Millions to get next cost-of-living payment from April

Low-income households volition person the adjacent acceptable of cost-of-living payments betwixt 25 April and 17 May, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says.

The £900 currency enactment for implicit 8 cardinal means-tested benefits claimants includes radical connected Universal Credit, Pension Credit and taxation credits.

It volition spell straight to slope accounts successful 3 payments, the DWP said.

More than six cardinal radical with disabilities volition get an other £150.

Separately, implicit 8 cardinal pensioners volition person an other £300.

The 3 payments of up to £900 volition alteration depending connected eligibility.

It follows the 2 payments totalling £650 which person already been made to much than 8 cardinal low-income households.

The archetypal instalment of £326 was paid betwixt 14 and 31 July. The 2nd instalment of £324 should person reached those eligible by the extremity of December.

The outgo notation connected the recipients' slope accounts was their nationalist security number, followed by "DWP COLP", arsenic volition beryllium the lawsuit for the caller payments.

Tax Credit-only customers who are not eligible for a outgo from DWP volition person their outgo from HMRC soon aft DWP payments begin.

The measures are portion of authorities assistance towards assisting radical with the soaring outgo of living, which is rising astatine a near-record pace. It comes arsenic the £400 vigor measure assistance for each UK residents ends successful April.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the cost-of-living payments would springiness a "financial boost" to the astir vulnerable.

However, charities and poorness campaigners person said the payments bash not spell acold capable to mitigate the effects of expanding prices.

"The authorities has been recycling backing announcements and mostly this magnitude conscionable mops astir the edges of what radical are truly facing," Stuart Bretherton from Fuel Poverty Action told the BBC.

"We privation extremist betterment for vigor pricing truthful that no-one falls beneath their minimal vigor needs," helium said.

In response, a spokesperson from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: "We cognize this is simply a hard clip for families, which is wherefore the authorities is covering astir fractional of the emblematic household's vigor bill".

The spokesperson added that improving vigor ratio successful homes was the champion semipermanent mode of tackling substance poverty.

It comes arsenic a study found advances successful the vigor ratio of UK homes were "negligible".

Meanwhile, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: "I cognize that times are tough, which is wherefore a cardinal absorption of the Spring Budget was supporting radical with the outgo of surviving and helping radical into well-paid work."