March 2026 Newsletter | Cylchlythyr Misol Mawrth 2026
1. Are you an employee? Have you changed jobs during the year? When you change employers, very often there are errors in your tax code, which could lead to a tax refund. HMRC reported that last year, over 730,000 refunds went unclaimed, with an average refund worth £855. To check if you are due a refund, use the HMRC app. Refunds should appear in the 'PAYE' section of the app. Alternatively, you can call HMRC for them to double check your tax position.
2. Are you planning to buy an electric vehicle (EV)? The UK Government have announced a 40%+ increase in grants towards the cost of installing EV charge points. From April 2026, those living in rental accommodation, landlords and businesses will be able to claim grants of up to £500 per charge point (up from the previous amount of £350).
Full details are available here:
3. Have you noticed a new way to pay when online shopping called "Pay by bank"? Instead of typing your credit card details, using "Pay by bank" takes you to your bank's online account to approve the purchase. This can save you some time, but using this option means you lose key consumer protections, compared to using your credit card. You may wish to avoid using "Pay by bank" when buying expensive items such as holidays or electronics.
Ask Huw & Aled
Q: I am currently taking a career break to look after my grandmother. I would like to keep paying something into my pension during this time. Is this allowed?
A: Yes. If you are not currently earning any income, you can still pay up to £2,880 of cash into an existing pension pot you may have, which will then be topped up the Government to a sum of £3,600.
A third-party can also make this contribution on your behalf, say your spouse or another family member. Such contributions are treated, in tax relief terms, as if you had paid them yourself. That is, it is you who receives the tax relief, not the third-party.
This can be particularly helpful when one spouse stops working for an extended period of time, they can continue to grow their pension pot.
If you go back to working part-time, your partner/spouse can still contribute into your pension, but they cannot exceed the annual pension allowance which is usually the maximum of £60,000 and 100% of your UK earnings.
