DWP and money changes beginning in October from claimant updates to mobile roaming charges

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has unveiled 9 wealth and regularisation changes that volition impact claimants and more. UK households are acceptable to look a raft of caller rules successful October 2024, including the opening of Winter Fuel Payment telephone lines arsenic portion of the shake-up.

Changes are expected crossed the board, from energy bills to Royal Mail stamps. Winter Fuel Payments, worthy up to £300, volition beryllium automatically received by astir eligible individuals, but immoderate volition request to apply.

If you're among those who request to apply, you tin bash truthful by telephone starting October 28.

Beyond the £300 Winter Fuel Allowance, determination are 9 different changes, fiscal rules and laws that volition person an impact. BirminghamLive has revealed the database of changes up of the shake-up.

Ofgem vigor terms headdress rises from October 1

The Ofgem vigor terms headdress is acceptable to emergence connected October 1. Energy bills volition spot an summation successful October pursuing the manufacture regulator's announcement of a 10% hike successful its headdress connected vigor prices, reports Birmingham Live.

With the caller terms cap, the mean yearly vigor measure volition leap to £1,717 for state and electricity, a £149 summation from the existent level of £1,568, which has been successful spot since July.

The mean terms headdress for modular recognition households volition emergence by £161 to £1,829.

Warm Home Discount - opens successful October

The Warm Home Discount strategy volition unfastened successful October.

The Warm Home Discount Scheme, a authorities inaugural designed to enactment immoderate of the UK's lowest earners with their vigor bills, is acceptable to unfastened again this October. Those eligible for assistance volition person £150 towards their bills done the scheme.

New mobile roaming rules - October 1

New mobile roaming rules are acceptable to travel into effect connected October 1. In an effort to guarantee each mobile customers person the indispensable accusation astatine the close time, Ofcom is introducing caller protections.

From October 1, 2024, mobile providers volition beryllium required to notify customers erstwhile they commencement roaming. They volition besides request to supply clear, free-to-access accusation truthful customers tin marque informed decisions astir utilizing their mobile phones abroad.

"The past happening holidaymakers privation erstwhile returning from a travel overseas is an unexpected mobile telephone bill. At the moment, immoderate customers aren't getting wide accusation from their supplier to assistance them negociate their mobile usage and program their spend. Our caller protections volition mean you're told what it'll outgo erstwhile you commencement roaming, truthful you tin beryllium assured that determination won't beryllium immoderate surprises erstwhile it comes to your mobile measure portion connected holiday," said Cristina Luna-Esteban, Ofcom's Director of Telecoms Consumer Policy.

Self-assessment registry deadline - October 5

The deadline to registry for self-assessment is October 5.

You request to motion up for self-assessment by 5 October pursuing the extremity of the taxation year. For instance, if you're owed to capable retired a taxation instrumentality for the play from 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024, you've got until 5 October 2024 to register.

If you did a self-assessment past year, nary request to bash it again HMRC volition usually nonstop a reminder to record your instrumentality (but remember, it's connected you to guarantee you bash it whether they nudge you oregon not).

Stamp prices emergence again - October 7

Stamp prices are acceptable for different hike connected October 7.

Get acceptable to fork retired much for your stamps arsenic modular first-class stamp prices are acceptable to soar by a hefty 22% travel Monday 7 October, Royal Mail has announced. However, banal up present and you tin inactive usage them adjacent aft the terms jump.

Nick Landon, Royal Mail's main commercialized officer, commented: "We ever see terms increases precise carefully. However, erstwhile missive volumes person declined by two-thirds since their peak, the outgo of delivering each missive inevitably increases."

He added: "A analyzable and extended web is needed to get each missive and parcel crossed the state for a azygous terms travelling connected trucks, planes, ferries and successful immoderate cases drones earlier it reaches its last destination [delivered] connected foot. We are arrogant to present the cosmopolitan service, but the fiscal outgo is significant."

New fraud rules for banks - October 7

Banks look caller fraud rules starting October 7.

A groundbreaking determination volition spot refunds go obligatory from 7 October, arsenic per the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). However, it has scaled down the maximum payout from an earlier proposition of £415,000, stating that the caller bounds of £85,000 would suffice for implicit 99% of cases.

Which? argumentation and advocacy manager Rocio Concha criticised the simplification successful the projected compensation amount, claiming it diminishes incentives for fiscal institutions and outgo companies to fortify fraud prevention efforts.

"The regulator has shamefully sidelined scam victims, contempt the grounds showing that this determination could person a antagonistic fiscal and intelligence interaction connected them," Concha said.

Inflation - October 16

Inflation figures are acceptable for an update connected October 16, with the Office for National Statistics poised to uncover whether prices person shifted. The astir caller ONS study showed ostentation dependable astatine 2.2% up to August, contrasting with a highest of 11.1% successful October 2022.

Budget - October 30

Later successful the month, connected October 30, Chancellor Rachel Reeves volition contiguous Labour's inaugural Budget. Despite indicating "difficult decisions" up during a September interrogation with the BBC, her league code suggested a brighter outlook for Britain's economy.

Self-assessment insubstantial deadline - October 31

Individuals opting for insubstantial filing indispensable enactment the self-assessment deadline looming connected October 31.

If you're readying to record your Self Assessment via a insubstantial instrumentality alternatively of online, past the deadline is midnight connected 31st October. Remember, 31st October is the day by which HMRC needs to person received your return, truthful guarantee you origin successful clip for mentation and postage.