No change to tax-free lump sum is ‘welcome’ move

The chancellor chose to leave the tax-free lump sum unchanged in the Autumn Budget The pensions tax-free lump sum has remained unchanged, despite speculation the chancellor would tinker with this in the Autumn Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her Budget today (26 November), confirming changes to salary sacrifice for pensions and inflation protections for pre-1997 pensions in the Pensions protection Fund and …

Bank of Bank of England holds interest rates at 4% as Budget looms large

Five MPC members voted to hold rates The Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to leave interest rates unchanged at 4%. In a meeting today (6 November), five MPC members voted to hold rates while the remaining four opted for a 25bps cut to 3.75%. The decision was hard to call ahead of the vote, noted AJ Bell …

State pension to rise 4.8% as inflation holds steady

Inflation remained unchanged at 3.8 per cent in September, meaning the state pension will rise by 4.8 per cent in line with July’s earnings growth figure under the triple lock. In April 2026, the state pension will get bumped up by the July earnings growth figure of 4.8 per cent. Therefore, the full ‘new’ state pension should increase from £230.25 …

Inflation stands still at 3.8% as Budget tax plans come into focus

Commentators say chancellor should be wary of inflationary tax measures after consumer price index comes in under expectations. Inflation stood still at 3.8% in September, coming in under expectations ahead of a Budget next month that will include tax rises. Consumer price index (CPI) figures released this morning showed prices had not risen quite as much as the 4% predicted …

IHT tax take up £100m to £4.4bn in six months to September

IHT revenue on track for ‘another record-breaking year’ The Treasury is on track for another record-breaking year of revenues from inheritance tax (IHT) as receipts for April to September hit £4.4bn, which is £100m higher than the same period last year. The increase represents an increase of 2.3 per cent, according to analysis from Evelyn Partners. Evelyn Partners head of …

Bank of England holds interest rates at 4% as inflation remains ‘sticky’

Seven MPC members voted to leave interest rates untouched The Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to leave its base rate unchanged at 4%, a move widely anticipated by analysts and markets. In a meeting today, seven MPC members voted to leave interest rates at 4%, having decided to cut rates by 25bps at the last …