Help with cost of living

Pensioner Cost of Living Payment (£150 or £300)

Who gets it
Households in receipt of means tested benefits (for example, Universal Credit and Pension Credit) will receive this cash grant. More information about qualifying benefits and time periods can be found on the UK Gov website.

How to apply
There is no need to apply for this, it will be done automatically.

When it will be paid
The payment is made in three parts. The first £301 payment is made late April to early March. The second payment of £300 will be made during the autumn. The final payment of £299 will be made in spring 2024.

Pensioner Cost of Living Payment (£150 or £300)

Who gets it?
Households in receipt of the standard Winter Fuel Payment (that is, households in receipt of the state pension) will be eligible for this payment. This is in addition to the Winter Fuel Payment.

How to apply
There is no need to apply for this, it will be done automatically. You will receive a letter confirming the amount of your payment (based on age and circumstances) later in the year.

When will it be paid?

Disability Cost of Living Payment (£150)

Who gets it?
All individuals in receipt of a disability-related benefit (for example PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance) will receive this £150 payment. You must have been in receipt of this benefit on 1st April 2023 to be eligible.

How to apply
There is no need to apply for this, it will be done automatically.

When will it be paid?
This payment is made between June and July 2023.

Winter fuel payment

If you were born on or before 26th September 1955 you could get between £100 and £300 to help you pay your heating bills. This is known as a Winter Fuel Payment.

You will get your Winter Fuel Payment automatically (you do not need to claim) if you’re eligible and either:

• get the State Pension;
• get another social security benefit (not Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit).

If you do not get either of these, you may need to make a claim. You can find out more by visiting GOV.UK.

Passported benefits

Passported benefits: these are benefits you may be able to claim if you already claim Universal Credit (UC), Pension Credit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Housing Benefit, certain types of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) or Income Support.

• Free school meals
• Maternity grants
• Warm Home Discount to help with heating costs.
• Blue Badge
• Bus pass
• Travel Pass
• Cinema pass card
• Free or half price car tax
• Healthy start payments
• Help with paying your rent through housing benefit or Universal Credit
• Discretionary housing payment to help you with the cost of rent if you have a shortfall between your housing benefit or Universal Credit and the rental charge.
• Council Tax reduction
• Council Tax disabled reduction
• Carers’ Allowance if you care for someone 35 hours a week or more.

If you don’t already claim Universal Credit, or any of the other benefits, please get in touch with the team and they can carry out a quick check to see if you qualify.

There are also other cost of living grants available to those who are on lower incomes and are finding it hard to make ends meet…

Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF)

The Discretionary Assistance Fund provides two types of grant that you do not need to pay back.

1. Emergency Assistance Payment (EAP)
   A grant to help pay for essential costs, such as food, gas, electricity, clothing or emergency travel if you:
   • are experiencing extreme financial hardship;
   • have lost your job;
   • have applied for benefits and are waiting for your first payment
2. Individual Assistance Payment (IAP)
   A grant to help you or someone you care for live independently in their home or a property that you or they are moving into.

For full details and to apply please visit the Welsh Government’s website or get in touch with Melin Advice.

Welsh Water

The HelpU tariff helps low-income households by putting a cap on the amount you must pay for your water.

To qualify for the tariff:

• the water supply to the household must be for domestic use only;
• someone in the household must receive at least one means-tested benefit;
• the combined annual household income must be on or under certain amount.

More information can be found on Welsh Water's website.