DWP benefits information: April 2024 dates for cost of living fee, Universal Credit and pensions

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As the cost of living disaster persists, hundreds of thousands proceed to battle to pay their payments, afford the necessities and even hold a roof over their heads.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s spring Budget introduced some adjustments aimed to extend family incomes, together with a 2p National Insurance tax reduce, adjustments to the Child Benefit, and an extension to the Household Support Fund.

However, some specialists have expressed issues that the chancellor’s new measures unfairly profit larger earners. The NI reduce will profit these incomes £50,000 or extra essentially the most, in accordance with the Resolution Foundation suppose tank.

The authorities’s newest annual figures on low-income households additionally paint a bleak image of the UK’s financial scenario. They present absolute poverty has elevated for two years in a row, with almost 1,000,000 extra individuals poverty in 2022/23 than in 21/22.

The economic system took a optimistic flip when inflation dropped to three.4 per cent in March – the bottom stage because the finish of 2021. However, this doesn’t imply costs are going again to what they had been two and a half years in the past, simply that they’re rising much less quick.

Against these troublesome financial circumstances, right here is an summary of the monetary help accessible to low-income households this April and key dates for benefits recipients to look out for:

Benefits going out as common

The common benefits and pensions funds will likely be going out largely as regular in March. These are:

However, in case your fee date falls on Good Friday (29 March) or Easter Monday (1 April) it’s best to obtain your anticipated fee the on the final Thursday of March (28 March).

For extra data on how and when state benefits are paid, please go to the federal government’s web site.

A report from Policy in Practice final 12 months exhibits that just about £19bn in benefits goes unclaimed a 12 months – they supply a useful calculator to work out what you is perhaps entitled to.

Have you been affected by the problems on this story? Get in contact by way of electronic mail: albert.toth@impartial.co.uk

Household help fund

In the spring Budget, Jeremy Hunt confirmed the Household Support Fund (HSF) could be prolonged for 6 months past the unique 31 March deadline.

The HSF is funding given to all native councils to help susceptible households of their space. Councils are free to allocate the funds nonetheless they really feel is greatest.

For occasion, some have supplied money grants, grocery store vouchers, or power invoice help. You might want to go to your native council’s web site to seek out out what assist should be accessible.

To discover out what help is obtainable to you, the End Furniture Poverty charity supply a useful help finder software.

Other assist accessible

Budgeting advance loans

The authorities provides a ‘budgeting advance loan’ for individuals on Universal Credit who face an emergency lack of cash. Prior to the funds, the compensation interval for these loans was 12 months. It has now been doubled to 2 years.

These loans are interest-free, and routinely deducted from Universal Credit funds. You can borrow an ‘advance’ of as much as:

Charitable grants

If you’re struggling financially, it’s possible you’ll be eligible for sure charitable grants. There are a variety of grants accessible relying in your circumstances.

However, these grants will usually require you to fulfill particular standards and solely be capable to supply restricted funds.

Charitable grants can be found for people who find themselves disabled or in poor health, carers, bereaved, unemployed, college students – and many extra. The charity Turn2us has a web-based software to go looking for grants which can be accessible to you.

Energy supplier assist

A quantity of power suppliers supply assist for these combating their power payments. These embody Scottish Power, EDF, E.ON and Octopus. It is value contacting your power supplier to seek out out if you’re eligible.

British Gas additionally supply a grant of as much as £2,000 to prospects of any power supplier. You might want to meet particular standards to be eligible, and can apply on the British Gas Energy Trust web site.

Council tax discount

If you meet sure standards or are on sure benefits, you might be able to apply for a reduction in your council tax low cost of as much as 100 per cent.

Your native council should be capable to give you a discretionary discount if you’ll be able to show you’re going through extreme hardship and can’t afford to pay your council tax.

To apply for a council tax discount, you’ll be able to contact your native council by way of the federal government’s web site.

Up to 30 hours free childcare

All working dad and mom within the UK are at the moment entitled to 30 hours of free childcare for youngsters aged 3 to 4. From April 1, this entitlement will increase to incorporate 15 hours of free childcare for 2-year-olds.

You should apply on-line and reconfirm your eligibility each three months, in time for every college time period. Working dad and mom also can apply for tax-free childcare, giving again 20p for each 80p you set in direction of childcare, as much as a most of £500 a 12 months.

There are two extra expansions to free childcare deliberate within the coming years:

Energy Price Cap: Will it go up or down in 2024?

The power worth cap is ready to drop to £1,690 from 1 April, down £238 from the January cap of £1,928.

Analysts on the trusted Cornwall Insight predict this determine will fall in July to £1,462.86, however rise once more barely in October to £1,590.

The power worth cap is the utmost quantity power suppliers can cost you for every unit of power in case you’re on a typical variable tariff. That consists of most households. It is expressed as an annual invoice for a median house.

The latest decline in costs is reflective of latest drops in wholesale power prices – the quantity power corporations pay for their electrical energy and fuel earlier than supplying it to households.

Although it’s a important slide from the record-high charges of the final two years, the determine stays nearly £1,000 a 12 months above pre-pandemic ranges.

Are benefits and pensions going up in 2024?

Benefits and state pension are set to extend in April 2024.

In his autumn assertion, Jeremy Hunt that benefits are going to be elevated by the September charge of inflation of 6.7 per cent. He additionally introduced that state pensions will likely be elevated by 8.5 per cent across the identical time.

However, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has warned that failure to lift the benefits cap will push extra individuals past its threshold, that means a real-terms reduce for many.