Benefits news: page 13
- September 2023
Recent rule change makes 200,000 more benefit claimants eligible for SMI loan
A rule change to the government's Support for Mortgage Interest loan has extended eligibility to 200,000 more benefit claimants, according to Which?, which reports the figure alongside new survey findings on borrower reluctance.
In-work conditionality rules change
From September 2023, people earning above 15 hours a week at the National Living Wage but below full time hours must look for more or better paid work.
In-Work Progression Offer to roll out from September 2023
Low earners on Universal Credit will be required to meet their work coach every quarter under the In-Work Progression Offer, which begins a phased rollout from September 2023.
- July 2023
JRF publishes summary arguing inadequate Universal Credit is a barrier to work and calls for an Essentials Guarantee
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a summary arguing that inadequate Universal Credit acts as a barrier to work, and calling for an Essentials Guarantee setting support against the cost of essentials.
End of £400 universal winter Government energy support
The £400 universal Government energy support paid to households over the winter ended as the Ofgem price cap replaced the Energy Price Guarantee, cutting typical annual bills to £2,074 from July.
Universal Credit childcare maximum amounts to rise
The maximum childcare costs that working parents on Universal Credit can claim rise from July 2023 to £951 a month for one child and £1,630 for two or more.
- June 2023
Words in regulation 7(1) substituted by the Social Security, Universal Credit and State Pension (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023
Northern Ireland regulations substituted wording in regulation 7(1) of the 2016 Universal Credit transitional rules with effect from 29 June 2023, alongside matching changes to claims and payments rules.
SMI eligibility rule changes for Universal Credit claimants documented
The Department for Work and Pensions has added information about changes to Support for Mortgage Interest eligibility rules for Universal Credit claimants to its statistics background and methodology note.
Law Centre NI publishes Cost of Living Support Payments 2023-2024 poster
The Law Centre NI has published a poster setting out the amounts, qualifying benefits and dates for the 2023-2024 cost of living support payments, including three means-tested payments and a pensioner payment.
- May 2023
entitledto publishes updated estimates of unclaimed means-tested benefits
entitledto has updated its estimate of unclaimed means-tested benefits, putting the total at £15.06 billion across 5,745,000 families, with Universal Credit accounting for just over £8 billion of that figure.
Most local authorities changing CTR schemes for 2023/24 made them more generous
Of the 39 English councils that changed their Council Tax Reduction schemes for 2023/24, 29 increased maximum support for the poorest households and one reduced it, a survey of all 296 schemes found.
- April 2023
Benefits uprating and benefit cap rise in line with inflation
The UK Government uprated working age benefits and the benefit cap by 10.1 per cent from April 2023, a decision confirmed in the November 2022 Autumn Statement and applied to rates from 10 April 2023.
Backdating of SMI claims limited to 3 April 2023 for claimants with earnings in every assessment period before that date
Official guidance confirms that Universal Credit claimants who had earnings in every assessment period before 3 April 2023 can only backdate a Support for Mortgage Interest loan to that date.
SMI opened to employed Universal Credit claimants
The Department for Work and Pensions has changed Support for Mortgage Interest so employed Universal Credit claimants can qualify, cutting the waiting period from nine months to three.
Cost of living payments kept cash benefits for the poorest fifth in line with FYE 2022
Official figures show cost of living payments kept cash benefits for the poorest fifth of UK households level with the previous year after inflation, though final incomes fell overall.
DAF payment rules changed for all applicants
From 1 April 2023 all applicants to the Discretionary Assistance Fund in Wales became eligible for three payments in a 12-month rolling period, with an 11% increase to emergency awards and a shorter gap between applications.
First 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment issued
The first instalment of the 2023/24 means-tested Cost of Living Payment, £301, was paid to most eligible households between 25 April and 17 May 2023, the opening part of a £900 award.
Full-scale managed migration to Universal Credit started
Full-scale managed migration to Universal Credit began in April 2023, moving legacy benefit claimants across Great Britain onto Universal Credit in stages and replacing Income-related ESA over time.
Government £400 energy discount scheme ended in April 2023
The £400 energy discount paid to every UK household from October 2022 ended in April 2023, as the energy price cap continued to set bills for most households.
Government announced replacement credits system
The National Insurance replacement credits service for parents who missed out on credits after opting out of child benefit has been delayed from April 2026 to April 2027.
Managed Migration started in Northern Ireland
Managed Migration to Universal Credit began in Northern Ireland in April 2023, initially inviting only Tax Credits only claimants, after the process had already been running in England and Wales.
Move to UC begins for tax credit claimants
The Department for Work and Pensions began moving tax credit claimants onto Universal Credit in April 2023, a process the Office for Budget Responsibility says enabled the tax credit system to close in April 2025.
Northern Ireland Managed Migration Trial commences
Northern Ireland began inviting people on legacy benefits to claim Universal Credit in April 2023 under a Managed Migration Trial, with Tax Credit claimants among the first to receive notices.
SMI qualifying period cut to three months and zero earnings rule removed
From April 2023 the Support for Mortgage Interest qualifying period for Universal Credit claimants fell from nine months to three, and working claimants became eligible for the first time.
- March 2023
£301 Cost of Living Payment eligibility and payment dates published
The government has published the qualifying dates and payment dates for the £301 Cost of Living Payment for people receiving low income benefits, with most payments due between 25 April and 17 May 2023.
Budget announces childcare expansion, pension tax changes and higher benefits conditionality
The March 2023 Budget expanded free childcare, abolished the lifetime limit on tax-free pension savings and raised benefits conditionality, requiring 800,000 more people to work.
Chancellor announces first Budget with Energy Price Guarantee extension and childcare reforms
Jeremy Hunt's first Budget extends the Energy Price Guarantee to the end of June, restructures Universal Credit childcare payments and scraps Work Capability Assessments.
Health and Disability White Paper published alongside Budget
The Health and Disability White Paper, published with the Spring Budget on 15 March 2023, proposes abolishing the Work Capability Assessment for new Universal Credit claims by disabled people.
Spring Budget announces £4bn free childcare expansion and upfront UC childcare payments
The Spring Budget of 15 March 2023 set out a £4bn expansion of free childcare, upfront payment of childcare costs for benefit claimants and tougher Universal Credit sanctions.
Energy Bill Support Scheme payments ended
The Energy Bill Support Scheme, which gave households £400 off energy bills between October 2022 and March 2023, ended in March 2023, with no repeat announced in the Spring Budget.