Sammie Ellard-King
I’m Sammie, a money expert and business owner passionate about helping you take control of your wallet. My mission with Up the Gains is to create a safe space to help improve your finances, cut your costs and make you feel good while doing it.
April is always the month where everything seems to go up at once.
Council tax, broadband, mobile, water, TV licence – the lot.
And 2026 is no different.
There’s actually one bill going down this year, which makes a nice change.
But the rest of the list?
Not so cheerful.
Here’s the full breakdown of what’s changing, how much it’ll cost you, and where the numbers come from.
Council Tax Is Going Up by Nearly 5%
Most councils in England are pushing through the maximum allowed council tax increase of 4.99%.
That’s made up of a 2.99% core rise plus a 2% adult social care precept, according to GOV.UK.
For an average Band D property, that works out at roughly £114 more per year. So if you were paying around £2,280, expect that to jump to about £2,394.
Out of 153 top-tier councils analysed by the Press Association, 125 are going for the full 4.99%. Seven councils even got special permission to go higher — with Shropshire hitting 8.99%.
If you’re in London, every single one of the 33 boroughs is raising council tax this year, according to London Now.
More news:
Water Bills Are Rising by 5.4%
The average household water bill in England and Wales is going from £606 to £639 per year. That’s an extra £33, according to Water UK.
Some areas are seeing rises of up to 13%. Water companies say the money is going towards a £20 billion investment in infrastructure upgrades, as reported by ITV News.
The good news, if you can call it that, is this is much smaller than the 27% rise that hit last year. Ofwat says more than 2 million households are now getting help with water bills if they’re struggling to pay.
Energy Bills Are Actually Coming Down
Here’s the one bright spot on the list.
The energy price cap is dropping by about 7% from April, taking the typical annual bill from £1,758 down to around £1,641. That’s roughly £117 less per year, confirmed by GOV.UK.
Worth noting though – wholesale gas prices have spiked recently due to global supply issues, so there’s a chance the Q3 cap (July onwards) could swing back up.
And if you want to lock in even cheaper rates, there are fixed deals available right now that beat the April cap by about 5%.
The TV Licence Is Going Up to £180
From 1 April, the annual TV licence fee rises from £174.50 to £180. That’s an extra £5.50 per year, or 46p more a month, according to GOV.UK.
The increase is linked to CPI inflation at 3.14%. If you’re over 75 and receiving Pension Credit, your licence is still free. The black-and-white licence (yes, it still exists) goes up from £58.50 to £60.50.
Sky TV and Broadband - Up to £6 More a Month
Sky is putting broadband up by £3 per month for almost all customers, including those mid-contract.
TV packages are going up between £1 and £3 a month depending on what you’ve got. If you have both, you could be looking at up to £6 more per month – that’s £72 extra per year, as reported by MoneySavingExpert.
The important bit: if you’re in a minimum term contract, you have 30 days from the date Sky notifies you to cancel penalty-free.
That’s a proper exit window worth knowing about.
Virgin Media - Up £3.50 to £4 a Month (or 7.7% If You're on an Older Contract)
If you joined Virgin Media after January 2025, expect a flat £3.50 monthly increase.
Signed up after October 2025? It’s £4 per month.
If you’re on an older contract from before January 2025, you’re on the inflation-linked system – and that means a 7.7% bump, according to GBNews.
That could add up to £48 a year for the same service.
BT, EE and Plusnet - All Up £4 a Month
All three are hiking broadband bills by £4 per month from April. That’s an extra £48 a year.
The one exception is new customers who join after 1 March 2026 – they skip this year’s increase, according to ISPreview.
If you’re out of your minimum contract term, you can switch to a new provider or deal without any penalty. Worth checking.
Mobile Phone Bills - Up £1.50 to £2.50 a Month
All the major networks are hiking prices from April.
Vodafone is going up £2.50 per month.
O2 is also up £2.50 per month.
Three is up £1.50 per month.
These are all flat pound amounts now, after Ofcom banned the old inflation-linked percentage increases, as reported by MoneySuperMarket.
On a family plan with two or three lines, that could easily add up to £60-90 extra per year.
Car Tax Is Going Up - And Some Drivers Face a £5,690 Bill
The standard rate of vehicle excise duty rises from £195 to £200 per year. Not huge on its own.
But 59 high-emission car models will face a first-year charge of up to £5,690 — up from £5,490, according to Carwow.
There is some good news for electric car buyers though. The expensive car supplement threshold is going up from £40,000 to £50,000, which means more EVs avoid the surcharge.
Netflix and Disney+ Have Already Gone Up
Netflix put its Standard plan up by £2 to £12.99 per month – the first UK hike since October 2023, as reported by What Hi-Fi.
Disney+ has gone up too.
The Standard plan is now £9.99 per month (up £1), and Premium is £14.99 per month.
Yearly plans went up by £20, according to TechRadar.
Car Insurance - Expect About 3% More
After two years of massive increases followed by a dip in 2025, premiums are expected to creep back up by around 3% in 2026.
That’s roughly £15 on the average policy, taking the typical premium to around £620, according to Fleet News.
The main driver? Repair costs.
Modern cars are packed with sensors and cameras, and even a minor bump can turn a £300 fix into a £1,500 job.
So What Does All This Actually Add Up To?
If you’re a typical household paying council tax, water, broadband, mobile, TV licence, a streaming service or two, and car insurance – the combined April increases could easily land somewhere between £500 and £800 extra per year.
The one saving grace is the energy bill drop, which claws back about £117. But it doesn’t come close to covering everything else.
The single best thing you can do right now? Go through each bill one by one.
Check if you’re in or out of contract. Compare deals where you can.
And use exit windows – especially the 30-day penalty-free window on Sky – before they close.
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Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
