Cost of living payment: DWP confirms £300 autumn instalment in update on £94bn package of support

The Government has assured cash-strapped households that two further cost of living payments will be landing in bank accounts over the next financial year. And those who aren’t eligible for the £900 cash boost may be able to get support from an extension to the Household Support Fund.

A payment of £300 is due this autumn for millions of households who qualify. Some benefit claimants have reported jobcentres alerting them to an October date, while consumer champion Martin Lewis predicted the next payment would land between October and November.

Another cost of living payment worth £299 in then due in the spring of 2024. On top of the £300 handed out in April/May, this will mean low-income individuals and families in receipt of either tax credits or five means-tested DWP benefits will receive a £900 package of support.

As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, the focus for many has been on the arrival of the next cost of living payment, along with how much benefits will increase in the next financial year. Angela Crawley, Scottish National Party MP for Lanark and Hamilton East, asked if the DWP had assessed the impact of the rise in the cost of living on working families who qualify or do not qualify for Universal Credit.

In a written response issued this week (September 11) Mims Davies, Conservative MP for Mid Sussex and Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions), admitted “no such assessments have been made” specific to Universal Credit recipients but then went on to outline the DWP’s response to soaring household costs.

She said: “The Government understands the pressures people, including parents, are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. Overall, we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of bills. “From April 2023, everyone who receives a state benefit or pension will have seen their benefit rates increase by 10.1 per cent.