More than 31,000 families across Ayrshire are to receive the first of five Cost of Living Payments – worth £301 – this spring.
Money will hit bank accounts after The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed its payment schedule for five payments through the 2023/24 financial year.
Disability payments worth £150 will also be made to those eligible.
Exact payment windows and qualifying periods for eligibility will be announced in due course, but are designed to be spread throughout the year. Payment windows will be broadly as follows:
· £301 – First 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment – during Spring 2023
· £150 – 2023 Disability Payment – during Summer 2023
· £300 – Second 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment – during Autumn 2023
· £300 – 2023 Pensioner Payment – during Winter 2023/4
· £299 – Third 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment – during Spring 2024
Several benefits claimants could be eligible for the payments, including those on Universal Credit and tax credits – through which 5.4 million households across the UK are expected to qualify.
Around 1.4 million households on Pension Credit are expected to be paid, while 1.3 million will be eligible through legacy DWP benefits such as Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support, reaching a total of 8.1 million households.
Eligible individuals do not need to apply for payments, which are made automatically.
Those eligible for cost of living payments through tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will be paid by HMRC shortly after DWP payments are made.
A total of 14,000 households in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock will qualify for cost of living payments, with 13,400 eligible for disability payments.
In Central Ayrshire, 12,700 will qualify for cost of living money while another 12,100 will receive disability cash.
In North Ayrshire and Arran, 14,800 will receive cost of living payments and 13,600 are to qualify for disability money.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride, said: “These direct payments will help people right across the UK over this year and the start of the next, as we continue to provide consistent, targeted and substantial support for the most vulnerable.
“Our wider support package, including the Energy Price Guarantee, will ensure every household is being helped through this challenging period of high inflation, caused by Putin’s illegal war and the aftershocks of the pandemic.”
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt added: “High inflation, exacerbated by Putin’s illegal war, is hurting economies across the world and making people poorer.
“These payments are the next part of the significant support we are providing through this challenging time, with millions of vulnerable households receiving £900 directly into their bank accounts this financial year alongside additional help for pensioners and those with disabilities.
“This latest payment will provide some temporary relief, but the best thing we can do to help families and businesses is to stick to the plan to halve inflation this year.”
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