Low-income households in Northern Ireland will get new Cost of Living Payments from spring 2023, it has been announced.
Households across the UK will get up to £1,350 from the Government in 2023/2024 to help with the cost of living.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has on Tuesday announced more detail on the payment schedule for the next round of cost of living support unveiled in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, building on payments made to over eight million people in the UK in 2022.
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The new £900 Cost of Living Payment for over eight million eligible means-tested benefits claimants across the UK, including those on Universal Credit, Pension Credit and tax credits, starts in spring and will go direct to bank accounts in three payments over the course of the financial year.
There will also be a separate £150 for over six million disabled people and £300 for over eight million pensioners on top of their Winter Fuel Payments.
Exact payment windows will be announced closer to the time, but are spread across a longer period 'to ensure a consistent support offering throughout the year'.
They will be broadly as follows:
- £301 – First Cost of Living Payment – during Spring 2023
- £150 – Disability Payment – during Summer 2023
- £300 – Second Cost of Living Payment – during Autumn 2023
- £300 – Pensioner Payment – during Winter 2023/4
- £299 – Third Cost of Living Payment – during Spring 2024
Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris said: "The UK Government is committed to delivering for the most vulnerable in our society, with over 300,000 households in Northern Ireland benefitting from the latest Cost of Living Payment in 2022. I hope that today’s announcement will bring reassurance to those families worst affected by the ongoing cost of living pressures.
“These payments in the Spring of 2023, in addition to the 2022 support package, will provide relief to families in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK struggling with the real life impact of rising costs."
Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride said: “We are sticking by our promise to protect the most vulnerable and these payments, worth hundreds of pounds, will provide vital support next year for those on the lowest incomes.
“The government’s wider support package has already helped more than eight million families as we continue to deal with the global consequences of Putin’s illegal war and the aftershocks of the pandemic.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt added: “I know these are tough times for families across the UK who are struggling to meet rising food and energy costs, driven by the aftershocks of Covid and Putin’s war in Ukraine.
“That’s why we’re putting a further £900 into the pockets of over 8 million low income households next year. These payments are on top of above inflation increases to working-age benefits and the Energy Price Guarantee, which is insulating millions from even higher global gas prices.
“Tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority and is the only way to ease the strain of high prices, drive long term economic growth and improve living standards for everyone.”
If individuals are eligible they will be paid automatically, and there will be no need to apply.
Claimants who are eligible for any of the Cost of Living Payments and receive tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will receive payment from HMRC shortly after DWP payments are issued.
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