MILLIONS have been paid the first chunk of their £650 cost of living payment – here’s when you’ll be paid the second and final instalment.
The first half of the £650 support was dished out from July 14, worth £326 – and should arrive by the end of the month for most.
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Around 7.2million payments have already been made to help hard-up households to help them pay for spiralling bills and essentials.
Energy bills are expected to hit just shy of £3,000 by the end of this year, while food bills are soaring due to rocketing inflation.
The £650 support will go to 8.2million people on Universal Credit and certain other benefits.
But when will you get the second instalment? We explain all you need to know.
Who gets the £650 cost of living payment?
The £650 cash boost was announced by ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak as part of a package of measures to help families on Universal Credit and other benefits through the current crisis.
Those on the following benefits will get the help:
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
Crucially, the payment is one per household – so if more than one person at your address receives one of these benefits, it does not mean you’ll get more cash.
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Here is the full list of benefits which won’t get the cost of living 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
When will I get the second payment?
The second chunk of the support is worth £324 and will be paid in autumn.
The exact date is yet to be confirmed, but we will update this article when we know more.
The cash will go out automatically into the bank account that people usually use to get their benefits.
The exact dates for when you have to make a successful claim by in order to be eligible also hasn’t been confirmed.
There is a code you should look out for on your bank statement, which will let you know the payment has been received.
Any transaction where money is coming in or going out of your bank account has something to identify where it’s from – like a shop name.
You should spot the words: DWP Cost of Living by the transaction when it arrives.
Help! I haven’t got my first payment yet
Most people will get their first instalment by the end of the month – so sit tight.
If it hasn’t come through by then, there could be a reason why it has been delayed.
As there are millions of payments the government needs to dish out this week, the DWP recently warned of delays issuing cash.
Those with “complex” circumstances can expect a slight delay to their first cost of living payment instalment as well.
Those claiming tax credits will see a delay to their first £650 cost of living payment instalment.
As many as 1.5million people claim tax credits and no exact date has been set for when claimants should expect to see the help paid out.
Households claiming tax credits have been told that they should expect to get the first wad of money in the autumn, with the second payment landing in winter.
People may be receiving tax credits alongside other benefits that qualify for the cost of living payment.
So payments are being dished out at a later date to avoid any double payments being made.
