EIGHT million Brits living on ow incomes are thought to be eligible for the Cost of Living crisis payments, that started to hit bank accounts on Thursday 14 July.
The first payment of £326, started to hit bank accounts from last Thursday onwards.
It is the first of the £650 government payment to those claiming Universal Credit, and certain other benefits.
However, not everyone has received their payment yet.
Here are a few reasons why you might be waiting for your first instalment:
1. Staggered payments – Not everyone will receive the cash at the same time, and some may just get paid slightly later.
2. Unique benefits claim – Some claims and needs are more complex than others.
3. Being on Tax Credits – Those who are on Working Tax Credits, or being on Child Tax Credits will receive their benefits from the HMRC instead of the Department of Work and Pensions.
4. Entitlement period – To get the first cost of living payment, you must have been entitled to Universal Credit payments from April 26, 2022 to May 25, 2022.
5. ‘Nil award’ of Universal Credit – You can’t get a payment if your earnings has brought your benefits down to zero.
6. A person received their benefits late – If you applied for benefits late, you can still get the payment, it will just come later.
7. Changes to payment account – If you have made changes to your account or closed it, then it will take longer for the payment to arrive.
Read our cost of living payments live blog below for the latest updates…
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Cost of living payments: what you need to know
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I’m a benefits expert – how to claim £650 cost of living payment
The first half of the £650 cost of living payment is hitting bank accounts for most people before the end of the month.
Phil Agulnik is director at entitledto, an organisation helping people claim the full benefits they qualify for.
He said: “It’s not too late for some older people to get both parts of the £650 payment, even if they don’t already claim Pension Credit.
“The rules say that anyone who was entitled to Pension Credit on the qualifying day of May 25 can get both parts of the cost of living payment as long as they apply before August 18 this year.
“This is because you can ask for a Pension Credit claim to be backdated for up to three months.”
Click here to get more information from Phil Agulnik.
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Sun’s vouchers! Check before you buy
The Sun has vouchers for a whole range of shops, don’t miss out!
From clothes to household appliances, and even groceries, you could grab some great savings.
- 15 per cent off ASOS
- 10 per cent of M&S
- 15 per cent off Reebok online
Click here to get all The Sun’s best deals!
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The list of people who WON’T receive a payment
Check the following to make sure you are eligible to get the one-off payment.
- Attendance allowance
- Carer’s allowance
- Child benefit
- Disability living allowance (DLA)
- Contributory, or “new style”, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Guardian’s allowance
- Contribution-based, or “new style”, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Maternity allowance
- Personal Independence payment
- State pension
- Statutory adoption, maternity, paternity and shared parental pay
- Statutory sick pay
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Millions of workers face pay squeeze as wages lag
Statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal the growth in employees’ average total pay including bonuses was 6.2%.
Wages not including bonuses grew by 4.3% in the three months to May.
But in real terms, taking into account inflation, pay fell by 2.8% – a record drop.
Average total pay growth in the private sector was 7.2% in March to May 2022. For the public sector it was 1.5%.
It comes as inflation reached 9.1% earlier this year as fuel, food and other costs rise.
Click here to read more.
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New Eat Out to Help Out style campaign launched
Cost of Living Tsar David Buttress has been working with major UK businesses as part of the government’s Help for Households imitative.
It will feature bespoke deals and discounts for households from some of the UK’s biggest business, including Asda, Morrisons, Amazon and Vodafone.
Tomorrow a new Help for Households website launches to feature the discounts, as well as highlighting existing initiatives which could save families money.
The offers are set to be regularly updated – with a particular focus on helping families ahead of the summer holidays, back to school, Autumn and Christmas.
Click here to find out how you can get the best deals.
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Inflation hits a 40 year high
The cost of living is mounting on Brits, as inflation hits 9.4 per cent.
Economists have warned that inflation is only going to increase further.
According to the Office of National Statistics, price inflation hit 9.4 per cent in June, up 3 per cent from May.
The Bank of England expects inflation to be pushed up by another 11 per cent by October due to an energy price cap adjustment.
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Virgin Media O2 won’t charge hard-up customers for mobile data when visiting debt help sites
MILLIONS of Virgin Mobile and O2 customers can now access a number of debt help sites without eating into their mobile date.
