Millions of struggling households across the country are set to receive a £301 payment amid the cost of living crisis. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that families who are eligible will get their first payment in the next month as part of three instalments totalling £900.
DWP says people can expect the first £301 payment to land automatically in their bank accounts between Tuesday, April 25 and Wednesday, May 17. There will then be a second cost of living payment of £300 in the autumn and a third payment of £300 will be paid in spring next year.
Those who are on means-tested benefits are set to receive the financial help which includes Universal Credit, Pension Credit, and older benefits such as Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support. In order to be considered eligible for the first Cost of Living payment, you must have received payment for one of the above between January 26 and February 25, 2023.
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Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: “These payments will give a financial boost to more than eight million households as we continue to wrap our arms around the most vulnerable, while the best way we can protect people from high costs is to halve inflation by the end of this year.
“In the long-term, we know work is the best route out of poverty, which is why we recently announced additional Work Coach support to help more people find work or increase their hours. Anyone looking to boost their skills or progress their career should speak to their work coach to ensure they’re accessing all the support the DWP can provide.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, added: “Not only are we providing £900 in direct cash payments to millions of the most vulnerable households, we’ve also extended the energy price guarantee to hold bills down until energy prices fall, raised the national living wage to £10.42, put an end to the prepayment meter premium and delivered a plan that will more than halve inflation this year – ensuring everyone’s incomes go further.”
An interactive map has now been released to show the areas where people will benefit from the payment. London will get the biggest chunk of the cash (around 15 percent, or more than £350m), followed by the North West at around 13 percent.
In Manchester there are 97,100 households who are eligible for the payment.
You can check the map below and enter your postcode to see how many people are entitled to the payment near where you live:
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