DWP will make seven payments and handouts worth £4,385 before Christmas
UK households are due seven Department for Work and Pensions payments before Christmas worth a staggering £4,385. The alert to UK households comes as the DWP looks to help tide people who are hard-up and pressed for cash amid the Cost of Living crisis.
Despite the Winter Fuel Payment being scrapped, there are still benefit payments due to land in bank accounts before the festive season. And for some of the handy schemes, like the Household Support Fund, you don't even need to be on benefits.
Somne help comes from the Government-funded Households Support Fund scheme which is an initiative that gives local authorities money to spend on cost of living support in their area. The Labour Party government has expanded the scheme beyond 2024.
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Ahead of Christmas, and with people focusing on the axed £300 Winter Fuel Allowance axe, people have been told to brush on whether they are eligible for the following payments. The sums - a whopping £4k - will help tide people over and afford Christmas.
Benefits
The date your benefit is paid depends on what benefit you receive and the date you first received you benefit payment. Universal credit is paid monthly by the DWP. Attendance allowance, disability living allowance, pension credit, personal independence payment (PIP) and state pension are paid every four weeks after the date your received your first payment.
Carer’s allowance, tax credits (from HMRC) and child benefit are either weekly or every four weeks. And maternity allowance is either every two weeks or every four weeks.
If your benefit payment hasn’t arrived and you think you should have received it, double check the payment date on your awards notice in the first instance. If there has been a bank holiday or weekend, it may be delayed until the next working day.
After that, contact your bank to ask if there is a payment waiting to go through. The payment might be pending and it might be a simple issue of the funds not having been cleared yet.
Warm Home Discount - £150
The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill. The money is not paid to you. You’ll usually get the discount automatically if you’re eligible. You only need to apply if you’re on a low income in Scotland - contact your energy supplier to apply.
You may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead if your supplier provides you with both gas and electricity and you’re eligible. Contact your supplier to find out. You can still qualify for the discount if you use a pre-pay or pay-as-you-go electricity meter.
Your electricity supplier can tell you how you’ll get the discount if you’re eligible, for example a voucher you can use to top up your meter.
DWP Christmas bonus - £10
According to the UK government website: “The Christmas Bonus is a one-off tax-free £10 payment made before Christmas, paid to people who get certain benefits in the qualifying week. This is normally the first full week of December.”
A petition was launched in 2023 urging an immediate increase of more than £100 in the Christmas bonus, aligned with inflation. Almost a year later, the number of signatures on the petition is still growing as people call on Labour to act.
At the time of writing, more than 15,000 people had thrown their support behind the petition, including 1,000 new signatories in a single day. “I'm signing because so many older people are finding it hard "to make ends meet" during the cost of living crisis,” wrote Glenyd on the change.org page in support.
“£10 is an insult,” added another supporter.
Cold Weather Payment - £25
You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest. If you’re eligible, you’ll get these payments automatically. You do not need to apply, but you may need to tell Jobcentre Plus if you have a baby or if a child under 5 comes to live with you.
The payments do not affect your other benefits. You’ll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over 7 consecutive days.
You’ll get £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2024 and 31 March 2025.
State pension - £3,300
With 15 weeks left of the year, state pensioners are due for a maximum £3,300 before 2024 is out. The state pension is a payment made every four weeks by the government, to people who have reached the qualifying age and have paid enough National Insurance contributions.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) applies a formula, taking into account the number of full National Insurance years you have, contracted-out periods and the additional state pension you've accrued, to work out have much state pension you're due.
If you've never been contracted out, or earned any additional state pension, calculating how much you'll get is much simpler. For example, say you have 25 qualifying years on your National Insurance record.
For 2024-25, you divide £221.20 by 35 and then multiply by 25. Your new state pension will be about £158 a week.
Winter Fuel Payment - £300
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that from autumn 2024, anyone not on pension credit or other means-tested benefits will no longer get the winter fuel payment. Previously, everyone in England and Wales born before 25 September 1957 was entitled to the payment, which is worth either £200 or and £300, depending on your circumstances.
About 10 million people will be affected. While some say they don't need the payment, a number of charities and MPs are concerned that people on a relatively small income will miss out. An estimated 880,000 eligible pensioners fail to claim pension credit.
Household support fund - up to £600
The House Support Fund scheme was launched in October 2021 by the former Tory Government and has been extended ever since. The most recent extension came this month with the Govenrment announcing announcing further funding of £421million to keep the scheme going until April 2025.