The payments are the second part of a sum of £650 paid to people receiving benefits such as universal credit, income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), employment and income-related support allowance (ESA), income support, pension credit, child tax credit and working tax credit. Those who qualify don’t have to do anything to receive the payment and there are warnings that scammers are taking advantage of the crisis with text messages or emails inviting them to apply. The Department for Work and Pensions will never ask for your personal information via text message or email. The payment reference to the recipients’ bank accounts will be the National Insurance Number, followed by “DWP COL”. For HMRC recipients, the payment reference will be “HMRC COLS”. Payments of £326 have previously been made and this second cost of living payment should arrive before 23 November. A small minority of late payments Eligible households in receipt of tax credits and no other means-tested benefits will receive the second cost of living payment from 23 November and should receive it by 30 November. The DWP said that – in a small minority of complex circumstances – it may pay some households after 23 November. The government’s support package also includes a £400 discount on energy bills paid in monthly installments to domestic energy customers between now and March. A £300 extra to winter fuel payments will go to more than eight million pensioner households over the winter.
The estimated number of families eligible for means-tested benefit cost-of-living payments by area
London, 1,224,000 Southwest, 580,000 Southeast, 846,000 East Anglia, 627,000 West Midlands, 792,000 East Midlands, 551,000 Northwest, 1,048,000 Northeast, 397,000 Yorkshire and the Humber, 722,000 Wales, 426,000 Scotland, 689,000 Northern Ireland, 309,000 (Data from DWP) “We can’t fully protect people” Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “We have taken decisive action to keep energy bills down this winter and have provided hundreds of pounds of cash support for every vulnerable household. “As part of this support, over eight million vulnerable households – almost a quarter of UK families – will automatically receive a second cost of living payment worth £324 into their bank account from today. “And while we can’t fully protect people from rising prices, my priority in the upcoming Autumn Statement will be to protect the poorest in society as we take the tough decisions necessary to fix our public finances.” Click to subscribe to Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts Those who qualify will generally have claimed and been entitled to payment between 26 August and 25 September, with the exception of pensioner households, who may be able to have a retrospective claim for new pension credit. They have until December 18 to make a valid claim for Pension Credit, which could entitle them to the £324 living costs payment. People can check their eligibility for Pension Credit using an online calculator or by calling a freephone claim line (0800 99 1234).
