Money Box

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 where you are - or is it time to reduce your offer? Why are interest rates rising for some types of mortgages and falling for others? We hear what's happening in the mortgage and re-mortgage market from experts Jane King, independent mortgage advisor with Ash Ridge Private Finance - and from Martin Stewart, director of the independent mortgage broker, London Money. Email Money Box moneybox@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Louise Cooper Producer: Paul Waters

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 specialists CM MurrayWe hear from Endija who bought her two-bedroom home after viewing it through a virtual tour. Guest Mark Hayward, chief executive of the National Association of Estate AgentsAnd the programme looks at the latest measures to help insurance customers with financial difficulties caused by coronavirus. Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk with any questions for the programme.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Charmaine Cozier Reporter: Dan Whitworth Editor: Emma Rippon

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 BrightEmail moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @Moneybox with stories, experiences or questions for the panel.Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

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 Money.Millions of self-employed workers are being offered help through the government's new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS). But Money Box listeners say they've experienced problems with the SEISS online checker and complain they've been wrongly rejected. We discover what's going on with the scheme and hear from the chief executive of HMRC, Jim Harra - the man in charge.Many of us are being forced to work from home during the pandemic and that can means extra costs for the employee. We find out from Heather Self, Tax Director at Blick Rothenberg, how your employer can offset your extra costs and what you c

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 TrustEmail questions and experiences to moneybox@bbc.co.ukReporter: Kafui Okpattah Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

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 watchdog threatens legal action against companies refusing to refund customers during the coronavirus pandemic, we hear about the struggles some listeners have been having with various companies. Gary Rycroft, partner at Joseph A Jones Solicitors, and consumer rights champion Helen Dewdney from The Complaining Cow website talk through the issues.And we have exclusive figures from the National Gambling Helpline about a sharp drop in callers and how it’s worried about what that might mean for 100,000s of problem gamblers during lockdown. Paul talks to one of the problem gamblers affected and speaks to Anna Hemmings, CEO at

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 Working Families.Email: moneybox@bbc.co.ukProducer: Alex Lewis and Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

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 what the industry will do if they don’t get any more guidance from the government means huge financial stress and worry for all those involved. Guest: Julia Kermode, Chief Executive, The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association.There's a glimmer of hope for cash savers as NS&I abandons plans for major interest rate cuts to its variable rate savings products which were due to happen on May 1. Anna Bowes Co-Founder of Savings Champion also rounds up what’s happening elsewhere in the cash savings market.We look at ways to safely access cash for people who are self-isolating and relying on relatives or vo

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 got Stuart Masson, editor of thecarexpert.co.uk to explain. He’ll also talk about the FCA guidance in more detail.Reporter and Producer: Ben Carter

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.ukProducer: 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 date of February 28th. This week that date was extended to the 19th of March. The Treasury says the date change is “expected to benefit over 200,000 employees” - but will it? Guest: Heather Self, Tax Partner, Blick Rothenberg.Plans to refund the victims of fraud isn’t "working as well as hoped" according to financial watchdog the Payment Systems Regulator. Data gathered by the PSR shows that two high street banks who promised to refund victims refused to do so in 96% of cases. Money Box hears from the PSR Managing Director Chris Hemsley to find out what his organisation is doing about it, what action it wants t

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 @MoneyboxProducer: Ben Carter Researcher: Kafui Okpattah Editor: Emma Rippon

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.Unsurprisingly the benefits system has seen an unprecedented number of new applications for Universal credit. We’re hearing of a back log of many weeks as the Department for Work and Pensions tries to work through more than a million new cases.So if you are one of the millions of people affected by a huge and sudden loss in income, what can you do to survive?Paul Lewis and guests discuss their top tips for surviving financial shock. Joining Paul are:- Nick Hill - money expert, Money And Pensions Service - Laura Peters - from Mental Health and Money Advice - Anna Stevenson - welfare benefit expert at charity Turn2usProducer:

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 AssociationEmail questions to moneybox@bbc.co.ukProducer: 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 employee wages to 100 per cent. However, to be eligible for furloughing, workers have to have been in employment with the company on February 28th, 2020. New starters say that unfairly leaves out people who happened to be between jobs on that date. It also means that people who have changed jobs since then cannot ask to be furloughed by their new employer. We hear the experiences and concerns of new starters and employers, alongside Edwin Morgan, director of policy at the Institute of Directors, and employment lawyer Amy Wren of Farrer and Co. Then we put your points to Harriet Baldwin, MP - a Conservative member

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 support for customers in need but are they actually delivering? Money Box listeners tell us their experiences.Presenter Felicity Hannah Reporter: Ben Carter Researcher: Darin Graham Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

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: @moneybox.Joining Adam: Will Hadwen - rights adviser from Working Families Sonali Parekh - Head of Policy at the Federation for Small Businesses Alasdair Hutchison - Policy Development Manager from the Association of Independent Professionals and Self EmployedProducer: Darin Graham Editor: Emma Rippon

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 speak to Katy Worobec, Managing Director of Economic Crime at UK Finance, the collective voice of the banking industry.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Darin Graham Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon