meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Money Box

Funeral insurance cancelled and not-so-simple assessment?

Money Box

BBC

Business

4.2804 Ratings

🗓️ 29 November 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Thousands of people who've paid millions of pounds into an insurance plan they thought would cover their funeral costs face getting nothing in return. The insurer has told them their policies are being cancelled. Some had paid into the plan through their credit union for decades expecting a cash payment to go to their families when they died. But the cover will now come to an end as the insurer says a clause in the contract allows it to pull the plug with 30 days’ notice and give its customers - a number of whom are in their 80s - nothing.

Now you might think receiving one tax demand a year is more than enough, but if you happen to be subjected to a so-called 'Simple Assessment' by HMRC you may well just have received a second one. HMRC have confirmed that they have started either issuing – or updating previously issued – Simple Assessments to include savings interest from 2024-25. But some tax advisors are concerned that people who paid their first bill covering earnings - back in the summer - could easily get confused and find themselves paying twice, once this new demand arrives.

And - with speculation mounting as to what will be in the Chancellor’s budget – now just four weeks away – listeners have contacted us with their views about what may, or may not happen to Cash ISAs. This follows speculation that Rachel Reeves may reduce the cap on the amount you can save tax free in a cash ISA from £20,000 to a much lower amount such as £10,000, with the caveat that savers would be incentivised to invest more into the stocks and shares of British companies.

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Sarah Rogers, Jo Krasner Researchers: Eimear Devlin, Catherine Lund Editor: Craig Henderson Snr News Editor: Sarah Wadeson

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.

0:07.0

Hello, I'm Emma Barnett. For most of my career, I've been on live radio, and I love it.

0:13.3

But I've always wondered, what if we'd had more time? How much deeper does the story go?

0:19.2

I remember having this very sharp thought that what you do right now, this is it.

0:24.3

This defines your life.

0:26.0

I'm ready to talk and ready to listen.

0:28.4

I'm insulted by how little the medical community is ever bothered with this.

0:33.9

Ready to talk with me, Emma Barnard, is my new podcast.

0:37.0

Listen on BBC Sounds. Hello, welcome to this

0:40.4

Moneybox podcast. Tax doesn't have to be taxing, unless HMRC send you a second demand without

0:47.1

deducting payments you've already made on the first one. Simple assessment gets complicated. And it's a

0:53.3

year since the Chancellor's first budget, but still weeks to wait for her next.

0:58.1

We look at what might be in it.

1:00.1

But first, thousands of people who've paid millions of pounds into an insurance plan

1:04.6

they thought would cover their funeral costs face getting nothing in return.

1:09.3

The insurer, maiden life, has told them their cover

1:12.0

is being cancelled. Some had paid into the family protection plan through their credit union

1:16.9

for decades, expecting a cash payment for their families when they died. Credit unions are often

1:23.2

used, of course, for savings and loans by people on low incomes who may not be able to access

1:27.8

regular banking products, but their cover will now come to an end as a clause in the policy

1:33.1

allows Maiden Life to pull the plug with just 30 days' notice and give its customers a number

1:39.6

of whom are in their 80s nothing. Anne is one.

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 11 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.