Millions of people on low incomes will start to receive payments of £324 into their bank accounts this week as part of a package of support from the government.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will start making the payments directly into eligible people's bank accounts from today. This includes an estimated 1,048,000 families in the North West. If you are eligible, there is nothing you need to do in order to claim the payment, so watch out for any scammers reaching out inviting you to make an application.
This payment is the second part of a sum of £650 that is being paid to people receiving benefits, including universal credit, income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), income support, pension credit, child tax credit and working tax credit. The previous payment of £326 was sent out in September.
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DWP claimants will generally receive their second cost-of-living payments by November 23. Eligible households receiving tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will get their second payment between November 23 and November 30.
The DWP said that in a small minority of complex circumstances, it may pay some households after November 23, for example, if they were deemed unable to claim certain benefits, but won backdated entitlement on appeal, or where payments were rejected due to invalid account details.
The payment reference on DWP recipients' bank accounts will be their national insurance number, followed by "DWP COL". For HMRC recipients, the payment reference will be "HMRC COLS".
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: "We understand that people are struggling and that is why we've consistently acted to ensure millions of low-income families are supported. We will continue to act with compassion as we navigate challenging global economic circumstances. As part of a wider £37 billion package of support, this latest £324 payment will help the most vulnerable people in our society who are worrying about their finances through the winter months."
The Government's support package also includes a £400 discount on energy bills that is being paid in monthly instalments to domestic energy customers between now and March. A £300 addition to Winter Fuel Payments will go to over eight million pensioner households over the winter.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: "We've taken decisive action to hold down energy bills this winter, and provided hundreds of pounds of cash support for each vulnerable household. As part of that support, over eight million vulnerable households - almost a quarter of families in the UK - will automatically receive a second cost-of-living payment worth £324 in their bank account from today.
"And while we can't completely protect people from rising prices, my priority at the upcoming autumn statement will be to protect the poorest in society as we take the tough decisions necessary to fix our public finances."
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