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Since 1996, the number of couples living together without getting married has increased by 144% – with 3.6 million couples cohabiting by 2021. Despite living together for years and often acquiring property and having children, unmarried cohabitants don’t have the same legal protections as people who are married or in civil partnerships.

This led the Women and Equalities Committee to call for family law reforms, publishing a report in August 2022 that proposed changes to improve financial protections for cohabitants and their children if their relationship ends.

Despite agreeing that cohabitation laws are outdated, the UK government made the controversial move of rejecting the reform proposals, stating that they need to finish reforming marriage and divorce laws before they can consider cohabitation.

Lower-paid workers will be welcoming the National Living Wage uplift coming later this year, but these increased costs could mean that employers can no longer afford to employ their workers.

Just as the cost of living crisis is severely impacting many households across the UK, it’s also hitting UK businesses. While some may reduce their employment costs by scaling down their number of staff, this isn’t always possible – meaning some businesses may end up shutting down completely.

Here’s a summary of recent changes affecting employment costs in 2023, and how these are likely to impact employers and their employees.

Local councils charge business rates on properties used for non-domestic purposes, from shops and restaurants to offices and factories. This tax is based on the ‘rateable values’ of the different property types, which were last valued in 2017.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has therefore been revaluing business rates in England and Wales, with the updates coming into effect from 1st April 2023.

The new valuations will reflect the changes in the property market since the previous revaluation, meaning some businesses are likely to see their business rates increase – though others may see no change, or even a reduction.

Fortunately, to ease the burden of new business rates in 2023, the government also announced a package of support measures in the Autumn Statement 2022.

Here’s what you need to know about business rates revaluation and relief.

The delayed Autumn Statement 2022, which was announced on 17th November, has prompted accusations of the government imposing a ‘stealth tax’ by way of fiscal drag.

The changes to tax rules and continued threshold freezes that were revealed by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are expected to affect millions of people over the next 5–6 years.

Here’s what you need to know about fiscal drag, the primary taxes affected by the one-two punch of inflation and allowance freezes, and what you can do to reduce the financial squeeze.

After September’s disastrous mini-budget, the UK had been waiting in apprehension for the Autumn Statement 2022, which was finally published on 17th November.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, technically stuck to the government’s promise not to increase tax rates – but frozen tax band thresholds and reduced allowances still mean that more people will be paying more tax from April 2023.

Among some of the harsher measures announced in the Autumn Statement is the slashing of Capital Gains Tax exemptions over the next two years. Here’s what you need to know about how Capital Gains Tax is changing, who will be affected, and what you can do about it.

For all the talk of recessions and rising inflation and interest rates, employment levels seem to be higher than ever. As of this summer, the UK unemployment rate sits at an estimated 3.5% – the lowest it’s been since 1974.

This may be partially due to the fact that more people in the UK over 65 years old are either remaining in work or going back to work even after reaching retirement age.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that in the second quarter of 2022, the number of people in employment aged 65 or above increased to a record 1.468 million. The increase of 173,000 from the previous quarter was also a new record.

You may be wondering what exactly this means. Is it good or bad news for our ageing population that older people are working for longer? Will it become necessary for people over 65 to continue working instead of retiring when they reach State Pension age?

Here’s what you need to know about these record-breaking statistics, and what you should do if you’re worried about planning for retirement or continuing to work as a pensioner.