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Energy costs are one of the many amounts of invoices that will come into force at the start of what certain commentators described as “horrible April”.
The exact amount you pay will depend on your individual situation and where you live.
Although the minimum wage will increase compared to April and wages have on average exceeded inflation, household finances could still undergo additional pressure.
Here are seven ways you could be affected.
1. Water bills
Water bills for households must increase in England and Wales by more than £ 10 per month on average, but there are many variations depending on the company.
For example, Water Southern’s annual bill will jump from £ 47% to £ 703, while Anglian Water customers will pay 19% more, or £ 626.
Factors including if households have a counter and the amount of water used will also have an impact on invoices, which are loaded before the next five years, which means that the big increase arrives in April.
The water companies in England and Wales said that the increases were necessary to invest in creaking infrastructure, including wastewater and to build more tanks.
In Scotland, water bills should increase by almost 10%. Scottish Water, who is a public organization, said that spending was necessary to meet periods of “drought and intense precipitation” caused by climate change.
National Northern Ireland customers are not billed for water, the system funded by the government assigned.
2. Energy invoices
The annual energy bill for a cleaning using a typical quantity of gas and electricity will increase £ 111 per year to £ 1,849 from April.
The OFGEM regulator has increased the energy price ceiling due to higher large costs and inflation.
The ceiling is set every three months and limits the amount that suppliers can charge for each gas and electricity unit, but not the total bill, so if you use more, you pay more.
It affects 22 million houses in England, Wales and Scotland.
Standing costs – fixed costs to connect to a gas and electricity power supply and vary according to the region – increase again for gas but lowering for electricity, but it depends on where you live.
Ofgem suggests that households are considering a fixed rate for a little stability, even if there is speculation of drop in prices in July.
3. Council tax
If you live in England, in Wales or Scotland, your municipal tax will increase from April.
In England, local authorities responsible for the provision of social care can increase the council tax each year up to 4.99% without triggering a referendum or a local vote.
Small advice without social care tasks can increase bills up to 2.99%.
For 2025-26, the government authorizes Bradford, Newham, Birmingham, Somerset, Windsor and Maidenhead to bypass the ceiling by 4.99%, which means that they could increase the council tax by more.
The tax rates of the board in Scotland have been frozen or have had limited increases since 2007, but they should increase in April, in some cases by 10%.
The Scottish government says it offers local authorities an additional 1 billion pounds in 2025-2026 to help reduce the extent of any increase.
In Wales, council tax rates could fall by 15% in certain regions. Local authorities have received 253 million pounds sterling by the Welsh government in its draft budget, but council leaders say more money.
Northern Ireland uses a national tariff system instead of the council tax. All advice from Northern Ireland have declared district rate increases for the following year.
4.
From April, the standard tax rate for cars recorded after April 2017 increases from £ 5 to £ 195 per year. Depending on the RAC, you can pay less or more if your car was used before 2017.
The exact amount of your tax on the road will depend on the year your car has been recorded and the type of fuel it uses.
A big change is that electric vehicles (electric vehicles) will no longer be exempt from tax. Electric vehicles recorded from April 2025 will pay the lowest rate of £ 10 in the first year, and then go to the standard rate. The standard rate will also apply to the VE for the first time recorded after April 2017.
5. High speed, telephone and television license
The rules of rules introduced by the telecommunications regulator this year mean that mobile and high speed suppliers must now tell customers “in pounds and pence” on any price increase, as well as when they occur.
The new rules generally only apply to new customers, so any price increase will depend on the moment you have withdrawn your contract.
For example, under new rules, someone with a mobile SIM contract only with EE will see their bill increase by £ 1.50 per month, or £ 18 per year.
But for the majority of customers who withdrew their contract before April 10, 2024, they will face an increase of 6.4%, based on the inflation rate last December, plus additional costs.
Similarly, most high -speed customers Virgin Media will face an increase of 7.5% of invoices, but for all those who have concluded a contract after January 9 of this year, their monthly invoice will increase by 3.50 £.
The cost of a TV license will also increase from £ 5 to 174.50, and for black and white TV, it will increase from £ 1.50 to 58.50 per year.
6. stamp duties and housing prices
House buyers in England and Northern Ireland will begin to pay stamp duties on properties of more than £ 125,000 in April, instead of more than £ 250,000 for the moment.
The first buyers are currently paying no stamp rights on houses up to £ 425,000, but this will fall to £ 300,000.
Anyone who begins a search for a property would probably find it difficult to move before changes in the stamp law.
7. Hidden tax increase
The government has maintained freezing on tax thresholds on income tax and national insurance until 2028, a police provided by the previous government.
This is often nicknamed a furtive tax – because governments do not explicitly label it as a tax
But the policy is equivalent to a fiscal increase due to a process called “budgetary drag”, which sees more people “trained” to pay higher tax rates as wages increase.
According to figures from the Government financial guard dog by 2028-29, nearly four million additional people should pay income tax – and three million more will have reached the higher rate – due to the fixed threshold .
