Following chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement announcement that benefits and pensions would rise by 10.1 per cent, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed its revised weekly rates for payments.
An exception to what was primarily a package of tax rises and spending cuts introduced to restore order to the UK economy and appease the markets in the wake of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous “mini-Budget”, the gesture helps recipients (just about) keep pace with inflation.
The cost of living crisis that has developed over the last year has seen household bills and the price of goods in supermarkets soar, leaving many Britons up against it.
In a similar move to support pensioners specifically, Mr Hunt also pledged to honour the “triple lock” commitment, guaranteeing that their monthly payments would rise in tandem with whichever of the following three options was the highest: the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure of inflation (taken from its rate in the preceding September), average earnings between May and July of the previous year or, simply, 2.5 per cent.
The chancellor duly confirmed in his address to the House of Commons that pensions would be uprated in line with CPI inflation, which stood at 10.1 per cent last September, although it is currently at 10.5 per cent so the increase does not quite meet current demand.
Here are the DWP’s latest weekly rates for key benefits payments in the 2023/24 financial year, as outlined in more exhaustive detail on the UK government website.
Attendance Allowance
- Higher rate: £101.75 (up from £92.40 in 2022/23)
- Lower rate: £68.10 (from £61.85)
Carer’s Allowance
- April 2023 rate: £76.75 (from £69.70)
Disability Living Allowance/Child Disability Payment
- Highest: £101.75 (from £92.40)
- Middle: £68.10 (from £61.85)
- Lowest: £26.90 (from £24.45)
Mobility component
- Higher: £71.00 (from £64.50)
- Lower: £26.90 (from £24.45)
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Under 25: £67.20 (from £61.05)
- 25 or over: £84.80 (from £77.00)
Housing Benefit
Single person’s allowance
- Under 25: £67.20 (from £61.05)
- 25 or over: £84.80 (from £77.00)
Couple
- Both under 18: £101.50 (from £92.20)
- One or both 18 or over: £133.30 (from £121.05)
Incapacity Benefit
- Long-term: £130.20 (from £118.25)
Income Support
- Under 25: £67.20 (from £61.05)
- 25 or over: £84.80 from (£77.00)
Jobseeker’s Allowance (contributions-based)
- Under 25: £67.20 (from £61.05)
- 25 or over: £84.80 (from £77.00)
Jobseeker’s Allowance (income-based)
- Under 25: £67.25 (from £61.05)
- 25 or over: £84.80 (from £77.00)
Maternity/Paternity/Shared Parental Allowance
- Standard rate: £172.48 (from £156.66)
Pension Credit
- Single: £201.05 (from £182.60)
- Couple: £306.85 (from £278.70)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Daily Living Component
- Enhanced: £101.75 (from £92.40)
- Standard: £68.10 (from £61.85)
Mobility Component
- Enhanced: £71.00 (from £64.50)
- Standard: £26.90 (from £24.45)
State Pension
- Full New State Pension: £203.85 (from £185.15)
- Basic Old State Pension (Category A or B): £156.20 (from £141.85)
Universal Credit (monthly rates given)
Standard allowance
- Single under 25: £292.11 (from £265.31)
- Single 25 or over: £368.74 (from £334.91)
Couple
- Joint claimants both under 25: £458.51 (from £416.45)
- Joint claimants, one or both 25 or over: £578.82 (from £525.72)
Widow’s Pension
- Standard rate: £139.10 (from £126.35)