The measures have been announced as Brits face rapidly rising energy costs, food bills and rent.
Customers of the two mobile networks have previously been able to visit websites such as Citizen Advice, Money Advice Service and debt charity, StepChange, without incurring a data fee.
But, the firm is adding another five websites to the scheme, so customers can seek debt help from more places without facing charges.
Customers of both Virgin Mobile and O2, irrespective of their contract or if they’re on pay-as-you-go, are now able to visit the following sites free of charge:
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Save £100s with holiday activities and food support
If your child is eligible for free school meals, you can also apply for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme.
This is a scheme provided by your local council.
Kids will be offered free activities and healthy meals during the holiday period – but the full offering varies by council.
Check with your local council to find out more.
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Save up to 90% by buying second hand
Save money on clothing and toys by shopping second hand.
There are plenty of ways to shop second hand nowadays.
As well as popping to your local charity shops, there are a host of online marketplaces devoted to buying and selling pre-owned clothes.
You may even find stuff for free by using a recycling app where people give away items they no longer need.
We spoke to one mum who saved £3,000 on baby items by shopping second-hand.
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Thousands of savers owed £3,363 each
RETIREES could be owed thousands of pounds from HMRC according to the latest figures.
When you first take cash from your pension, you might end up overpaying tax.
New tax figures from HMRC show the around 7,000 pension savers overpaid by a £33million in total in the last three months
That works out as £3,363 each, on average, but can be higher or lower depending on circumstances.
It’s because people who access one-off lump sums from their pension are taxed as if that will be their monthly income – meaning they often pay far too much.
You can start taking money from a personal or workplace pension from the age of 55 in a number of ways, including as a lump sum.
Usually you can take the first 25% of your pension tax-free, and anything over that is taxed.
But when taking a lump sum you can be taxed at an emergency rate and end up paying more than you have to.
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Over 1.3 million households facing cost-of-living crisis without any savings to fall back on
Half of families have savings equivalent to less than a month’s income.
And there is a sharp divide between rich and poor — with the least well-off four times as likely to have no savings.
The figures are from an annual wealth audit by the Resolution Foundation with the Financial Fairness Trust.
Individuals with bill or loan arrears are also more than twice as likely to report high levels of anxiety than those without arrears, the think-tank said.
Click here to read more.
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The DWP issues warning to those receiving Cost of Living payment
People receiving the fund have been told to be wary of crooks.
The Department for Work and Pensions updated it’s website to inform Brits that criminals may try and scam them out of their money.
The DWP said you don’t need to apply for the money, it is automatic to those who are eligible.
Do not hand out personal details to anyone claiming to be working for the DWP.
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Virgin Money to give £1,000 cost of living bonus to thousands of staff
Virgin Money has revealed it will give a £1,000 one-off bonus to thousands of staff in a bid to help with the cost of living.
The banking group said that workers who earn £50,000 a year or less – around 78% of its employees – will get the cash.
As the cost of living is expected to soar by £830 this October, many people are struggling to cope with bills and essentials.
But Virgin Money is the latest banking group to hand out a one-off bonus to staff in an effort to help, after Lloyds announced a staff pay boost last month.
The bank said around 6,000 employees will receive the bonus in their August wage packet.
Staff were told about the boost through an internal letter sent by the company.
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Free school meals – up to £500 a year
If you’re claiming certain benefits including Universal Credit, JSA and Child Tax Credit then your child might be entitled to free school meals.
You will need to apply through your local authority so that they can apply for extra funding from the Government, while some councils ask you to contact the school directly.
Simply click here and type in your postcode to be redirected to your local council’s website and apply.
The exact amount you’ll get depends on where you are, but ranges from around £2.15 to £2.50 per day, or around £400-£500 each school year.
Over the school holidays many councils are giving out cash to help parents during the break – check out our guide.
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Urgent warning to Morrisons shoppers over ‘free food’ scam
SHOPPERS at one of Britain’s biggest supermarket chains are urged to make sure they don’t get duped by scams doing the rounds online.
Pages on social media promising “free food” and “vouchers” are usually too good to be true.
Morrisons has urged customers to be wary of a post promising free food.
One Facebook page that goes by the name “Morrisons Fans” has been accused of falsely offering customers free boxes of food worth £30.
