Money Box

A quarter of British employees have been furloughed since the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement in March. Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme workers are entitled to receive 80% of their pay up to a maximum of £2500 a month but they’re not allowed to do any work for their employer while on furlough. Earlier this month the scheme was extended until October - but from August the governmen...

Festival goers are trying to get their money back from the organisers of Afro Nation but are being told that Portuguese law means they’re not entitled to a refund – what can they do? Lenders are cutting credit card limits and that could affect your credit rating... but not in the way you might think. Former pensions minister Steve Webb tells us that tens of thousands of older married women pension...

Your questions on the challenges of getting and holding on to a mortgage or re-mortgage during coronavirus. How does being furloughed affect your prospects? Are some job sectors now less desirable to mortgage providers? What if pandemic-related delays in conveyancing are pushing you close to the expiry of your existing mortgage offer? Should fears of a market dip make you reconsider and sit tight...

Money Box has been hearing from furloughed workers who say their employers are abusing the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It allows staff to be put on leave while the government pays 80 per cent of their wages up to £2500 a month. One worker says he’s being forced to keep working and another says she’s been furloughed but isn’t being paid. Guest Sarah Chilton, partner with employment law specia...

Felicity Hannah and guests talk to young entrepreneurs who've started businesses during the lockdown. She'll hear about the successes and challenges they encountered along the way. Guests: Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation Zara Khalique, creator of Keep It Bright Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @Moneybox with stories, experiences or questions for the panel. Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Em...

Pandemic-related salary cuts and being furloughed could affect your ability to get a mortgage. What will mortgage providers take into account - your previous normal salary or your 80% rate? And will job types in sectors hit badly by the coronavirus now be deemed less desirable by lenders? We hear your stories and get advice from Martin Stewart, Director of the independent mortgage broker, London M...

Graduates and young workers face huge challenges getting and staying in a job as coronavirus changes the employment picture. Louise Cooper discusses the consequences and solutions. Guests: Laura Gardiner, Research Director at the Resolution Foundation Michele Farmer, Regional Director at the Prince's Trust Email questions and experiences to moneybox@bbc.co.uk Reporter: Kafui Okpattah Producer: Ben...

On this week’s Money Box we hear from people who’ve been furloughed by their employer but are being pressured into working anyway - something very much against the rules of the Job Retention Scheme. And can an employer force those people still working to take a pay cut? Paul talks through the legal implications with Susie Al-Qassab, partner at Hodge, Jones and Allen Solicitors. As the consumer wat...

Many people are having to claim benefits for the first time due to coronavirus. Paul Lewis and guests find out how some people have found this experience. Was it clear how to claim? Did you find the rules easy to understand? Have you got your money yet? Is it enough? What other help is out there? Guests: Victoria Todd from Low Income Tax Reform Group and Will Hadwen, a welfare rights advisor with...

650,000 people work as contractors in a wide range of jobs across the UK – supply teachers, IT engineers, health care workers. But some of them have told Money Box they’ve been left in limbo by umbrella companies who say they need more clarity from the government before they can decide to furlough them or not. Issues about how much the contractors would get, how much holiday pay they’d be owed and...

On our programme last Saturday we looked at the new Financial Conduct Authority guidance for people with car finance who are struggling to pay it due to coronavirus. 80% of all private new car buyers take out finance at the dealership and there’s £110bn worth of debt outstanding. We get lots of questions from listeners about how car finance actually works so for this special podcast extra we’ve go...

Adam Shaw and guests talk to people struggling with bills and finding it hard to access credit. They offer practical advice about how to stay on top of your finances. Guests: Richard Lane from StepChange and Sara Williams from Debt Camel. Email: moneybox@bbc.co.uk Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

Action to protect workers who would otherwise face redundancy due to the coronavirus outbreak was brought in by the government last month. Known as the Job Retention Scheme it pays 80 per cent of wages for people kept on by their employer up to a maximum of £2,500 a month. At the time there was disappointment from those who missed out because they didn’t start their job before the scheme’s cut-off...

How are student finances being affected by coronavirus? Louise Cooper is joined by Tom Allingham from Save The Student and Hayley Borrett from The National Association of Student Money Advisers. They'll hear from students with concerns about paying fees, meeting rent obligations, making student loan payments and much more. Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk with questions and experiences or tweet @Moneybox...

Millions of people are still facing huge financial pressure despite government measures to help them deal with the fallout from coronavirus. Some estimates show that up to half of the 5m people who are self employed won’t be helped by the support package that the government has announced. Many thousands more, who are employees, are not eligible for the job retention furlough arrangements. Unsurpri...

Louise Cooper and guests discuss how government rules help tenants and landlords affected by coronavirus. Guests: Henry Pryor - Buying agent and property expert Anny Cullum - National organiser for Acorn, a community and tenants union John Stewart - Policy manager at the National Residential Landlords Association Email questions to moneybox@bbc.co.uk Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

People who have recently begun new jobs say that the government’s plan to help businesses hit by coronavirus may treat them unfairly. Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, a business can choose to furlough workers – that is, keep them on the books but not working and at home. The government will pay 80 per cent of their wages up to £2,500 per month. Companies may choose to top up furloughed...

In recent weeks the Money Box inbox has been inundated with your queries and questions about travel and holiday issues. So we invited Simon Calder, travel editor at The Independent, to shed some light on some of the most common problems people are facing.

Wedding plans in ruins, holidays cancelled, business on hold and landlords unable to rent out their properties. This is exactly the kind of unexpected scenario we buy insurance policies for, but are they written to cover once in a century events like the coronavirus outbreak? Our panel of experts answer your questions on insurance policies and claims.

This week the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the Government’s much anticipated help package for the self employed. Only about two thirds of an estimated 6m workforce will gain anything, leaving over a million people without help. We look at the package in more detail, including the changes to benefits and hear top tips for getting paid in a timely manner. And the banks were quick to promise supp...

Announcements from the Government are coming thick and fast about the help available for small business in these difficult times. An expert panel joins Adam Shaw to discuss and answer your questions on what assistance might be on offer. We also look at issues facing the self-employed and discuss what support is currently out there for them. Get in touch by email: moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet: @mone...

Money Box unpicks the Chancellor's announcement on support for wages and rents. Investments have taken a massive hit over the last few weeks as the stock market has dived. We speak to one Money Box listener who thought his fund, which was nearing maturity, had been moved to a 'safer' account - only to discover it hadn't. And the latest fraud statistics show that in 2019 fraud increased by 45%. We...

The UK government has urged Britons to avoid non-essential travel to anywhere in the world for 30 days to tackle the spread of coronavirus. Where does that leave people and their holiday plans? And what about future holidays? Joining presenter Louise Cooper to share their views: Simon Calder, Travel Editor at The Independent. Charlie Campbell, Senior Policy Adviser at the Association of British In...

The financial fallout from the Corona Virus pandemic. Making sense of the help available. And the Chief Financial Ombudsman, Caroline Wayman, tells us that the banks warnings are not good enough and that they need to do much to stop people becoming victims of so-called "push payment fraud". We report on a "never seen before" fraud that lead to a ninety-one year old losing his life's savings. The c...

Whether you're young or old, rich or poor, how will the Budget affect your personal finances? Paul Lewis and a panel of experts give their opinions on how it will affect your wallet and take your calls. Our panel this week; Anita Monteith – Institute of Chartered Accountants Heather Self- Blick Rothenberg Accountants Tina Riches – Tax Aid Call 03700 100 444. Lines are open from 1pm on Wednesday 11...