Around 140,000 pensioners will soon face tax demands for the first time since they retired through the ‘simple assessment’ process.

The top 20% best paid pensioners saw their incomes rise by 9% annually - equivalent to £2,496 every year - over the decade up to 2022/23, according to new analysis.

Retired couples in the South East enjoy weekly incomes 17% higher than the UK average, new research shows.

There has been a 142% increase in the number of additional rate tax payers since the tax bands were frozen in 2021, latest HMRC figures reveal.