The government has unveiled five everyday fixes ahead of Wednesday's Budget, including extended parental pay for self-employed parents and an end to the Carer's Allowance cliff edge. The package was announced on 26 October by Chancellor John Healey, the latest in the Prime Minister's everyday-fixes series. Further detail is expected in the Budget on 28 October; the Treasury has so far declined to give more specifics on the new parental pay scheme.

Parental pay extended to self-employed parents

Parental pay extended to self-employed parents. More than 150,000 additional parents a year should gain rights, including self-employed dads and partners previously left out. Eligible parents will receive two weeks of support currently worth up to £194 a week. At present, a father or same-sex parent must be an employee, earn at least £129 a week on average, and have 26 weeks' continuous work before the birth to qualify. Self-employed mothers already get maternity allowance.

Carer's Allowance cliff edge ends

Carer's Allowance cliff edge ends. Unpaid carers will no longer lose their entire allowance simply for earning a penny over the weekly earnings limit, which is equivalent to 16 hours at the National Living Wage. Instead, only £1 of support will taper away for every additional £1 earned. The change is set for 2030/31, per MoneySavingExpert. Carers' groups welcomed the move.

Fuel, food and parcels

Fuel, food and parcels. The package also locks in the 55p-per-mile tax-free rate for the first 10,000 business miles and raises the rate above 10,000 miles from 25p to 35p, helping around three million workers who drive for work. Tariffs go on more than 100 products, including baked beans, chocolate and gherkins, worth up to £21 a year on the food shop with earlier suspensions. Post Office drop boxes rise to 1,000, with 600 branches upgraded by the end of the financial year.

This is an official-announcement report, not a visa item: it gives no personal advice. Readers needing to check their own entitlement should use the official GOV.UK pages, and the government has said further detail will be confirmed in the Budget on 28 October 2026.

Sources: GOV.UK; MoneySavingExpert.