More than a million households and individuals in the East Midlands are today (April 25) beginning to get their first £301 cost of living payment, the government has revealed. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed the first people will be receiving the money in their bank accounts from today.
There will be two subsequent payments of the cost of living support package, making a total of £900 to assist the poorest people in the country with the inflation crisis. The DWP has revealed that in the East Midlands a total of 545,000 households will be receiving the first payment, with 484,000 individuals additionally getting it.
Those eligible will be paid between Tuesday 25 April and Wednesday 17 May. People will be eligible for the Cost of Living Payment if they have been entitled to a payment for one of seven benefits between 26 January and 25 February 2023.
Read more: DWP warning for anyone expecting £301 cost of living payment this week
The eligible benefits are: Universal Credit; Pension Credit; Income-based Jobseekers Allowance; Income-related Employment and Support Allowance; Income Support; Working Tax Credit; and Child Tax Credit. The DWP will send payments automatically and directly to recipients’ bank accounts, with a reference of their National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP COL’.
But there is a warning that HMRC is making payments to tax credit-only customers between Tuesday 2 and Tuesday 9 May. Once the majority of those who are entitled to a payment by DWP have been paid, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will make payments of £301 between Tuesday 2 and Tuesday 9 May to one million eligible families receiving tax credits only, with the banking reference ‘HMRC COLS’.
Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: “This latest additional payment will be welcomed by millions of families – as will further payments due over the next year. We have continually supported those most vulnerable to rising costs, including through record benefits and national living wage increases.
"As well as these exceptional Cost of Living Payments responding to the global pressures we are facing. We will also continue to deliver on our five priorities, including halving inflation, as this will ease pressure on households currently struggling with household bills and rising prices.”
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