Stamps, prescription charges, road tax: what's going up in price from April?
Here’s a rundown of changes that will impact your finances next month.
A number of scheduled changes come into force from 1st April that impact your bank balance.
Here are the main ones you should know about.
Stamp prices
Stamp prices are going up just before April, from 30th March.
The cost of a first-class stamp will rise from 62p to 63p and the price of a second-class stamp will go up from 53p to 54p.
For bigger items the price of a large letter first-class stamp up to 100g will rise by 2p to 95p and the price of a large letter second-class stamp up to 100g will go up by 1p to 74p.
NHS prescription charges
The NHS prescription charge in England will increase by 15p from £8.05 to £8.20 for a single item from 1st April.
However, the cost of a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) will be frozen. The three month certificate will remain at £29.10 and the annual certificate at £104.
Those that need four or more items over a three month period or 13 or more items in a year will benefit from getting a PPC.
Prescriptions are free of charge in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Keep on top of your budgets with Track
NHS dental charges
NHS dental charges are also rising from 1st April in England and Wales.
The basic Band 1 course of treatment in England will go up 30p from £18.50 to £18.80 while in Wales it will increase 50p from £13 to £13.50.
While the Band 2 course of treatment in England will rise by 80p from £50.50 to £51.30 while those in Wales will see a hike of £1 from £42 to £43.
And a Band 3 course of treatment in England is going up by £3.50 from £219 to £222.50 and in Wales by £4.10 from £10.90 to £185.
Those in Scotland will see a rise of 1.61% later in June.
NHS wig and fabric charges
The cost of NHS wigs and fabric supports are rising by 1.6% from the beginning of April too.
Following the changes a surgical brassiere will set you back £27.45, an abdominal or spinal support will cost £41.50, a stock modacrylic wig will be £67.75, a partial human hair wig will cost £179.45 and a full, bespoke human hair wig will set you back £262.45.
NHS optical vouchers
The value of NHS optical vouchers, which are available to children, those on low incomes or with complex sight problems is being increased by 1% from the beginning of April.
The change means vouchers will be available from £38.70 up to £213.40 depending on the type of glasses or contact lenses required.
Keep on top of your budgets with Track
O2 price rise
O2 Pay Monthly customers will see their bills increase from April. It's going up by 1.1% this year, the same as the Retail Prices Index measurement of inflation.
Vehicle Excise Duty
Otherwise known as road tax, Vehicle Excise Duty for cars, vans and motorcycles will also be increasing by the RPI rate of inflation from 1st April.
Air Passenger Duty
This is levied on flights from UK airports, and will also increase by the RPI rate of inflation from 1st April.
Keep on top of your budgets with Track
More from lovemoney.com:
The Budget 2015: winners and losers
The Budgets the political parties wanted to give
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature