AS the cost of living crisis bites, the government has unveiled various support measures to try and help hard-up households pay for everyday essentials.
A range of cost of living payments are being dished out and many households have already got some cash – but it’s worth checking whether you’re eligible for more.
If you qualify for all the help that’s available you could get up to £1,650.
The handouts include a £650 payment for anyone claiming Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits.
Some 7.2 million households received the first of instalment, worth £326, in July, with the rest to follow in a second instalment of £324 from the autumn.
And the government is also planning further payments, one in September worth £150 for those with disabilities, and another worth £300 for pensioners to be paid in November.
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Anna Stevenson, senior, benefits specialist at debt charity Turn2Us, explained everything you need to know about how to receive the payments.
Anna said: “These payments are supposed to help with the rising cost of living and are targeted at people who the government identifies as being on the lowest incomes or those who are considered to be at most risk from very high energy prices.
“That’s people who receive means tested benefits, people with disabilities, pension age people and so on.”
You may be able to get the standard cost of living payment if you’re getting one or more of the following benefits:
If you have a joint claim with a partner, you will get one payment between you, not two lots of £650.
For the lump sum payment of £150 aimed at disabled people, you need to be receiving any of the following:
In either case, you need to have been receiving the qualifying benefit by May 25 this year (or put a claim in by then which goes on to be successful) – you can’t apply for the benefit now and still claim the first cost of living payment, or the £150 disability payment.
If you’re a pensioner and entitled to a winter fuel payment for this coming winter, you will get an extra £300 for your household.
It is possible that you might qualify for all three types of payments, if you’re on a low income, disabled and a pensioner – in this case you could get as much as £1,100 in free cash.
If you are eligible, the extra money will be paid to you automatically – you don’t need to apply for it specifically.
On top of that you might also get the £400 energy bill discount that is being given to all homeowners, and £150 council tax rebate which is going to 80% of UK households – a total of £1,650.
“The government didn’t want people rushing to become entitled to these payments,” Anna said.
“So what they did was they cut off entitlement to the first instalment at the date when this announcement was made, so that it would be too late for people to act on the announcement and claim the benefit they weren’t already getting.”
This means you have missed the deadline for the first £325 instalment, and the £150 disability payment.
However, there is still time to apply for the second £324 instalment of the payment as the government hasn’t published the cut-off for that yet.
And if you should receive pension credits you can still apply for those, because they can be back-dated by up to three months, meaning you might still qualify for both payments.
This means you have until August 25 to hit the May 25 deadline.
You can’t apply for the £300 pensioner payment as this is just based on your age.
“Even if you’re not entitled to the cost of living payments, it is worth investigating if there are any benefits you should be receiving that you aren’t,” Anna said.
“Any boost to your income is worth it – it’s all money in your pocket.”
You can find out what benefits you might be entitled to using a free online benefits calculator.
“If your only means-tested benefit is tax credit or possibly housing benefits then you may still be waiting on your first payment,” Anna explained.
Payments to that specific group of people are expected to be dished out in September.
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“If you’re getting Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income support or pension credit and you were getting them between April 26 and May 25, then you should have had your payment by now.”
If you haven’t, the government has set up a form where you can report missing payments here.
