Over 27,000 Wrexham households eligible for next Cost of Living Payment

Thousands of households across Wales will receive £300 directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) this autumn.

This is the second of three payments totalling up to £900 for those eligible and on means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or tax credits in 2023/24.

Eligible pensioner households will also receive a further £300 payment later this year as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment.

An estimated 422,000 households in Wales are eligible for the means-tested benefit Cost of Living Payment, which will be administered between 31 October and 19 November.

In Wrexham 18,100 households in Wrexham and 9,100 in Clwyd South are eligible for the payments.

The £300 Cost of Living Payment will be sent out automatically and directly to recipients, meaning those eligible do not need to apply, contact the Government, or take any action to receive it.

This includes tax credits-only customers who will receive the payment from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) between 10 and 19 November 2023.

The payment reference for bank accounts will be the recipient’s National Insurance Number followed by DWP COL or HMRC COLS.

The full list of benefit recipients that qualify for the second Cost of Living Payment are those who are eligible and receive at least one of the following:

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

To be eligible for the Cost of Living Payment from DWP, you need to have been entitled to a payment for a qualifying benefit between 18 August 2023 and 17 September 2023, or payment for an assessment period, ending between these dates.

From HMRC, you need to have received a payment of tax credits for any day in the period between 18 August 2023 and 17 September 2023.

Welsh Secretary, David TC Davies, said: “The UK Government is doing all we can to help people in Wales with the cost of living.

“We are working to bring down inflation which will benefit everyone.

“But in the meantime, the most vulnerable households in Wales will receive £300 directly into their bank accounts in the coming weeks.

“This is part of a package of measures that the UK Government has in place to support those who are most in need.”

Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, added: “Halving inflation and getting price rises under control is the best way to support households struggling with their bills.

“But it is also right that we are helping the most vulnerable in our society, and this latest Cost of Living payment is part of a package of support worth around £100 billion to help those struggling the most.”

The DWP is encouraging low-income pensioners not already getting Pension Credit to check their eligibility, as – thanks to Pension Credit backdating rules – they could still qualify for both the second Cost of Living Payment as well as the third payment due in Spring 2024.

Over eight million pensioner households will also receive a further £300 payment later this year in addition to the Winter Fuel Payment.