Over 8 million households are set to receive an additional £324 as part of the government’s Cost of Living support package.
- The £324 Cost of Living Payment, which follows on from a £326 payment made from July, is part of £1,200 support package for millions this year
- The £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment was provided in September, with a £300 additional pensioner payment to come in the Winter
Millions of households across the UK will receive a £324 cost of living cash boost by the 23 of November.
The government has today announced that households receiving DWP benefits will receive the second part of the £650 Cost of Living Payment from 8 November and continuing through to the 23 November.
Over 8 million families have already received the first Cost of Living Payment, worth £326, which was sent out from 14 July this year.
The second payment will automatically be paid into the bank accounts of those eligible in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who receive a qualifying benefit, meaning they will not need to do anything to receive the money.
The DWP will pay a small number of payments on the 8 November, with numbers increasing significantly from the 9 November. Even if you are not on a qualifying DWP benefit you may still be eligible for the £324 payment as HMRC are also making payments to those who receive tax credits and no other eligible benefits. These will be paid shortly after DWP payments and customers do not need to contact the government or apply for the payment at any stage.
This payment comes on top of extensive government support with the cost of living this winter, including around 6 million disabled people having been paid a separate £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment, whilst over 8 million pensioner households will receive an extra one-off £300 Winter Fuel Payment this year. This is in addition to an extension to the Household Support Fund, which is providing an extra £421 million for use between October and March to help vulnerable people with the essentials.
As well as this, a £150 Council Tax rebate was sent earlier this year to those in Council Tax bands A to D in England, creating a total of at least £1,200 in direct support for millions. A £400 reduction on energy bills is also being given to all domestic electricity customers over the coming months, and a new ‘Energy Price Guarantee’, which means from 1 October the average UK household will save at least £1,000 a year based on current energy prices.
