MILLIONS of households claiming disability benefit are set to receive a £150 cost of living payment today.
The £150 cash support will be paid directly into people’s bank accounts from today. (Tuesday, September 20).
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The one-off cash sum is set to help cushion the blow of rising inflation and soaring bills for those living with disabilities.
The money will start landing from today, but most people will get their cash in the first two weeks of October.
The payment is to help those with disabilities pay for any energy intensive equipment they might have.
It comes after Prime Minister Liz Truss announced a price freeze to energy bills for two years, with the typical family paying £2,500 a year from October.
Energy bills had been due to hit £3,500. However, the new Energy Price Guarantee, which replaces the price cap, only limits the amount suppliers can charge.
It doesn’t limit the amount a household will pay, this is based on their energy usage and size of their property.
Who is eligible for the £150 disability payment?
Millions of people on disability benefits are eligible for the one-off payment.
You can get the cash if you claim one of the following:
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- War Pension Mobility Supplement
- Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland)
- Child Disability Payment (in Scotland)
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Claimants must have received, or begun an eventually successful claim for one of these benefits, as of May 25 this year to be eligible for the £150 payment.
The money is on top of the £650 payment you can get if you’re on certain means-test benefits including Universal Credit.
How do I claim the disability cost of living payment?
You shouldn’t have to do anything to get the money if you are eligible for it.
The cash should be paid directly into the account where you receive your benefits payments,
The money is also exempt from tax and won’t count towards the benefit cap or impact existing benefit awards.
The money is expected to start arriving from September, but it may take a few weeks before all the payments are made.
The Government said the majority of people will receive their money within a couple of weeks, and by the beginning of October.
It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your bank statements around this time to check it arrives.
If you’re still awaiting confirmation of your disability benefits from a claim that was put in by May 25, your payment may take longer to arrive.
What other energy bill help is coming?
From October the first, all households will start to receive a £400 energy bill discount.
The payment will be dished out by your energy supplier and will be split across six discounts between October and March next year.
Households will receive a £66 energy bill discount in October and November and a discount worth £67 in December, January, February and March.
In November, a £300 one-off “Pensioner Cost of Living Payment” will be paid out to eight million households.
It will be given to those who already get the winter fuel payment – which is worth between £100 and £300 for those over state pension age.
Millions of households are in line to get the £150 Warm Home Discount between December and March 2023.
Check if you can get an energy grant
There are plenty of energy grants and schemes open to help you out if you’re struggling.
British Gas has recently confirmed that it’ll pay its most vulnerable customers grants worth £750 to help with sky-high bills.
The British Gas Energy Trust has previously paid struggling households up to £1,500 – and you don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for this help.
Ask your supplier what’s on offer and how to apply, or check here:
You can get free debt advice
If you’re in debt there are plenty of services you can take advantage of and they offer free advice on how to manage debt.
Most of them can offer you free guidance and help in person, over the telephone or online.
