Latest news with #Self-Assessment
North Wales Live
09-06-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
Winter fuel payment to return for millions of pensioners as UK Government announces new threshold
Millions more pensioners will receive Winter Fuel Payments as the UK Governments extends eligibility. The payment, worth up to £300 to help with energy bills during the coldest months, was paid only to those on pension credit last year. The move from a universal benefits came under fire from within the Labour party and the opposition - leading to a U-turn. Today the Government announced that around nine million pensioners will receive Winter Fuel Payments this winter. It will be paid to all pensioners in England and Wales with an income of, or below, £35,000 a year. This extends eligibility to the vast majority of pensioners, with over three quarters benefitting. This change will cost around £1.25 billion in England and Wales and see means-testing of the Winter Fuel Payment save around £450 million, subject to certification by the Office for Budget Responsibility, compared to the system of universal Winter Fuel Payments. The costs will be accounted for at the Budget and incorporated into the next OBR forecast. The UK Government said will not lead to permanent additional borrowing. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone No pensioner will need to take any action as they will automatically receive the payment this winter, and for those with incomes above the threshold it will be automatically recovered via HMRC. The payment of £200 per household, or £300 per household where there is someone over 80, will be made automatically this winter. Over 12 million pensioners across the United Kingdom will also benefit from the Triple Lock, with their State Pension set to increase by up to £1,900 this parliament. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: 'Targeting Winter Fuel Payments was a tough decision, but the right decision because of the inheritance we had been left by the previous government. It is also right that we continue to means-test this payment so that it is targeted and fair, rather than restoring eligibility to everyone including the wealthiest. 'But we have now acted to expand the eligibility of the Winter Fuel Payment so no pensioner on a lower income will miss out. This will mean over three quarters of pensioners receiving the payment in England and Wales later this winter.' Pensioners above the £35,000 threshold will have the full amount of the Winter Fuel Payment they received automatically collected via PAYE, or via their Self-Assessment return. No one will need to register with HMRC for this or take any further action. Pensioners who want to opt out and not receive the payment at all, will be able to do so, with details to be confirmed. Making these changes now gives people certainty and ensures that payments can be made in time for this winter. Payments will be better targeted than before 2024-25 when they were previously paid to all pensioners regardless of their income, meaning those on lower and middle incomes will still receive the help they need, ensuring fairness for both pensioners and taxpayers. Approximately 2 million individuals in England and Wales over State Pension age have taxable incomes above £35,000.
Wales Online
09-06-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Winter fuel payment to return for millions of pensioners as UK Government announces new threshold
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Millions more pensioners will receive Winter Fuel Payments as the UK Governments extends eligibility. The payment, worth up to £300 to help with energy bills during the coldest months, was paid only to those on pension credit last year. The move from a universal benefits came under fire from within the Labour party and the opposition - leading to a U-turn. Today the Government announced that around nine million pensioners will receive Winter Fuel Payments this winter. It will be paid to all pensioners in England and Wales with an income of, or below, £35,000 a year. This extends eligibility to the vast majority of pensioners, with over three quarters benefitting. This change will cost around £1.25 billion in England and Wales and see means-testing of the Winter Fuel Payment save around £450 million, subject to certification by the Office for Budget Responsibility, compared to the system of universal Winter Fuel Payments. The costs will be accounted for at the Budget and incorporated into the next OBR forecast. The UK Government said will not lead to permanent additional borrowing. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone No pensioner will need to take any action as they will automatically receive the payment this winter, and for those with incomes above the threshold it will be automatically recovered via HMRC. The payment of £200 per household, or £300 per household where there is someone over 80, will be made automatically this winter. Over 12 million pensioners across the United Kingdom will also benefit from the Triple Lock, with their State Pension set to increase by up to £1,900 this parliament. