment of £50 to anyone who qualifies in February, regardless of how low the temperature gets.

November 3rd

Interest Notice. The market is currently expecting a further increase, which could amount to up to 0.5 percentage points.

November 24th

The January energy price cap is announced and is widely expected to bring more bad news.

25. November

Black Friday.

November 28th

cyber monday.