BRITS should prepare for some major financial changes coming this month.
Dates for your diary include bill hikes and the end of the £500million Household Support Scheme.
The few remaining Covid-related support schemes are also closing this month.
The end of March also marks the deadline for several other schemes, including those offering help with energy bills.
If you're eligible for those benefits, you should make sure you apply before they close.
We explain the financial changes coming in March and how they'll impact your finances.
Virgin Media bills increase – March 1
Virgin Media is hiking the cost of its broadband and TV packages from today.
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Bills will jump by an average of £56.40 a year as the cost of living crisis continues to hit Brits.
The change will affect millions of broadband and TV customers, and although Virgin Media wouldn't confirm the smallest and largest price increases customers face, it said the average increase would be £4.70 per month.
Virgin has contacted every customer who will be affected via email, so if you are a broadband or TV customer you should have received notification.
The price hike will be applied to all customers using Virgin Media broadband, TV or home phone packages.
Rail fares go up – March 1
Train passengers in England and Wales have been hit with the largest fare rise in nearly a decade today.
The price of season tickets, and some anytime and off-peak journeys, have soared by up to 3.8%.
Train fares are calculated using the RPI rate of inflation measure which is announced in August each year.
Following the increase, an annual commute from Oxford to London including a London travelcard will increase by £245 to £6,700.
A yearly ticket from Tunbridge Wells to London including travel card will rise by more than £220 to £6,033.
Mortgage variable rates to increase – March 1
The Bank of England hiked interest rates last month, meaning some mortgage borrowers will see rates increase from today.
Anyone on a tracker mortgage, which typically follows the base rate, will be hit with higher payments from March.
Additionally, many lenders use interest rates as a benchmark for their default standard variable rates (SVRs).
These are rates charged to customers who have come to the end of a fixed period and haven't moved to a new deal.
At least six lenders have confirmed to The Sun that their SVR will increase from March including Barclays, Santander and Lloyds.
Bank of England interest rate decision – March 17
The Bank of England will make another decision on interest rates this month.
If it hikes them, borrowers could face even higher rates.
The central bank's monetary policy committee is due to meet on March 17 for its latest interest rate decision.
It has already increased rates for two consecutive months and the base rate is currently at 0.5%.
Budget Day – March 23
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will reveal the Spring Budget on March 23.
The Budget is when big financial changes – such as tax hikes – are announced.
However this has been billed as a Spring Statement so could contain fewer announcements than a full budget.
It functions more as an update on finances, and rarely includes any major tax or spending changes, although it can be used to tweak some policies.
Keep an eye out for the announcements and how they could affect your finances.
The Government has already said that it will provide a £200 rebate to help with energy bills, and some households will qualify for a £150 council tax refund.
ESA and sick pay Covid rule change – March 24
As the legal requirement to self-isolate when you have Covidhas been scrapped, sick pay rules have changed.
You won't get statutory sick pay for the first three days that you're ill.
You'll also no longer be eligible for Employment and Support Allowance if you're isolating due to Covid.
If you qualify for ESA for a separate reason, you'll get the payment after day eight rather than on the first day.
The government has already scrapped the £500 self-isolation payment that was introduced in the pandemic.
Healthy Start Vouchers deadline – March 10
The deadline to make sure you get Healthy Start Vouchers worth up to £442 a year is March 10.
The scheme is to help eligible parents pay for healthy food for their young children
If you have a child that's younger than 12 months old, you can get two vouchers a week worth £4.25 each.
That means that £442 worth of help is available in the first year of a child's life.
Pregnant women get one voucher a week, and parents also get one voucher for each child between one and four – so at least £221 in a year.
The government is in the process of switching from paper vouchers to a prepaid card.
The deadline to apply for a card is March 10, or their might be a delay in getting your money.
If you're already signed up for Healthy Start vouchers, you should have already been contacted with details on how to apply for a card.
You have to be receiving Child Tax Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit, or Universal Credit to be eligible.
You can apply on the NHS website – you'll need details like your name, address, benefit award letter, and more, to hand.
Deadline for winter fuel allowance – March 31
The deadline to apply for a winter fuel payment is coming up this month.
The grants are for pensioners and are worth between £100 and £300,but he amount you'll get is dependant on your age and income.
It's to help older people with the cost of heating their homes over winter.
Most eligible people will receive the payment automatically.
The payment is made into the same account where you get benefits, allowance and state pension money paid.
Double check the account statements to see if the payment has been made between November and now.
If you haven't received the cash but think you are eligible, the deadline to apply is March 31.
You can make a claim by contacting the Winter Fuel Payment Centre either by post, phone or email.
The contact details will depend on where you live and a full list can be found on the gov.uk website.
End of Cold Weather Payments – March 31
Another scheme help hard-up households pay for energy bills will close at the end of the month.
People who are entitled to cold weather payments are given £25 every time the temperature in their area drops below zero for seven days.
However, that's only the case between November and March 31.
Check whether you should have received a payment this winter.
Household Support Scheme ends – March 31
Thousands of families can get help paying for energy bills, food and other essentials through the Household Support Fund, which closes this month.
For example, residents of Runnymede in Surrey can get up to £800 for food, bills and appliances.
If you live in Spelthorne you can get a one-off cash payment of up to £80 and in Rutland you can get £100 for essentials.
Families in Barnsley can apply for supermarket vouchers worth up to £200.
Contact your local council directly to get the full details of what's available in your area.
Some schemes have already closed but there is a nationwide cut-off date of March 31.
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