HOUSEHOLDS with a low income will get new cost of living support from the spring.
The new £900 cash boost will be handed to means-tested benefits claimants, including those on Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Tax Credits.
There will also be a separate £150 for disabled people and £300 for pensioners on top of their Winter Fuel payments.
This comes as part of the next round of cost of living support unveiled in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, building on payments made to over eight million people across the country in 2022.
The money will go direct to bank accounts in three payments over the course of the financial year.
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 2023/4
£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.”
Anyone who is eligible will be paid automatically, and there will be no need to apply.
Those 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 Department for Work and Pension payments are issued.
