6m disabled people in UK to get £150 cost of living payment in September

About 6 million disabled people across the UK will receive a £150 cost of living payment from the end of next month, the government has said.

The one-off payment, announced in May, will be paid automatically to people who receive certain disability benefits from 20 September, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said.

The majority of eligible people will receive their payment within a couple of weeks of this date, it added.

The payment is intended to help disabled people with the rising cost of living and the higher costs they face, such as for care and mobility needs. It comes on top of other cost of living payments totalling £650 for disabled people on low incomes.

All households will receive £400 to help towards energy bills, and an extra £150 for properties in council tax bands A to D in England.

Overall, the government has announced a £37bn package of support to help people with rising costs.

The minister for disabled people, health and work, Chloe Smith, said: “We know disabled people can face additional costs, which is why we are acting to help reduce the financial pressures on the most vulnerable.

“This £150 disability payment is on top of the £1,200 most low-income benefit claimants will also receive and alongside wider support targeted at disabled people, including help with transport and prescription costs.

“We know it’s a worrying time for some people and I’d urge them to check they are getting all the support on offer by searching Help for Households.”

Smith, appearing on LBC radio on Tuesday morning, said the government was still working to support the most vulnerable but she was not able to share details of those efforts.

“The next prime minister will want to look at all of this extremely closely and the work that is presently going on in government to look ahead to the challenges that come next is what will then be on the desk of that incoming prime minister, and I think that’s perfectly understandable,” she said.

“I can’t pre-empt that for you right now. I can’t write the emergency budget.”

The chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “We know that rising prices faced by many countries around the world are a significant worry for many people here in the UK, especially those most vulnerable to additional costs.

“Today’s announcement that disabled people will begin to receive an additional £150 payment from the end of September reinforces our commitment to help UK households through the challenging times ahead.”