More than eight million households across the UK will welcome the latest £301 cost of living support payment from the Government from today.
It’s the first of three payments, totalling up to £900 for people who are on certain means-tested benefits.
Households eligible for the cost of living payments include people receiving Universal Credit, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Pension Credit.
The amount of benefits you receive won’t count against you, even if you only receive £1, you will receive this payment.
These payments won’t be taxed, won’t count towards the benefit cap, and won’t have any impact on existing benefit awards.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said that this latest additional payment would be welcomed by millions of families, as would further payments expected over the next year.
He said that they have always supported the most vulnerable to growing costs, including through record benefits and national living wage increases as well as those exceptional Cost of Living Payments responding to the global pressures they’re facing.
He said that they would continue to deliver on their five priorities, including halving inflation, as this would relieve pressure on households presently struggling with household bills and growing costs.
This is the first of up to three payments for those eligible on means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit, Pension Credit and tax credits, totalling £900 through 2023/24.
In a similar fashion to how payments were made in 2022, those claiming Tax Credits will receive their cost of living payment slightly later than those claiming Universal Credi or other benefits.
According to a newspaper outlet, households receiving Tax Credits will receive their first payment between 2 and 9 May.
The payment will be made automatically by HMRC to those households who received a payment of Tax Credits between 26 January to 25 February 2023.
These will be accompanied by a £150 payment for people on eligible disability benefits this summer, and a £300 payment on top of Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners at the end of 2023.
The second of three instalments for the cost of living payments is due in the autumn of 2023.
The DWP will send payments automatically and directly to recipients’ bank accounts, with a reference to their National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP COL’.
For example, if your National Insurance number is JT 83 42 97 B your payment will be observable under the reference ‘DWP COLP JT 83 42 97 B on your statement.
But what about those working people who are struggling on low wages, but just fell short to qualify for benefits, they get nothing?
And why is it that people believe that people on Universal Credit aren’t working? There are numerous people on Universal Credit that work, some of them are working 25 hours a week, but that’s all they can work because they have children at school or are on an extremely humble salary but still want to work.
Some would even say that having children is a choice and if you have them then you deserve nothing.
And some nurses work extremely hard in hospital wards, caring for the suffering, and it’s back-breaking work, and extremely intense at times, for which they are really not paid enough, but thankfully to this payment, they get enough to put a roof over their head, put food on the table and clothes on their backs, but most people still begrudge them having this extra money.
But tough cheese for those pensioners who have very little savings and aren’t eligible for pension credit. They have probably worked all their lives for a meagre pension, yet some of them have to pay something towards their rent if renting and going to the dentist et cetera, and now you’ve got the rise in food costs, council tax, electricity, gas and water prices.
People who work hard all their lives, save hard and suffer get nothing, so it does make you wonder if it actually pays to sit on your behind.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 