Disabled people in UK set to get £150 cost-of-living payment from today

3 mins read

Tuesday 20 September 2022

Children and adults in the UK who claim certain disability benefits will begin receiving their £150 cost-of-living payments from today.

This payment is intended to help disabled people with the rising cost of living, including the extra energy costs they face as a result of their disability – such as the use of life-saving electrical equipment.

Who is eligible and how is it paid?

To be eligible for the one-off £150 sum, individuals must have been in receipt of (or have begun an eventually successful claim for) one of these qualifying benefits as of 25 May:

It will be paid automatically, but the process may take longer for those who were awaiting confirmation of their disability benefit on 25 May, or who are still waiting to be assessed for a claim made before that date. The vast majority will be paid by early October.

They are made on an individual basis, meaning parent carers with multiple children claiming disability benefits will get a separate payment for each child.

What other help is available?

Other one-off payments included in the government’s cos-of-living support package include £650 for low-income families on certain means-tested benefits; a £150 Council Tax rebate for households in Bands A-D in England, Scotland or Wales; and a £400 discount for all UK households with a domestic electricity supply.

Roll-out of the £400 discount will start in October and will be paid automatically over six months. Households should see a £66 discount applied to their bills in October and November, rising to £67 each month from December through March.

Meanwhile, households eligible for the £650 low-income payment should already have received their first instalment of £326.

Take a look at our Cost of Living advice webpage for more information about eligibility and pay dates.

Worried about rising bills?

While this package of support is welcome, Contact recognises that they will fall short of the extra costs many families with disabled children face. Together with 82 other organisations, we have written a letter to Prime Minister Liz Truss asking for urgent additional support for families.

If you’re worried about how you’re going to pay your energy bills, talk to your energy supplier. Some suppliers will give a discount if you pay by a particular method. You should also register as a vulnerable customer to ensure you don’t get disconnected.

Visit our Money & Debt pages for more information on other sources of financial support available, such as to help with household bills.