Cost of living support

A £301 Cost of Living payment will be made to households on a low income who are entitled to one of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Pension Credit

You’ll only get this Cost of Living payment once - even if you get more than 1 of these benefits listed above.

How will the payments work?

To get this payment you must have either:

• got a benefits payment between 26 January and 25 February 2023
• been entitled to a benefits payment between 26 January and 25 February 2023

When will the payments be made?

You’ll get the next payment between 25 April and 17 May 2023. If your benefits are paid to someone else, like your landlord, you’ll still get the cost of living payment.

If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.

Increase your income | Cost of Living Support

A £300 Cost of Living payment will be made to households on a low income who are entitled to one of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Pension Credit

You’ll only get this Cost of Living payment once - even if you get more than 1 of these benefits listed above.

How will the payments work?

The qualifying dates you must be in receipt of at least one listed benefit will be confirmed by DWP and HMRC in due course.

When will the payments be made?

During the Autumn months, DWP and HMRC will confirm exact dates in due course.

If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.

Increase your income | Cost of Living Support

A £299 Cost of Living payment will be made to households on a low income who are entitled to one of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Pension Credit

You’ll only get this Cost of Living payment once - even if you get more than 1 of these benefits listed above.

How will the payments work?

The qualifying dates you must be in receipt of at least one listed benefit will be confirmed by DWP and HMRC in due course.

When will the payments be made?

During the Spring 2024. DWP and HMRC will confirm exact dates in due course.

If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.

Increase your income | Cost of Living Support

A £150 Cost of Living payment will be made to people who are receiving, or have claimed, one of the following benefits:

• Attendance Allowance
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment
• Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland)
• Child Disability Payment (in Scotland)
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• War Pension Mobility Supplement

How will the payments work?

You must have received a payment (or later receive a payment) of at least one of these listed benefits for 1 April 2023 to get the Disability Cost of Living Payment.

When will the payments be made?

Where possible, the payments will be made directly into people’s bank accounts, they won’t need to apply for them. Most people will be paid the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment automatically between 20 June 2023 and 4 July 2023. Your payment might come later, for example if you’re awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date or you change the account your benefit is paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically.

If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.

Increase your income | Cost of Living Support

Either a £300 of £150 cost of living payment will be made, depending on your situation, to those who are eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Winter Fuel Payment is an automatic tax-free payment (usually paying between £100 and £300 per person, depending on age and circumstances) if you are of State Pension age in the third week of September 2023. The State Pension age is 66.

You should start getting the Winter Fuel Payment automatically once you reach the State Pension age, but you might need to apply if you don’t get State Pension or another benefit.

The Cost of Living amount is on top of the original Winter Fuel Payment amount, which will be paid at the same time in November or December 2023.

How will the payments work?

You’ll get a £300 Cost of Living payment if you live either:

• On your own
• With people who don’t qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment

If you live with someone else who qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment, the amount you’ll get depends on whether either of you get any of the following:

• Pension Credit
• income-related Employment Support Allowance
• income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

If either you or the person you live with gets one of these benefits, you’ll both get £300 - as long as you’re not partners. If you’re partners, you’ll only get one £300 payment.

If neither of you gets one of these benefits, you’ll both get £150.

If you live in residential care and qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment, you'll get £150 unless you get any of these benefits.

When will the payments be made?

Where possible, the payments will be made directly into people’s bank accounts, they won’t need to apply for them.

If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.

Increase your income | Cost of Living Support

The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) is providing support of £400 for energy bills for households in England, Scotland, and Wales, without a direct relationship to a domestic electricity supplier. This support is provided by His Majesty’s Government and is delivered by local authorities. The scheme is now open to all eligible households across Great Britain until 31 May 2023.

Eligibility:

Subject to applications meeting the eligibility criteria, people who will be able to receive support
under EBSS AF include:

• care home residents and others in care facilities/sheltered accommodation (wholly or partly self-funded)
• park home residents, houseboats, and caravans that can provide proof of address
• social and private tenants who pay for energy through a landlord, on a commercial supply
• homes on a heat network/private wire
• off-grid homes
• farmhouses used for wholly domestic purposes

How to Apply:

Applications are made directly to His Majesty’s Government, not to or via Local Authorities. If you do not have online access, you can apply via a contact centre on 08081753287, where a representative will guide you through the application process.

