BENEFITS EXPERT: Helping those on benefits to cope with cost of living rises

Here are some more details concerning additional support for benefit recipients to assist with domestic fuel price increases as well as the overall cost of living increases.
There will be additional support for benefit recipients to assist with domestic fuel price increases as well as the overall cost of living increases.There will be additional support for benefit recipients to assist with domestic fuel price increases as well as the overall cost of living increases.
There will be additional support for benefit recipients to assist with domestic fuel price increases as well as the overall cost of living increases.

Some financial help will be cumulative in nature, some help is also geographically based.

For people receiving the following benefits there will be a £650 payment, the payment will be made in two lump sums (£325) the first in July the second payment will be released in autumn.

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The benefits will be Universal Credit, Income Based JSA, Income Based ESA, Income Support, Child Tax Credits, Working tax Credits and Pension Credit (whether Guaranteed, Savings or both). You must have been either receiving any of these benefits on or before May 25, 2022, or submit a claim on or before this date which is successful.

For claimants getting a disability based benefit a one-off payment of £150 in September, again you must have been getting any of these benefits on or before May 25, 2022, or start a claim on or before this date which is later successful. The benefits are DLA, PIP, Attendance Allowance, for Scotland only Scottish Disability Benefits, Armed Forces Independence Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance and War Pension Mobility Supplement.

In relation to the winter Fuel Payment, pension households (where the person in the household is 66 or over between September 19 and, 2022) will get an additional £300 payment.

None of these payments will be taxable, count towards the benefit cap and won’t affect entitlement to existing benefits i.e. won’t be classed as either income or capital for those getting means-tested benefits.

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There will also be an additional £500 million of local support via the Household Support Fund – how this money will be used will vary from local authority to local authority so help provided in one council area will differ to support provided in another council area.

Typically the support that has been provided in the past has been things like fuel vouchers for those on pre-payment meters, food parcels or supermarket vouchers.

Some local authorities have provided money, the amount of which has been dependent on the household size and circumstances.

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