Who is eligible for the spring £301 cost of living payment?

Payments are coming to help eligible people with the cost of living crisis (Picture: Getty)

Around one million eligible people will receive a cost of living payment next month.

The £900 payment, split into three with £301 being paid out in the coming weeks, will be a huge support for many struggling with the ongoing crisis, which has seen several bills rise this April, including water bills, energy bills and council tax.

Meanwhile, the cost of the weekly food shop has also soared.

But who will receive the cost of living payment – and when will it be paid?

Here is everything you need to know.

Who is eligible for the cost of living payment?

You may be entitled to up to three Cost of Living Payments of £301, £300 and £299 if you get any of the following benefits or tax credits on certain dates:

Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Income Support

Pension Credit

Universal Credit

Child Tax Credit

Working Tax Credit

`If you’re on certain benefits, you’ll receive the cost of living payment (Picture: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

How can you apply for the payment?

Eligible customers do not need to apply to receive the payment.

The payment will go into bank accounts or building societies automatically.

The government warns that if you have had a message asking you to apply or contact someone about the payment, this might be a scam.

When will the cost of living payment be paid?

The payment will be paid into most customers’ bank accounts between:

April 25 and May 17 for most people on DWP benefits

May 2 and 9 for most people on tax credits and no other low income benefits

This payment will be the first of three payments totalling up to £900 for those eligible in the 2023 to 2024 tax year.

Announcing the forthcoming payments, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, said: ‘Higher prices make life difficult for everyone, which is why our priority is to halve inflation this year.

‘But we are also going further to support those struggling most, with a total package of support worth an average of £3,300 per household this year and next – including up to £900 in direct cash payments starting next month for families receiving tax credits.’

What other support is available?

If you aren’t eligible for this payment, you might be able to get help through other means.

The payments are part of a package of wider government support announced to tackle the cost of living in the 2023 to 2024 tax year, including:

A further £300 Cost of Living Payment for eligible families in autumn 2023, with a payment of £299 in spring 2024

£150 Disability Cost of Living Payment for eligible disabled people to be paid during summer 2023

£300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment to be paid during winter 2023-24

Full details are available on the government cost of living payment page.

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The cost of living crisis is only getting worse, but support is coming.