Lasting Powers of Attorney and Tax Returns

In 2020, Lasting Powers of Attorney in England and Wales went digital. If you had permission to act on behalf of a relative who could no longer do it themselves you could download a digital certificate to prove it from the Office of the Public Guardian. But some organisations including His Majesty's Revenue & Customs have told Money Box they will not accept these digital certificates and demand a certified paper copy instead. We'll speak to a listener who's struggling with the system and get responses from the OPG and HMRC.

People living in Northern Ireland will be watching their bank accounts and letterboxes closely over the next few weeks for some long awaited help with the cost of their energy bills. Unlike the rest of the UK, households haven't yet received any of the £400 help people in Great Britain have been getting in instalments of £66 or £67 or £200 which has been allocated to help towards the costs of alternative fuel - like heating oil and coal. We'll find out when and how that £600 will arrive.

Advice on what you can do if your identity is stolen - our reporter Star McFarlane investigates after it happened to her.

And what to do if you haven’t filed your self-assessment tax return yet, and how to avoid a fine. We'll speak to Dawn Register from the accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth, Eimear Devlin and Star McFarlane Producer: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 7th January, 2023)