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: 'Targeting Winter Fuel Payments was a tough decision, but the right decision because of the inheritance we had been left by the previous government. It is also right that we continue to means-test this payment so that it is targeted and fair, rather than restoring eligibility to everyone including the wealthiest. 'But we have now acted to expand the eligibility of the Winter Fuel Payment so no pensioner on a lower income will miss out. This will mean over three quarters of pensioners receiving the payment in England and Wales later this winter.' Pensioners above the £35,000 threshold will have the full amount of the Winter Fuel Payment they received automatically collected via PAYE, or via their Self-Assessment return. No one will need to register with HMRC for this or take any further action. Pensioners who want to opt out and not receive the payment at all, will be able to do so, with details to be confirmed. Making these changes now gives people certainty and ensures that payments can be made in time for this winter. Payments will be better targeted than before 2024-25 when they were previously paid to all pensioners regardless of their income, meaning those on lower and middle incomes will still receive the help they need, ensuring fairness for both pensioners and taxpayers. Approximately 2 million individuals in England and Wales over State Pension age have taxable incomes above £35,000. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Daily Mirror
09-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Major Winter fuel payment U-turn as millions to get up to £300
More than three-quarters of pensioners will receive winter fuel payments this year as Rachel Reeves unveils crucial details of the Government's U-turn. OAPs with an income of £35,000 or below in England and Wales will receive the benefit this winter. It is a major uplift from the current £11,500 cut-off point. It means nine million pensioners will now be eligible for the winter support. Around two million pensioners whose income is above £35,000 will have the payment automatically recovered or can opt out from receiving it. Keir Starmer last month announced he wanted more pensioners to be eligible for the help, which is worth up to £300. The PM faced a damaging backlash after last year introducing a means-tested system for the winter fuel allowance, which had previously been a universal benefit. Around 10 million pensioners lost the support last winter. The changes announced today will cost around £1.25billion. The Treasury said the new means-testing system is expected to save around £450million, compared to the universal system. No pensioner will need to take any action as they will automatically receive the payment this winter. Payments of £200 per household, or £300 per household where there is someone over 80, will be made. OAPS with incomes above the £35,000 threshold will have the full amount of the winter fuel payment they received automatically collected via PAYE, or via their Self-Assessment return. Pensioners who want to opt out and not receive the payment at all will be able to do so. DWP is developing a simple system to enable OAPs to opt out if they wish. Ms Reeves, the Chancellor, said: 'Targeting Winter Fuel Payments was a tough decision, but the right decision because of the inheritance we had been left by the previous government. It is also right that we continue to means-test this payment so that it is targeted and fair, rather than restoring eligibility to everyone including the wealthiest. 'But we have now acted to expand the eligibility of the Winter Fuel Payment so no pensioner on a lower income will miss out. This will mean over three quarters of pensioners receiving the payment in England and Wales later this winter.' Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. At PMQs last month, the PM said with the economy showing signs of improvement he wants to ensure "more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payments". The surprise announcement came amid mounting pressure to roll-back the decision to strip the payment from all but the very poorest pensioners - those who receive Pension Credit. Tensions have been rising in Labour ranks after Reform UK made sweeping gains in the English local elections in May and also won a by-election in the Labour stronghold of Runcorn and Helsby by six votes. At the time, Ros Jones, who held on as Doncaster mayor by a majority of less than 700, said the Government needs to listen to the public as she hit out over winter fuel and benefit cuts. In a furious message after her narrow victory at the mayoral elections, she said the winter fuel cuts were "wrong".
