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, tens of millions proceed to battle to pay their payments, afford the necessities and even maintain a roof over their heads.

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

However, some consultants have expressed issues that the chancellor’s new measures unfairly profit greater earners. The NI reduce will profit these incomes £50,000 or extra probably the most, based on 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 state of affairs. They present absolute poverty has elevated for two years in a row, with practically one million extra individuals poverty in 2022/23 than in 21/22.

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

Against these tough financial circumstances, right here is an outline of the monetary assist out there to low-income households this April and key dates for benefits recipients to look out for:

Benefits going out as traditional

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

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

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

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

Have you been affected by the problems on this story? Get in contact through e mail: albert.toth@unbiased.co.uk

Household assist fund

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

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

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

To discover out what assist is accessible to you, the End Furniture Poverty charity supply a useful help finder instrument.

Other assist out there

Budgeting advance loans

The authorities affords 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 robotically deducted from Universal Credit funds. You can borrow an ‘advance’ of as much as:

Charitable grants

If you might be struggling financially, you could be eligible for sure charitable grants. There are a variety of grants out there relying in your circumstances.

However, these grants will usually require you to fulfill particular standards and solely have the ability to supply restricted funds.

Charitable grants can be found for people who find themselves disabled or ailing, carers, bereaved, unemployed, college students – and many extra. The charity Turn2us has a web based instrument to go looking for grants which can be out there to you.

Energy supplier assist

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

British Gas additionally supply a grant of as much as £2,000 to clients 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 could possibly apply for a reduction in your council tax low cost of as much as 100 per cent.

Your native council should still have the ability to give you a discretionary discount if you’ll be able to reveal you might be 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 through the federal government’s web site.

Up to 30 hours free childcare

All working mother and father within the UK are at present entitled to 30 hours of free childcare for youngsters aged 3 to 4. From April 1, this entitlement will broaden 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 faculty time period. Working mother and father can even apply for tax-free childcare, giving again 20p for each 80p you place in direction of childcare, as much as a most of £500 a yr.

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 about 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 for those who’re on a typical variable tariff. That consists of most households. It is expressed as an annual invoice for a mean 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 yr 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 price 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 boost the benefits cap will push extra individuals past its threshold, which means a real-terms reduce for many.