People are being urged to check if they are entitled to hundreds of pounds in cost of living payments as families continue to face rising prices for everyday needs.
Millions of people on means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit and Pension Credit, are to get £600 in cost of living payments over the coming months.
Pensioners who qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment are also to get an additional cost of living payment of up to £300.
Individuals may want to check if they can claim any extra support as inflation remains high in the latest figures for the year to June, dropping from 8.7 percent to 7.9 percent.
Food costs in particular continue to add an increasing burden on Britons’ budgets, with food price inflation at 17.3 percent.
What cost of living payments are going out?
People on several means-tested benefits are receiving a £900 cost of living payment in three instalments this financial year.
The first instalment of £301 has already gone out with the second payment of £300 due in autumn 2023 and the third amount of £299 to go out in spring 2024.
People on these benefits may qualify for the payments:
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit.
Pensioners who receive the Winter Fuel Payment this coming winter are also to get a cost of living payment of between £150 and £300.
A person can get the payment to help towards their winter heating bills, if they were born before September 25, 1957.
Qualifying dates for these cost of living payments are yet to be published by the Government. The payments are made automatically to those who are eligible.
Individuals may also want to check if they qualify for any benefits using a benefits calculator, such as the one on the Turn2us website.
Britons of state pension age may qualify for Pension Credit, which tops up the income of people on low incomes.
The benefit tops up a single person’s income to £201.05 and up to £306.85 for couple claimants.
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