State pensioners set to receive £300 cost of living payment - how to claim
The £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment will be paid to all households in receipt of Winter Fuel Payments this year.
Millions of families across the UK will receive cost of living support this year from the Government. Some will get £301 this spring as part of the £900 payment, many pensioners could get £300 this winter and those on disability benefits could get 150 for this summer.
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The £301 payment is the first of five direct cost-of-living sums for the most vulnerable households, including pensioners, with the total amount of support reaching up to £1,350.
On the support, 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."
The £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment will be paid to all households in receipt of Winter Fuel Payments, in the same way as 2022/23 payments were made.
Last year, people got a Winter Fuel payment if they were born before September 26, 1956.
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The Winter Fuel Payment saw many pensioners get between £250 and £600 to help pay for heating bills.
Most people get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically if they’re eligible. If someone is eligible, they should have had a letter in October or November saying how much they’ll get.
If people did not get a letter but they think they’re eligible, they should check if they need to make a claim.
Most eligible people were paid in November or December.
To find out if they have been paid, Britons can check the Government website.
There may be further support available for retirees on Pension Credit this year, via the £900 cost of living payment.
The Government said the exact payment windows and qualifying periods for eligibility will be announced in due course.
The qualifying periods “are designed to ensure a consistent support offer throughout the year".
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Payment windows will be broadly 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 2023/24
£299 – Third 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment – during Spring 2024
People do not need to apply for the upcoming cost of living payments.
The Government confirmed: "Eligible individuals do not need to apply for payments, as they are made automatically.
“Those eligible for cost of living payments through tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will be paid by HMRC shortly after DWP payments are made."
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“Those eligible for cost of living payments through tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will be paid by HMRC shortly after DWP payments are made."
People could also get a Cold Weather Payment - if they get certain benefits and the temperature drops to zero degrees celsius or below for seven days in a row.
Additionally they may be able to claim the Warm Home Discount - this is a £150 discount on one’s bills if they get Pension Credit or live in a low-income household.
Help from the Household Support Fund is also available if someone is eligible under local council’s rules.
People will automatically get a discount on their energy bills for winter 2022 to 2023 with the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
