Benefits claimants across the UK have received a welcome 10.1 percent boost to their payments – but some people have not yet had the payment boost.
Payments for benefits including Universal Credit, PIP and Pension Credit officially increased from the start of the tax year on April 6.
The uprating came into effect for millions of claimants from the following Monday, April 10.
But many Universal Credit claimants will not yet have received their increased payments and will instead see the uprating applied to them from next month.
This is due to how the assessment periods work for benefits. For Universal Credit, a person’s payment is calculated each month based on their circumstances, which are known as assessment periods.
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This means if a person’s circumstances change, the amount of Universal Credit they get each could also change.
A person usually receives their Universal Credit payment seven days after each monthly assessment period.
Claimants whose assessment periods began before April 10 will see their benefits increase in May but those whose assessment period was after this won’t get the uprating until June.
For example, for a person whose assessment period started on March 26, this would run until April 25, with a new assessment period on April 26.
They will get their Universal Credit payment a week later on May 2 and as their assessment period runs from March to April, the new rates had not been introduced yet, meaning they would get the previous lower amount.
They would then have to wait for the assessment period from April 26 to May 25 to pass, and after this they would get the increased rate.
Individuals whose assessment period started after the April 10 rise will get an increased payment in May.
This would apply to a person whose assessment period started on April 12 and ran until May 11, with a new assessment period on May 12.
This person would receive the uprated Universal Credit rate when receiving their payment a week later.
Claimants will receive the increase automatically with no need to contact the DWP to process the uprating.
With the uprating, the standard allowance for Universal Credit is increasing to:
- Single under 25: £292.11 (up from £265.31 per month)
- Single 25 or over: £368.74 (up from £334.91 per month)
- Joint claimants both under 25: £458.51 (up from £416.45 per month)
- Joint claimants, one or both 25 or over: £578.82 (up from £525.72 per month).
The payment increase will be welcome as many household bills have increased last month, including energy bills and council tax.
Mobile and broadband tariffs have also increased while the cost of groceries continues to go up.
Britons on certain means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit, are to get a £900 cost of living payment, paid in three instalments over this financial year.
The first instalment, of £301, will go out to most people on eligible DWP benefits between April 25 and May 17.
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