Pensioners and disabled people will get more cash off their energy bills as the government unveils one-off payments to help with the cost of living crisis.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak today unveiled billions of extra pounds of help for hard-up households.
More than 8million pensioner households will receive a one-off £300 'pensioner cost of living payment' later this year.
Pensioners have to get Winter Fuel Payment to be eligible, and the £300 will be added to this benefit when it is paid in November or December.
Do you recieve no government help towards the cost of living? Message mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
The £300 payment will not be taxed and won't affect eligibility for other benefits.
Six million people on disability benefits will get an extra £150 payment on top of other government help they receive.
The payment will be made from September, Sunak said today.
The extra £150 will be paid to people who get the following benefits:
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Scottish Disability Benefits
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- War Pension Mobility Supplement
Many of this group may also get a new one-off £650 payment unveiled by Sunak for people on means-tested benefits.
Sunak said: "We know that people are facing challenges with the cost of living and that is why today I’m stepping in with further support to help with rising energy bills."
The chancellor's changes comes as energy bills for the average home are due to rocket by £800 to £2,800 a year from this October.
Today the chancellor also announced £400 off energy bills per home.
This builds on his earlier plans to give each home £200 off energy bills this year, to be repaid over the next five years.
But Sunak has now doubled the payments and scrapped the repayments, meaning it is a £400 grant, not a loan.
