Eight million households should expect to start receiving the first instalment of cost of living payments from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) from today. But while it’s commonly thought that all benefit claimants qualify for the cash boost, it’s only a select few that do.
The cost of living payment is to be split into three instalments, and people who receive means-tested benefits and tax credits during specified qualifying periods will be entitled to them.
Those who claim other benefits, such as ones that are contribution-based, will not be receiving the money.
This means people who claim only one of the following benefits will not be getting the cost of living payment today:
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Child Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Contributory or New style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Guardian’s Allowance
- Contribution-based or New style Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Maternity Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- State pension.
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While those claiming just one of these benefits won’t qualify for the main cost of living payment, some may be eligible to claim the disability or pensioner cost of living payment.
The disability cost of living payment will be worth £150 and will be paid during the summer to those eligible who receive the following benefits:
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance for adults
- Disability Living Allowance for children
- Personal Independence Payment
- Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland)
- Child Disability Payment (in Scotland)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- War Pension Mobility Supplement.
Those entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2023 to 2024 will be paid a pensioner cost of living payment, worth an extra £150 or £300, and will be paid with their normal Winter Fuel Payment from November 2023.
The full amount of Winter Fuel Payment (including the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment) for winter 2023 to 2024 depends on when a person was born and their circumstances during the qualifying dates. They’ll be informed of the amount in a letter in October or November.
Who is eligible for the first cost of living payment?
To receive the first cost of living payment, worth £301, paid from today to May 17, 2023, people must have been claiming the following benefits during a specified qualifying period:
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit.
Claimants must have been entitled to a payment between January 26 and February 25 or received a payment for an assessment period ending between these dates.
People who were claiming Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit during the same period would also qualify for the first instalment of the cost of living payment, but this will be paid slightly later between May 2 and May 9, 2023.
The following two cost of living payments will be worth £300 and £299, and these will be distributed to most people in autumn 2023 and spring 2024, respectively.
Some people can qualify for these payments – as well as the disability and pensioner payments. This means some could amass a total of £1,350 in cost of living support this year.
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