{"id":224673,"date":"2023-11-26T12:27:36","date_gmt":"2023-11-26T12:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allworldreport.com\/?p=224673"},"modified":"2023-11-26T12:27:36","modified_gmt":"2023-11-26T12:27:36","slug":"all-the-freebies-and-discounts-worth-up-to-8700-you-can-get-on-universal-credit-and-benefits-in-december-revealed-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allworldreport.com\/lifestyle\/all-the-freebies-and-discounts-worth-up-to-8700-you-can-get-on-universal-credit-and-benefits-in-december-revealed-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"All the freebies and discounts worth up to \u00a38,700 you can get on Universal Credit and benefits in December revealed | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSEHOLDS on Universal Credit and benefits could get free cash and discounts to help this December that don't need to be paid back.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people may be struggling to cover the cost of essentials, and\u00a0Christmas\u00a0will be adding extra stress to budgets.<\/p>\n

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Help for those on\u00a0Universal Credit and other benefits ranges from council tax discounts to supermarket food vouchers.<\/p>\n

Here, we've rounded up the 12 payments, discounts and freebies you could get this\u00a0Christmas worth up to \u00a38,732.<\/p>\n

Of course, the exact amount of help you can get varies depending on your personal circumstances.<\/p>\n

Here's everything you need to know…<\/p>\n

READ MORE IN MONEY<\/h2>\n

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Thousands on benefits have \u00a3300 a month payments TERMINATED – how to avoid it<\/h3>\n

Christmas bonus – \u00a310<\/h2>\n

Millions on Universal Credit and benefits will receive a Christmas bonus from next Monday.<\/p>\n

The tax-free \u00a310\u00a0payment\u00a0will be made during the qualifying week between December 4 and 8, according to the DWP.<\/p>\n

Eligible households don't need to apply for the bonus as it will be paid automatically – but they will need to meet the criteria.<\/p>\n

And as the \u00a310 is a bonus, it won't need to be repaid either, nor will it affect any other\u00a0benefits\u00a0you receive.<\/p>\n

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Thousands can get \u00a3220 free cash direct to bank accounts \u2013 do you qualify?<\/h3>\n

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To qualify for the payment you must be present or ordinarily resident in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the first full week of December, which is from December 4 this year.<\/p>\n

Households will also need to claim at least one of the 20 qualifying benefits within the same period.<\/p>\n

The bonus isn\u2019t available to those who receive Universal Credit only but someone on Universal Credit who also receives one of the qualifying benefits will receive it.<\/p>\n

You can see the\u00a0full list of qualifying benefits here.<\/p>\n

Missing cost of living cash – \u00a3599<\/h2>\n

An estimated 1.4million pensioners are receiving\u00a0pension credit\u00a0which makes them eligible for a\u00a0cost of living payment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But there are\u00a0850,000 more pensioners eligible\u00a0for the benefit who aren't claiming it.<\/p>\n

It means that they risk missing out on the\u00a0next\u00a0two\u00a0cost of living\u00a0payments worth \u00a3300 and \u00a3299.<\/p>\n

Households will receive the second instalment of the\u00a0cost of living\u00a0payment worth \u00a3300 directly into their bank accounts between October 31 and November 19.<\/p>\n

While the third instalment will go out in the\u00a0spring\u00a0of 2024.<\/p>\n

Usually, these payments are made automatically to those eligible for the\u00a0tax-free payment.<\/p>\n

Eligible households have until December 8\u00a0to make a claim for pension credit over the phone and until December 10 to make a claim online or they risk losing out on the cost of living payments.<\/p>\n

This is provided applicants were of state pension age between 18 August 2023 and September 17, 2023.<\/p>\n

It doesn't matter if you were only eligible for a day – as long as this day was within the qualifying period you'll get the cost of living payment.<\/p>\n

Household Support Fund – \u00a3500<\/h2>\n

The\u00a0Household Support Fund\u00a0was first set up in 2021 but has been extended multiple times.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0most recent tranche of funding\u00a0is worth \u00a3842million and has been distributed among councils in\u00a0England.<\/p>\n

They are then allocating their own unique share.<\/p>\n

That means what you are entitled to varies depending on where you live, but in most cases you will be in line for help if you are receiving certain\u00a0benefits\u00a0or on a low income.<\/p>\n

For example,\u00a0households in Ribble Valley Council\u00a0have just weeks left to apply for vouchers worth up to \u00a3500.<\/p>\n

Remember to check\u00a0if you qualify for benefits too, as they can make you eligible for the Household Support Fund.<\/p>\n

Cold weather payment – \u00a325<\/h2>\n

The cold weather payment is dished out when temperatures are recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below, on average, for seven consecutive days.<\/p>\n

When temperatures drop between November 1 and March 31, eligible Brits are entitled to extra money to heat their homes when this happens.<\/p>\n

You get \u00a325 for each seven-day period where the weather is below zero Celsius on average during this time frame.<\/p>\n

You can check if your area has had a cold weather payment by\u00a0popping your postcode into the government's tool\u00a0from November 1 onward.<\/p>\n

Cold Weather Payments will no longer be made in Scotland as the scheme has been replaced.<\/p>\n

Instead you might get an annual \u00a350 Winter Heating Payment. You can find out more about the scheme on the\u00a0Scottish Government website.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re eligible for the cold weather payment scheme if you\u2019re in receipt of one of the following benefits and meet certain criteria:<\/p>\n