The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that more than 7.2 million payments of £326 have already been made to help households across the country cope with the rising cost of living. A total of £2.4 billion has been paid to households on low incomes in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a second instalment of £324 arriving later this year.
The £326 payments began landing in bank accounts on July 14 for those on qualifying benefits as part of the means-tested £650 cost of living payment, delivered by the DWP. A date for the second instalment has not yet been announced but is due to be made in the autumn, with separate payments for pensioners (£300) and disabled people (£150) also coming later this year.
People claiming Working Tax Credits or Child Tax Credits along with one of the DWP qualifying benefits will also receive the crucial cash support this month. For those who only receive either of those income top-ups from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), this will not be paid by the end of July, but instead in the autumn.
