MILLIONS are being urged to claim Universal Credit NOW or they could wave goodbye to any chance of claiming cash from the government’s £650 cost of living payment.
Part of the money-help is already on its way to bank accounts of existing claimants, but if you’re not signed up to the benefit you could miss out altogether.
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The cost of living payment is part of a package of support worth as much as £1,500 for the poorest households unveiled by the government last month.
It comes as energy bills rocket to eye-watering costs, and prices on the supermarket shelves as well as at the fuel pumps reach record highs.
It wasn’t the only thing the government offered up at the time though, to help consumers navigate the cost of living crisis.
There’s £400 for all energy billpayers and £300 more for pensioners on the way too, as well as a boost to the Household Support Fund and £150 extra as a one-off disability payment for those eligible.
But eight million Brits on Universal Credit and other benefits will get the first chunk of their promised £650 cost of living payment from July 14.
They only get half the cash then, worth £326.
The DWP has said that it will be given out as a one-off payment between then and the end of July.
But to get that first payment, you needed to have been in receipt of any of eligible benefit payments as of May 25 this year, or have started a claim by the date and later be successful.
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It’s not only Universal Credit that matters – to be eligible you might claim:
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
But it’s the dates that are most important now though.
There’s a big gap between the two, and as such, millions are being urged to claim Universal Credit NOW or miss out on the second bout that’s due to come later in the year.
The second payment, worth the other £324, will be made in Autumn.
The exact date is yet to be confirmed though.
But with almost a two-month leap from the May cut off to the first July payments being made, a similar deadline could be on the way for the second pay-out.
And you could be eligible for the second payment, even if you didn’t get the first – so long as you start claiming Universal Credit or other benefits sooner rather than later.
You don’t need to do anything to get the £650 cost of living payment – it will be given out automatically.
But you do need to act quickly to get the ball rolling on any benefits you could be in line for – so you don’t miss out, later down the line.
It’s estimated that millions of people are missing out on thousands of pounds of cash anyway, by not claiming benefits that they’re owed.
How to check what benefits you could get
Anyone can check if they are eligible for benefits using a simple calculator tool.
Benefits are not just for those out of work and millions of people in work get Universal Credit to top up their income.
Entitledto’s free calculator works out whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credits and Universal Credit.
You will also find benefit calculators from Turn2Us and Policy in Practice.
Any calculator you use will give you an idea of what you could get, but you’ll then have to make a claim for the benefit itself.
You do this directly via the government online.
To complete your claim you will need to provide information about your financial standing – like how much rent you pay, your earnings, savings, or any disabilities you have, or childcare costs to pay.
Who will miss out on £650 payment?
If you don’t get started with claiming Universal Credit in time you could miss out on the £650 payment.
The same goes for any other benefits you could be entitled to, too.
But even on the financial help schemes, thousands will still lose out due to a loophole in the rules.
If you have a joint benefit claim with a partner then you will only get one £650 payment.
That means that some households will only get one payment instead of two which some may have expected.
It’s not only the £650 payment to worry about though, as thousands of people on Universal Credit could be missing out on £500 help for their water bills too.
Universal Credit claimants could also get another get one-off payment worth up to £812 to help pay bills.
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