UK households face £214.10 charges from April – full list of changes | Personal Finance | Finance

Next month sees a number of changes to household bills, most of which increase. Although the energy price cap has been reduced by Ofgem, other things like the TV licence fee, water and council tax are due to rise. Sarah Pennells, consumer finance specialist at Royal London, said that the Middle East conflict, as well as upcoming changes, have led to uncertainty for many households, dubbing next month “Anxious April”.

Their research showed that many people who struggled during the 2022 cost-of-living crisis didn’t ask for help until they reached a crisis point. With bills going up and potential increases in the weekly cost of groceries from the supermarket, more Brits might be pushed into financial hardship. The average UK household faces an annual increase of £214.10. Additionally, drivers have already noticed price jumps at petrol stations, with Brits facing cost increases from all angles.

Below is a breakdown of all household bills increasing in April, totalling an average of £214.10 per household.

Council tax is increasing in many parts of the country. The average Band D council tax set by local authorities in England for 2025/26 will be £2,280. While some council tax areas won’t see an increase, the vast majority of households will start paying more in April.

The maximum council tax increase councils can set is 4.99%, which is what most councils in England have decided to do from April. Households should now have received letters from their local authority informing them of the new charges.

Average annual bill increase for council tax: £109

Water bills are also set to rise from April 2026. In England and Wales, they will hike up two percentage points above inflation, with the average annual bill expected to come to £639.

Water companies have said these funds are necessary after years of underinvestment, despite public outrage over the amount of sewage that is being released into British waterways. Customers of United Utilities see the biggest average increase (£57), while customers in other regions will also notice a stark difference compared to what they have been paying.

Average annual bill increase for water: £32.40

The TV licence is set to go up from April, increasing from £174.50 to £180, up £5.50. This applies to those who watch any live TV at home, or anyone who uses the BBC iPlayer to stream shows and movies.

However, those who only use streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime Video do not have to pay for the TV licence, so long as they are not watching anything live. Additionally, certain people can apply for a free or discounted TV licence, such as state pensioners aged over 74, blind people and people with black and white TV sets.

However, the cost will go up for the vast majority of households across the UK.

Annual bill increase for the TV licence: £5.50

The vast majority of UK households pay WiFi and mobile bills, both of which are going up in April. Most mobile and broadband providers are hiking bills between £1 and £4 a month from April, bringing the annual increase well over £50 for some households.

However, people can take action and shop around for better deals, depending on when their contracts end. Many people aren’t aware of the little-known broadband providers that tend to be cheaper than the bigger names and sometimes rank higher with customers.

Average annual bill increase for mobile and broadband: £67.20