The vast majority of people who are eligible to receive the £150 cost of living payment will get it this week, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
The payment - which is a one-off grant to help disabled people cope with additional costs during the cost of living crisis - was originally due to be paid from last Tuesday, September 20, but the Queen's funeral bank holiday last Monday, September 19 held things up, and although the DWP said some payment were made last week, the vast majority are due to be made this week.
A spokesman last week told Chroniclelive that the Queen's funeral had had '"an effect" on the schedule and admitted the last-minute bank holiday on Monday had delayed the payments to the six million people in receipt of benefits such as PIP (Personal Independence Payment), DLA (Disability Living Allowance) and Attendance Allowance, among others, although he said the DWP was still on track to pay according to the original scheduled end date, which is early October.
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The latest announcement by the DWP was made in their Touchbase newsletter sent out on Friday, according to advice group Benefits and Work. It reads: “Over the next few weeks, six million disabled people in the UK will receive a one-off £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment as part of the Government’s Help for Households support. Those who had confirmed payment of their disability benefit for 25 May don’t need to do anything and will receive the £150 automatically by their usual payment method, with the vast majority to be paid by early October. While some people have been paid this week, the majority of people will be paid next week. Anyone who is awaiting a payment should therefore wait until early October before getting in touch with the Department.
The £150 one-off payment, announced by former Chancellor Rishi Sunak as part of his cost of living package in May, is to help people on certain disability benefits tackle the rising cost of living. The full list of people entitled to the money is:
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance for adults
- Disability Living Allowance for children
- Personal Independence Payment
- Adult Disability Payment
- Child Disability Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- War Pension Mobility Supplement
To be eligible for the one-off payment, you must have received a payment (or later receive a payment) of one of these qualifying benefits for May 25, 2022. The DWP has advised that those awaiting confirmation of their disability benefits on May 25 - or those waiting to be assessed for eligibility - may find the payment process takes a little longer, although they will still get it if they are eligible.
The payment is paid per claim, meaning that if two people in a home are applying for the benefit payment, they will each receive separate payments of £150.
The £150 is in addition to the £400 energy rebate payable in six instalments from next month, which nearly every household will receive. If you’re on certain means-tested benefits as well as disability benefits, you may also get a further £325 payment later this year, in addition to the first £325 paid in the summer.
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