People making new Universal Credit claim might also qualify for autumn cost of living payment

dailyrecord.co.uk:

For millions of households across the UK, Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent £15 billion support package will help towards managing rising energy bills and soaring inflation, but for many, they will only receive the £400 energy bill discount which will be given to all domestic customers across the country.However, more than 1.3 million people in work could be missing out on Universal Credit payments of up to £7,300 a year, according to data released earlier this year by the New Economics Foundation, following a rule change implemented by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in November, 2021.And there's still a chance new claimants may still qualify for part of the £650 Cost of Living payment, but only if they check their eligibility for Universal Credit and make a claim as soon as possible.To qualify for the first of the two instalments, Universal Credit claimants will need to be in receipt of the benefit, or have started a claim which is later successful, as of Wednesday May 25, 2022.But, if they have not yet made a claim for Universal Credit, and do it now, they may qualify for the second instalment as the next qualifying period has still to be confirmed.The UK Government said: “HMRC and DWP are due to release further guidance and the UK Government will set out the eligibility date for the second instalment, in due course.” James Andrews, Senior Personal Finance Editor at money.co.uk, explains: “In November, Rishi Sunak slashed the Universal Credit taper rate, the mechanism that sees your benefits reduced or withdrawn as your earnings rise.

As a result, thousands of people who previously earned too much to be able to claim Universal Credit may now qualify. “The taper relief was changed so that rather than lose 63