The post requires viewers click a link to claim the food.
However, the link is not affiliated with Morrisons and, worryingly, asks customers to fill in their personal details.
The page describes itself as a forum to help shoppers during the cost of living crisis.
Shoppers on the page are encouraged to like and share the post more widely on the false promise that it could increase their chances of winning free food from the supermarket chain.
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How to make a claim for Pension Credit
It couldn’t be easier to make a claim for Pension Credit – and there are handy tools to help.
Phil said: “You can check if you’re eligible for Pension Credit, as well as the other benefits, by using our benefits calculator at entitledto.co.uk.
“Or you can get in touch with the Pension Credit claim line online or by phone.”
You can apply online at gov.uk and will need some information to hand
This includes National Insurance number, details of your income including pensions, plus any savings and investments you have, covering the past three months.
You can apply by phone by calling 0800 99 1234 or by post by printing out the online form from gov.uk, filling it in and sending to: The Pension Service 8, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton, WV99 1AN
You can also get help applying from organisations like Citizens Advice and Age UK.
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Cost of living payments: what you need to know
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I’m a benefits expert – how to claim £650 cost of living payment
The first half of the £650 cost of living payment is hitting bank accounts for most people before the end of the month.
Phil Agulnik is director at entitledto, an organisation helping people claim the full benefits they qualify for.
He said: “It’s not too late for some older people to get both parts of the £650 payment, even if they don’t already claim Pension Credit.
“The rules say that anyone who was entitled to Pension Credit on the qualifying day of May 25 can get both parts of the cost of living payment as long as they apply before August 18 this year.
“This is because you can ask for a Pension Credit claim to be backdated for up to three months.”
Click here to get more information from Phil Agulnik.
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Netflix LOSES 1 million subscribers as cost of living soars
The streaming giant is organising advert subsidised subscriptions to save viewers money.
Reportedly the company has lost almost one million subscribers amid the cost of living crisis.
According to Sky News, Netflix will launch a new cheaper alternative subscription for customers.
Multi-household contracts will be available and they will be supported by adverts, which means the monthly cost of the service will be cheaper.
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Brits told to start Christmas shopping in summer by Tesco
The supermarket giant told punters to spread the costs of Christmas this year by buying presents early.
In a new advert, the brand tells shoppers: “A Christmas post.. in July?
“We know. We’re early. But this year, we want to help you spread the cost.”
Clubcard members will be able to save up their vouchers to use later on.
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I’m 25 – astronomical house prices meant I had to buy my first home with my MUM
The odds are stacked against solo first-time buyers as house prices reach eye-watering highs.
It’s one of the main reasons why Zahraa Al-Afadi ditched plans to buy alone and bought a £426,000 flat in Brighton with her mum instead.
Property prices have rocketed since the Covid crisis and the average home now costs an average of £283,496 – 12.8% higher since last year, according to latest Land Registry figures.
A lack of houses on the market, the stamp duty holiday and high demand have fuelled growth over the past couple of years.
Heftier price tags means bigger deposits – and single buyers can often struggle to afford getting on the ladder.
Pharmacist Zahraa, 25, found she was priced out of the sort of home she wanted on her budget.
Click here to read more about Zahraa’s first home.
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Inflation hits a 40 year high
The cost of living is mounting on Brits, as inflation hits 9.4 per cent.
Economists have warned that inflation is only going to increase further.
According to the Office of National Statistics, price inflation hit 9.4 per cent in June, up 3 per cent from May.
The Bank of England expects inflation to be pushed up by another 11 per cent by October due to an energy price cap adjustment.
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The Brits looking to move abroad
Britain’s shocking cost of living crisis has spurred some Brits on to look to move out of the country as prices soar.
According to research conducted by TotalJobs, around 4.5 million working adults are reported to be considering ditching the UK for a cheaper lifestyle elsewhere.
According to City A.M. numbers are increasingly high for those living in London, where costs are arguably astronomically high for some.
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Sun’s vouchers! Check before you buy
The Sun has vouchers for a whole range of shops, don’t miss out!
From clothes to household appliances, and even groceries, you could grab some great savings.
- 15 per cent off ASOS
- 10 per cent of M&S
- 15 per cent off Reebok online
Click here to get all The Sun’s best deals!