Once you have applied, your application will be processed and verified. After this, if your application is successful, your details will be shared with local authorities, who will deliver the one-off, non-repayable support. The payment will be made directly into your bank account in a single instalment.

Further information can be found on GOV.UK - Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically.

Most households will automatically get a £200 Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP) if you:

• use alternative fuels for most of your heating, such as liquid petroleum gas (LPG), oil, or solid fuel
• are connected to the electricity grid

If you have not received this payment automatically go to GOV.UK - Apply for alternative fuel bill support if you do not get it automatically to find out if you are eligible and how to apply.

Details for winter 2023 - 2024 are still to be confirmed and the scheme is now closed for winter 2022-23.

If you are eligible for the Warm Home Discount, you'll get £150 (previously £140) off your bills in winter 2022-23. The money will not be paid to you directly – it will be added as credit to your electricity account. This usually happens between September and March.

You need to apply for the discount through your energy supplier. The discount will not affect your Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment.

If you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit:

You qualify for the discount if, on the 21^st August 2022, all of the following applied:

• Your energy supplier is part of the scheme
• Your name ( or your partners) is on the bill
• You or your partner are getting the Guarantee Credit element of pension Credit ( even if you get the Savings Credit as well)

This is known as being in the “core group”

The scheme for the core group opens on 14 November 2022. You’ll receive a letter between November 2022 and January 2023 telling you about the discount if you’re eligible.

Most eligible households will receive an automatic discount. Your letter will say if you need to call a helpline by 28 February 2023 to confirm your details.

If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by 31 March 2023.

If you do not get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit you may still be able to apply directly to your electricity supplier. All the following must apply:

• Your energy supplier is part of the scheme
• you (or your partner) get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits
• your name (or your partner’s) is on the bill
• Your supplier may have additional criteria so you need to check with them if you’re eligible.

This is known as being in the ‘broader group’.

To get the discount you’ll need to stay with your supplier until it’s paid.

How to get the discount

Your electricity supplier decides who can get the discount in Scotland.

The number of discounts suppliers can give is limited. Check with your supplier as early as possible to see if you’re eligible and how to apply.

Check with them even if you were eligible for a discount last year.

If you are eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill by 31 March 2023.

Please visit the Warm Home Discount Scheme: If you’re on a low-income webpage for more information.

If you live in a mobile home or park home site, you might be able to get the £150 discount as part of the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme. To get the discount you’ll need to meet the same rules as the main Warm Homes Discount Scheme. You must also:

• permanently live on a park home site
• pay for your electricity through the park or as part of their pitch fees

You’ll need to apply for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme. You should apply as soon as possible when the scheme opens, usually in September. Register your interest in the scheme on the Park Homes Warm Home Discount website.

This is a new benefit from the Scottish government to help those on a low income keep their homes warm in winter. It has replaced the Cold Weather Payment of £25, whenever the temperature dropped below 0 degrees Celsius for 7 consecutive days.

It is paid automatically in February to everyone eligible.

Please visit the Winter Heating Payment page on the Social Security Scotland website for more information.

Child Winter Heating Assistance is a benefit payment to parents and carers for disabled children and young people under 19. It is paid from Social Security Scotland.

It is a payment of £235.70 in Winter 2023-24.

In Winter 2022-23, the payment was £214.10

How will the payments work?

You’ll get Child Winter Heating Assistance if you have a child or young person in the household who gets 1 of the following benefits in the qualifying week:

• The highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance for children
• The highest rate of the care component of Child Disability Payment
• The enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment
• Enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment

You must be getting the benefit on at least 1 day during the qualifying week. The qualifying week is the third week in September every year.

When will the payments be made?

You’ll be paid the Child Winter Heating Assistance automatically, you do not need to apply.

If you were expecting to get the Child Winter Heating Assistance automatically but did not get it, you should check if there has been a mistake by contacting Social Security Scotland.

You might not have got the payment because:

• The DWP did not pass your details to Social Security Scotland
• You were not getting the highest rate of the care component of DLA or Child Disability Payment, or the enhanced rate of the daily living component of PIP or Adult Disability Payment, in the qualifying week.
• Social Security Scotland does not think you are eligible. You can ask for the decision to be looked at again, this is called a re-determination.

If a child or young person was in the hospital or residential care in the qualifying week, they should still get the Child Winter Heating Assistance automatically.

If you need to contact Social Security Scotland - mygov.scot