From today around six million disabled people in the UK will
start to receive their one-off £150 Disability Cost of Living
payment.
Those who had confirmed payment of their disability benefit
for 25 May will receive the £150 automatically, with
the vast majority to be paid by early October.
The payment will help disabled people with the rising cost of
living, acknowledging the higher disability-related costs they
often face, such as for care and mobility needs.
The cost of living payments from the Government are part of a £37
billion package of support, which will see millions of households
receive at least £1,200 this year to help cover rising costs, and
follows the Prime Minister’s announcement of a new Energy Price
Guarantee for the next two winters saving households on average
£1,000 a year on their energy bills.
Work and Pensions Secretary said:
“We know disabled people face additional costs and this
Government is listening and taking decisive action to protect the
most vulnerable in our society.
“In addition to the £150 Disability Cost of Living payment,
households will save an average of £1,000 a year through our new
Energy Price Guarantee and the lowest-income households will
receive at least £1,200 to help with the rising cost of living
this year.
“This multi-billion-pound package of support reinforces our
commitment to help UK households, particularly those with
disability challenges, through the tough times ahead.”
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer said:
“The Government is providing vital support to shield the
most vulnerable from rising prices caused by global economic
challenges.
“From today, a one-off £150 payment will automatically land in
over six million disabled peoples’ accounts. This is in
addition to the decisive action we took last week to hold down
energy bills over the next two years, saving the average
household £1,000 a year.
“The Government is standing behind people this winter, and in the
longer term we are focusing on driving economic growth – the only
way to permanently boost everyone’s living standards.”
ENDS
Additional information:
- The Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) will apply from 1 October
and will discount the unit cost for gas and electricity use. This
guarantee, which includes the temporary suspension of green
levies, means that from 1 October a typical household will pay no
more than £2,500 per year for each of the next two years. This is
in addition to the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme.
- On top of the EPG and £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment,
there is an extra £150 for properties in Council Tax bands A-D in
England. On top of this, disabled people on low incomes may also
be eligible for the other Cost Living payments totalling up to
£650 – households in receipt of a means-tested benefit received
the first of the two automatic Cost of Living payments of £326
from 14 July. The second means-tested payment of £324 will be
issued later this year.
Eligibility:
- Those who receive the following disability benefits may be
eligible for the one-off payment of £150 in September: Disability
Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance
Allowance, Scottish Disability Benefits (Adult Disability Payment
and Child Disability Payment), Armed Forces Independence Payment,
Constant Attendance Allowance and War Pension Mobility
Supplement.
- Those who had confirmed payment of their disability benefit
for 25 May are expected to be paid shortly after
the payment window opens. For those awaiting confirmation of
their disability benefits on 25 May, or who are waiting to be
assessed for eligibility to receive disability benefits, the
process may take longer but payments will still be
automatic.
- You must have received a payment (or later receive a payment)
of one of these qualifying benefits for 25 May 2022 to get the
payment.
Cost of living support:
- You can read more about the government’s cost of living
support on the Help with the cost of
living page.
- The Government has also expanded the Household Support Fund
in England – which helps people with food and energy bills – with
an extra £421 million – for October 22-March 23, and topped up
funding by £79 million for devolved nations; the total value of
this support now stands at £1.5 billion.
- This is all in addition to changes to the Universal Credit
taper rate and work allowances worth £1,000 a year on average for
1.7 million working claimants, a rise in the National Living Wage
to £9.50 an hour, and a tax cut for around 30 million workers
through a rise in National Insurance contribution thresholds
