Gearing up for winter – Are you eligible for help this year?

The great British summer has been and gone, and we are now heading towards Autumn and Winter where we all need to consider how best to get through the colder months in the cheapest possible way.

Many of you who receive benefits will already have received a cost of living payment of £301.00 after April to assist you in paying your gas and electricity bills. However, don’t forget, there will be two more payments coming.

To add up to a total of £900.00 for the year the government will issue the next payments as follows:

Autumn 2023 £300.00 (payable between 31 October and 19 November 2023)

Spring 2024 £299.00

To qualify for these payments, you have to be receiving one of the following benefits:

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit

For these benefits you will have had to have an active benefit claim between 26 January to 25 February 2023 for the first payment. The government has not yet released the dates for the spring payment but if you met the criteria for the first two payments then it is likely you will receive the spring payment unless your circumstances and finances change.

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit, you are eligible for the Cost of Living Payment of £300 if you were entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of Universal Credit for an assessment period that ended in the period 18 August 2023 to 17 September 2023.

For those of you in receipt of disability benefits you should also be eligible for an extra £150.00 which was due to be paid this summer.

Also, if you are entitled already to a Winter Fuel Payment then you should also get either an extra £150.00 or an extra £300.00. The £300 is called the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment and will be automatically paid to people in receipt of State Benefit / Pension Credit.

You should receive a letter letting you know how much you will be getting for your Winter Fuel Payment around October to November this year.

The Warm Home Discount Scheme will also start again this winter for those who qualify. Those who should automatically qualify are people in receipt of:

• Housing Benefit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• The ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit
• Universal Credit

Other people on a low income and those receiving Guarantee Pension Credit may also be eligible.

The Warm Home Discount will not be paid directly to you but will be paid to your utility supplier to help reduce your bills.

If you are on a prepayment meter then your electricity supplier can tell you how you’ll get the discount if you’re eligible, for example a voucher you can use to top up your meter.

You should be sent a letter sometime between October 2023 and early January 2024 if you are eligible. If you do not receive a letter but think you should qualify you can call their helpline on 0800 107 8002

You can find more information on all of the above as it is updated at the following website.
GOV.UK/cost of living payments 2023 to 2024

Also, if you are struggling to pay your bills, National Energy Action has lots of useful advice and guidance on their website. If you are not on the internet, you can call them on 0800 304 7159
National Energy Action Advice and Support