Millions of people who claim benefits will start to receive the first half of the £650 cost of living payment in just a couple of weeks.
The money is being issued in two parts, with the first instalment hitting bank accounts for most households next month.
Those claiming Universal Credit, income-related Employment Support Allowance, income-related Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support and Pension Credit will get £326 from July 14.
The second £324 payment is then expected to be sent to these households in the autumn - although no exact date has been confirmed yet.
Those who claim tax credits will receive their first payment slightly later.
The first instalment is not expected to be processed until the autumn, with a second payment to follow in winter - again, no timeline has been published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) just yet.
If you have a joint benefit claim with your partner, you will only receive one £650 payment between you.
This is likely to be a blow for those who were expecting to receive £1,300 in free cash to help with rising bills.
But if you’re in a shared household, and you have a separate benefit claim, you’ll still be entitled to your own individual payment.
In theory, this means shared accommodations with multiple households under one roof could receive several payments.
The DWP confirmed to The Mirror that its cost of living payments are made per benefit claim.
This means, for example, if there is a house in multiple occupation (HMO) with a couple and two single adults, each claiming Universal Credit, there would be three payments made to that household.
One payment of £650 would go to the couple with a joint claim, and then two further payments to the single adults also claiming benefits.
To claim the first half of the cost of living payment, you must have been in receipt of your benefits by a certain date.
The qualifying period is April 26, 2022 to May 25, 2022.
For Universal Credit, you must have been entitled to a payment, or later found to be eligible, for an assessment period that ended within these dates.
This timeframe is only for the first instalment, and includes tax credit claimants.
The deadline for applying for the second payment has not yet been set - so this means thousands of Brits who start a claim at a later date might end up being eligible for the final instalment.
The Government has not said when it will release the criteria for the second payment.
