Benefits news: page 6
- August 2025
Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2025 laid before Parliament
The Department for Work and Pensions laid regulations on 22 August 2025 making Winter Fuel Payment universal in England and Wales from winter 2025/26, raising the number entitled from 1.5 million to 10.9 million.
- July 2025
MPs open Child Maintenance Service inquiry
The Work and Pensions Committee has opened an inquiry into the Child Maintenance Service, examining payment compliance, how it treats families, payment levels and proposed changes to Direct Pay and Collect and Pay.
Work and Pensions Committee publishes Pathways to Work report raising concerns about UC health cuts
The Work and Pensions Committee has published its Pathways to Work report, warning that planned cuts to the Universal Credit health component could push disabled people into poverty and calling for a delay.
Guidance added on repaying the Winter Fuel Payment
HMRC has added guidance explaining who must repay the Winter Fuel Payment and how the money will be recovered through tax codes or Self Assessment returns.
MPs call for national strategy to tackle pensioner poverty
The Work and Pensions Committee has called for a UK-wide cross-government strategy on ageing, a Pension Credit take-up strategy for England by the end of 2025 and a Government-set minimum retirement income.
Guide updated following changes to Winter Fuel Payment
The Department for Work and Pensions updated its detailed Pension Credit guide for advisers on 14 July 2025 to reflect changes to Winter Fuel Payment, with further rate updates following in 2026.
Toolkit updated to remove Winter Fuel Payment link to Pension Credit
The Department for Work and Pensions has updated its Pension Credit toolkit to remove the link between Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Credit, saying entitlement to the payment no longer depends on the benefit.
PIP eligibility rules unchanged pending Timms review
PIP reforms in the 2025 Welfare Reform Bill have been temporarily removed pending a review, with eligibility rules unchanged until that review is completed.
DWP publishes fairness analysis of machine learning model for the first time
The Department for Work and Pensions has published detailed information on its fairness analysis of a machine learning model used to flag potentially fraudulent benefit claims, showing some groups are over-referred for review.
- June 2025
DWP publishes updated poverty impact analysis for Spring Statement social security changes
The Department for Work and Pensions has published revised estimates showing the Spring Statement social security changes would put an extra 150,000 working age adults in relative poverty by 2030.
Scottish Child Payment recipients automatically assessed for Best Start Grant payments
People in Scotland who receive Scottish Child Payment are now automatically assessed for the Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment, removing the need to submit a separate claim.
Government response to Warm Home Discount expansion consultation published
The Government has confirmed changes to the Warm Home Discount for winter 2025/26, removing the high cost to heat threshold in England and Wales and increasing spending in Scotland.
Government announces expanded Winter Fuel Payment eligibility and new tax charge
The government expanded Winter Fuel Payment eligibility from winter 2025 to pensioners with total income up to £35,000, and introduced a tax charge recovering the payment from those above that threshold.
Amending regulations laid for 2025 to 2026 Warm Home Discount expansion
Amending regulations laid in June 2025 remove the high-cost-to-heat threshold for Warm Home Discount Core Group 2 in England and Wales and raise Broader Group funding in Scotland, with around 6 million households expected to receive the £150 rebate.
DWP to reassess Carer's Allowance overpayment cases after review found it acted unfairly
The DWP will reassess Carer's Allowance overpayments made between April 2015 and September 2025, after an independent review found it acted unfairly, with debts reduced, cancelled or refunded.
UK government announces Free School Meals expansion to all children on Universal Credit in England
The UK government has announced that from September 2026 all children in families receiving Universal Credit in England will qualify for Free School Meals, ending the current earnings test.
Government concedes PIP scoring change will not apply to existing claimants
The Government has kept its plan to tighten Personal Independence Payment eligibility scoring but confirmed the change will not apply to existing claimants, avoiding average losses of £4,500 a year for 370,000 people.
JRF publishes analysis of proposed health-related benefit cuts
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation says proposed health-related benefit cuts would cut income for 350,000 households by more than 30% while too few jobs exist to offset the losses.
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment to become universal from winter 2025/2026
The Scottish Government has laid amendment regulations making the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment universal for all pensioner households from winter 2025/2026, with payments of £100 for those not on relevant benefits.
- May 2025
DWP confirms no more Cost of Living Payments planned
The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed it is not planning any further Cost of Living Payments, closing a series that ran from 2022 to 2024.
Transitional protection deadline passed for tax credit claimants
The deadline to claim transitional protection has passed for tax credit claimants invited to move to Universal Credit, with tax credits having ended on 5 April.
Committee writes to Secretary of State calling for pause of UC health and PIP reforms
The Work and Pensions Committee has called for a pause to planned cuts to the health component of Universal Credit, warning that around 50,000 people could enter poverty by 2030.
entitledto publishes 2025/26 review of English Council Tax Reduction schemes
entitledto's annual review of English Council Tax Reduction schemes finds 62 of 296 councils changed their calculations for 2025/26, with cuts to maximum support outnumbering increases.
Maternity pay flat rate falls to less than half the National Living Wage
Maternity Action's 2025 report finds the flat rate of Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance was 44% of the National Living Wage in April 2025, down from 63% of the minimum wage in 2012.
- April 2025
Resolution Foundation publishes report on Universal Credit capital rules
The Resolution Foundation has published a report arguing that Universal Credit capital rules, frozen since 2006, should be indexed from April 2026 and that Help to Save and Lifetime ISA savings should be disregarded.
Pension Age Disability Payment became available nationally in Scotland
Pension Age Disability Payment replaced Attendance Allowance across Scotland from 22 April 2025, with official figures later showing 186,390 people receiving it as of 31 July 2026.
Carer's Allowance in Scotland being replaced by Carer Support Payment
Carer's Allowance is being replaced in Scotland by Carer Support Payment, a weekly payment of £86.45 for people caring at least 35 hours a week, with extra Scottish support paid alongside it.
Scottish assistance payment amounts increase from 1 April 2025
Scottish Ministers have uprated a range of devolved social security payments, with most new amounts taking effect from 1 April 2025 and some disability payments changing from 7 April 2025.
New benefit rates take effect from 6 April 2025
Statutory Sick Pay rises to up to £118.75 a week and disability and health related benefits change rates from 6 April 2025, with PIP paying between £29.20 and £187.45 a week.
Child benefit rates rise by 1.7% for 2025-26
Child benefit rose to £26.05 a week for the eldest or only child and £17.25 for each additional child from 6 April 2025, a 1.7% increase, as HMRC figures show claims at their lowest since 2003.