Rishi Sunak has announced a number of measures to support households who are struggling amid the cost of living crisis.
On Thursday, the Chancellor agreed to impose a windfall tax on the soaring profits of oil and gas firms to fund a cost of living relief package. Mr Sunak said the 25% energy levy would raise around £5 billion that will be used to send a one off payment of £650 to more than eight million households.
The payments will be made by the Department for Work and Pensions in the summer and autumn.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak's £800 cost of living cash boost and who will get it
Mr Sunak also said he would not be changing benefit payment levels for this financial year but said they were likely to be significantly higher for the 2023-2024 financial year.
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), a think tank founded by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, had suggested benefits needed a boost as though they had been given a 10% rise in April 2022, rather than the 3.1% that was applied at that time, Birmingham Live reports.
Such a move would have meant an additional £729 paid out over the remainder of this financial year. But, instead, Mr Sunak chose cash support aimed at specific groups, including those with disabilities.
So how much can people get, and who will get it?
Mr Sunak explained: "Disabled people also face extra costs in their day-to-day lives, like having energy-intensive equipment around the home or workplace. So to help the six million people who receive non-means-tested disability benefits we will send them, from September, an extra one-off disability cost-of-living payment worth £150.
"Many disabled people will also receive the payment of £650 I've already announced, taking their total cost-of-living payments to £800."
Who will get the £150?
Around six million people across the UK who receive the following disability benefits will receive a one-off payment of £150 in September:
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Attendance Allowance
- Scottish Disability Benefits
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- War Pension Mobility Supplement
The Government says it acknowledges that people with disabilities may face a wide range of additional costs, such as specialist equipment, specialist food, and increased transport costs, and this payment is designed to help with these costs as they are likely to have increased.
Other rules and eligibility criteria
The Government guidance states that claimants must be in receipt of, or have begun an eventually successful claim for, one of those benefits listed above as of May 25, 2022, to be eligible for this additional payment.
For the many disability benefit recipients who receive means-tested benefits, this £150 will come on top of the £650 they will receive separately. The cash sum will be exempt from tax, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing state support.
The Government says it will make these payments directly to eligible people across the UK, so there is no need to apply. It will simply appear in the same bank or building society account where your normal benefit payments are deposited.
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