While millions of households across the UK are eligible for the next wave of cost of living payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), only a handful are eligible to receive the full amount. Some people could receive as much as £1,350 from the government, all of which is set to be paid in instalments between Spring 2023 and 2024.
As Lancs Live reports, the first payments are due to be made in the coming weeks and some 8 million households up and down the country will receive the means-tested benefit payments into their bank accounts automatically. The first payment comes this Spring and will amount to £301.
There will be an extra £150 summer payment to more than 6.5 million people on disability benefits, which will then be followed by a second £300 cost of living payment during Autumn 2023, as well as a £300 pensioner payment in the winter and a third cost of living payment of £299 next Spring.
Read more: DWP cost of living spring payment: Those not eligible and why
That means a total of five cost of living payments will be made to vulnerable households in that timeframe, including pensioners and those with disabilities. 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."
Who will be entitled to all of the £1,350 on offer?
According to the DWP, the payment timetable is 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
The payments totalling to £900 will automatically be on offer for those receiving means-tested benefits. However, an additional £450 will be available for those eligible for summer's disability payment as well as winter's pensioner payment - equating to £1,350, the M.E.N reports.
There are several benefits available which could make claimants eligible for the £301 cost of living payment, including Universal Credit and tax credits. According to the DWP, up to 5.4 million households in the UK are believed to qualify for these benefits, and in turn, qualify for the cost of living payments.
Read next:
- DWP cost of living payments: 8 million families to receive first £301 this spring
- DWP list of 21 health conditions that PIP claimants could get up to £4,800 for
- DWP: Universal Credit threshold sees new rules which could affect working hours and benefit payments
- DWP urges millions of households to check for £600 cash payment
- Cold Weather Payments - what are they and who can get them?
