Low income households to get new Cost of Living Payments from spring of this year
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MILLIONS of the lowest income households across the UK will get up to £1350 from the government in 2023-24 to help with the cost of living.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced more detail on the payment schedule for the next round of cost of living support unveiled in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, building on payments made to over eight million people in 2022.
The new £900 cash boost for over eight million eligible means-tested benefits claimants, including those on Universal Credit, Pension Credit and tax credits, starts in spring and will go direct to bank accounts in three payments over the course of the financial year. There will also be a separate £150 for over six million disabled people and £300 for over eight million pensioners on top of their Winter Fuel Payments.
Exact payment windows will be announced closer to the time, but are spread across a longer period to ensure a consistent support offering throughout the year. They will be broadly as follows: £301 – First Cost of Living Payment during spring 2023; £150 – Disability Payment during summer 2023; £300 – Second Cost of Living Payment during autumn 2023; £300 – Pensioner Payment during winter 2023-24; £299 – Third Cost of Living Payment during spring 2024.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: “We are sticking by our promise to protect the most vulnerable and these payments, worth hundreds of pounds, will provide vital support next year for those on the lowest incomes.
“The government’s wider support package has already helped more than eight million families as we continue to deal with the global consequences of Putin’s illegal war and the aftershocks of the pandemic.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt commented: “I know these are tough times for families across the UK who are struggling to meet rising food and energy costs, driven by the aftershocks of Covid and Putin’s war in Ukraine.
“That’s why we’re putting a further £900 into the pockets of over 8 million low income households next year. These payments are on top of above inflation increases to working-age benefits and the Energy Price Guarantee, which is insulating millions from even higher global gas prices.
“Tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority and is the only way to ease the strain of high prices, drive long term economic growth and improve living standards for everyone.”
UK Government Minister for Scotland John Lamont added: “Nearly 700,000 families in Scotland benefited from the most recent Cost of Living payments from the UK government.
“The Chancellor committed to providing more support for low-income households in the Autumn Statement and I am pleased to confirm that eligible families in Scotland will receive further payments, beginning next spring.
“This builds on the package of measures the UK government continues to provide to support families through this challenging period, including further help with energy bills through the extension of the Energy Price Guarantee and an increase in the National Living Wage.”
If individuals are eligible they will be paid automatically, and there will be no need to apply. Claimants who are eligible for any of the Cost of Living Payments and receive tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will receive payment from HMRC shortly after DWP payments are issued.