Western Telegraph
07-06-2025
- Business
- Western Telegraph
HMRC admits £47 million loss in breach of taxpayer accounts
Two senior civil servants at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) told the Treasury Committee that 100,000 people have been contacted, or are in the process of being contacted, after their accounts were locked down in what they said was an 'organised crime' incident which began last year. Taxpayers who are being affected will suffer 'no financial loss', according to John-Paul Marks, the chief executive of HMRC, the UK's tax authority. Mr Marks told the Committee: 'It's about 0.2% of the PAYE population, around 100,000 people, who we have written to, are writing to, to notify them that we detected activity on their PAYE account.' Asked if this applied to individual working people's PAYE accounts, not companies, he replied: 'That's right, individuals. To be clear, no financial loss to those individuals. Mr Marks added: 'This was organised crime phishing for identity data outwith of HMRC systems, so stuff that banks and others will also unfortunately experience, and then trying to use that data to create PAYE accounts to pay themselves a repayment and/or access an existing account.' An investigation into the matter, which took place last year 'including jurisdictions outside the UK', led to 'some arrests last year,' Mr Marks told MPs. Angela MacDonald, HMRC's deputy chief executive and second permanent secretary, added: 'At the moment, they've managed to extract repayments to the tune of £47 million. 'Now that is a lot of money, and it's very unacceptable. 'We have overall, in the last tax year, we actually protected £1.9 billion worth of money which sought to be taken from us by attacks.' Get your tax return done early and find out sooner if you're owed money. ⏲️ We'll let you know if you've overpaid tax after you file your Self-Assessment tax return and refund you. 💷 File today. 👇 — HM Revenue & Customs (@HMRCgovuk) June 3, 2025 Ms MacDonald stressed the breach was 'not a cyber attack, we have not been hacked, we have not had data extracted from us'. She later added: 'The ability for somebody to breach your systems and to extract data, to hold you to ransomware and all of those things, that is a cyber attack. That is not what has happened here.' HMRC said it had locked down affected accounts and deleted log-in details to prevent future unauthorised access. Any incorrect information has been removed from tax records and officials have checked to ensure no other details have been changed. People affected will receive a letter from HMRC over the next three weeks. Elsewhere, Mr Marks told MPs that HMRC phone lines were down on Wednesday afternoon, but said this was 'coincidental'. They will be 'back up and available in the morning', he added. Recommended reading: An HMRC spokesperson said: 'We've acted to protect customers after identifying attempts to access a very small minority of tax accounts, and we're working with other law enforcement agencies both in the UK and overseas to bring those responsible to justice. 'This was not a cyber-attack – it involved criminals using personal information from phishing activity or data obtained elsewhere to try to claim money from HMRC. 'We're writing to those customers affected to reassure them we've secured their accounts and that they haven't lost any money.'
North Wales Chronicle
05-06-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
HMRC admits £47 million loss in breach of taxpayer accounts
Two senior civil servants at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) told the Treasury Committee that 100,000 people have been contacted, or are in the process of being contacted, after their accounts were locked down in what they said was an 'organised crime' incident which began last year. Taxpayers who are being affected will suffer 'no financial loss', according to John-Paul Marks, the chief executive of HMRC, the UK's tax authority. Mr Marks told the Committee: 'It's about 0.2% of the PAYE population, around 100,000 people, who we have written to, are writing to, to notify them that we detected activity on their PAYE account.' Asked if this applied to individual working people's PAYE accounts, not companies, he replied: 'That's right, individuals. To be clear, no financial loss to those individuals. Mr Marks added: 'This was organised crime phishing for identity data outwith of HMRC systems, so stuff that banks and others will also unfortunately experience, and then trying to use that data to create PAYE accounts to pay themselves a repayment and/or access an existing account.' An investigation into the matter, which took place last year 'including jurisdictions outside the UK', led to 'some arrests last year,' Mr Marks told MPs. Angela MacDonald, HMRC's deputy chief executive and second permanent secretary, added: 'At the moment, they've managed to extract repayments to the tune of £47 million. 'Now that is a lot of money, and it's very unacceptable. 'We have overall, in the last tax year, we actually protected £1.9 billion worth of money which sought to be taken from us by attacks.' Get your tax return done early and find out sooner if you're owed money. ⏲️ We'll let you know if you've overpaid tax after you file your Self-Assessment tax return and refund you. 💷 File today. 👇 Ms MacDonald stressed the breach was 'not a cyber attack, we have not been hacked, we have not had data extracted from us'. She later added: 'The ability for somebody to breach your systems and to extract data, to hold you to ransomware and all of those things, that is a cyber attack. That is not what has happened here.' HMRC said it had locked down affected accounts and deleted log-in details to prevent future unauthorised access. Any incorrect information has been removed from tax records and officials have checked to ensure no other details have been changed. People affected will receive a letter from HMRC over the next three weeks. Elsewhere, Mr Marks told MPs that HMRC phone lines were down on Wednesday afternoon, but said this was 'coincidental'. They will be 'back up and available in the morning', he added. Recommended reading: An HMRC spokesperson said: 'We've acted to protect customers after identifying attempts to access a very small minority of tax accounts, and we're working with other law enforcement agencies both in the UK and overseas to bring those responsible to justice. 'This was not a cyber-attack – it involved criminals using personal information from phishing activity or data obtained elsewhere to try to claim money from HMRC. 'We're writing to those customers affected to reassure them we've secured their accounts and that they haven't lost any money.'
