What the Budget offers for under 25s - and what it leaves out

If you are an 18-to-20 year-old earning the minimum wage, your pay will go up by 3.9% from next April.However, the increase may be lower than you had expected. That is because Healey reversed course on how his Labour predecessor, Rachel Reeves, had been increasing the minimum wage for young people. Labour had promised to do away with "discriminatory age bands", with all adults entitled to the same minimum wage. This year, 18-20 year-olds will see the same increase as older workers, meaning the disparity will remain. So, for 18-to-20 year-olds, your pay will rise to £11.27, while over-20s will be paid a minimum of £13.21 an hour.The increase also means a 21-year-old, who is working full time on the minimum wage and took out a student loan after 2023, will now earn enough to meet the £25,000 repayment threshold, over which they will start paying back 9% of their earnings.The Budget contained plans to help people get onto the housing ladder, including the introduction of a "First Time Buyer Isa". This is an account in which savers can build up a deposit, with the government topping up contributions of up to £4,000 each year with a 25% bonus. The new savings account will be introduced in 2029, replacing the existing Lifetime Isa, which has been criticised by some for imposing harsh penalties on those buying homes for more than the £450,000 cap. The cap will remain, but the new "First Time Buyer Isa" will ensure savers are not penalised by losing their own money when making withdrawals. Savers will only lose contributions made by the government when making withdrawals which are not eligible for the account.The penalty for withdrawals from existing Lifetime Isas will be lowered, too, to address concerns about savers being punished. The government had already revealed a £4.7bn scheme for first-time buyers in England dubbed Your First Home. It is aiming to help 70,000 individuals and couples get on the housing ladderThe scheme will allow people to buy a new-build home with a deposit of 2.5%. It will provide them with a loan worth 20% of their property's value to help pay for the purchase.Capped at £110,000 outside London and £140,000 in the capital, it is aimed at those hoping to get on the housing ladder without help from "the bank of mum and dad".