Benefits news in 2023
71 stories, newest first.
- December 2023
£299 Cost of Living Payment qualifying and payment dates added
The government has published the qualifying dates and payment dates for the final £299 Cost of Living Payment for people on low income benefits and tax credits, paid in February 2024.
Average weekly Pension Credit amount updated to over £75
The Department for Work and Pensions has updated its Pension Credit toolkit, raising the stated average weekly amount of Pension Credit from over £67 to over £75.
Managed migration planned to complete by end of 2023
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has responded to a consultation on draft regulations for moving remaining working-age benefit claimants to Universal Credit, setting out a timetable running from January 2019 to the end of 2023.
- November 2023
Autumn Statement 2023 raises working-age benefits by 6.7% and state pension by 8.5% for 2024-25
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has raised working-age benefits by 6.7% and the State Pension by 8.5% for 2024-25, while tightening sanctions for claimants who do not look for work.
DWP publishes ad hoc statistics estimating families and individuals benefitting from April 2024 benefit uprating
The Department for Work and Pensions has published ad hoc statistics estimating how many families and individuals in Great Britain receive benefits due to be uprated in April 2024.
Energy Bills Support Scheme has ended
The Energy Bills Support Scheme, which gave households £400 off their bills last winter, has ended, the Bevan Foundation said, as energy prices remain high and further rises are forecast.
Consumer Scotland publishes briefing on winter energy bill support options
Consumer Scotland has published a briefing on delivering household energy bill support this winter, setting out options for the Chancellor to consider at the Autumn Statement.
Committee publishes Cost of living support payments report
The Work and Pensions Committee published its first report of the session on cost of living support payments on 14 November 2023, and the Government responded on 12 January 2024.
£300 Winter Fuel Payment boost began reaching pensioners
An extra £300 was added to the Winter Fuel Payment for 2023 to 2024 and paid automatically to around eight million pensioners from 1 November 2023.
£400 energy discount (EBSS) not repeated for winter 2023/24
The £400 energy discount paid to households in monthly instalments between November 2022 and March 2023 is not set to be repeated this winter, Which? reports.
Carer Support Payment first introduced in Scotland
Carer Support Payment replaced Carer's Allowance in Scotland, piloted from November 2023, rolled out fully from November 2024 and with case transfer completed in Autumn 2025.
Cold Weather Payment scheme opens for winter 2023-24
The Cold Weather Payment scheme has opened for winter 2023-24, running from 1 November 2023 to 31 March 2024 and paying £25 for each seven-day period of cold weather.
DWP consultation on WCA reforms launched ahead of Autumn Statement
The High Court has ruled that the DWP's 2023 consultation on Work Capability Assessment reforms was unlawful, finding it misleading, rushed and unfair, and that cost savings were a primary rationale.
November 2023 Autumn Statement reforms the Work Capability Assessment
The November 2023 Autumn Statement reformed the Work Capability Assessment, removing the mobilising descriptor and amending the substantial risk and getting about descriptors, the Office for Budget Responsibility has recorded.
- October 2023
Work Capability Assessment consultation closes on 30 October
The government consultation on changing the Work Capability Assessment closed on 30 October, with any resulting proposals able to be costed in time for November's Autumn Statement.
Government changes work rules for single parents with children aged 3 to 12
The government changed the work-related rules for single parents claiming Universal Credit whose youngest child is aged between 3 and 12, with the change taking effect on 25 October 2023.
Individual earnings threshold for main carers of children aged 3 to 12 based on 30 hours a week
From 25 October 2023 the individual earnings threshold for main carers of a child aged between 3 and 12 in Universal Credit is based on 30 hours a week rather than 35 hours.
JRF publishes briefing on an income safety net
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a briefing proposing reforms to the UK social security system, including a new Essentials Guarantee, to stop people being pushed into destitution.
Move to UC migration phase starts in Northern Ireland
The next phase of migration from legacy benefits to Universal Credit, known as Move to UC, began in Northern Ireland on 16 October 2023, the Department for Communities has said.
Move to Universal Credit migration begins in Northern Ireland
The Department for Communities began moving Tax Credit and legacy benefit claimants in Northern Ireland to Universal Credit in October 2023, a process known as Move to Universal Credit.
Second 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment issued
The second means-tested Cost of Living Payment of £300 was paid between 31 October and 19 November 2023, the middle instalment of a £900 award for 2023/24.
Work hour expectations raised for main carers of children aged 3 to 12
Main carers of children aged 3 to 12 claiming Universal Credit can no longer ask for lower expected work hours, after adjustments of 16 and 25 hours a week ended in October 2023.
- September 2023
£300 Cost of Living Payment qualifying and payment dates added
The government added the qualifying dates and payment dates for the £300 Cost of Living Payment for people on low income benefits and tax credits on 20 September 2023.
Warm Home Discount eligibility statement for England and Wales published
The government has published the eligibility statement setting out who qualifies for a Warm Home Discount rebate under Core Group 2 in England and Wales from the 2023 to 2024 scheme year.
Government opens consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessment
The government has opened a consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessment that would make it less likely some claimants qualify for the LCWRA element of Universal Credit.
Benefit Cap (Annual Limit) (Amendment No 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023 come into force
The Benefit Cap (Annual Limit) (Amendment No 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023 came into force in September 2023, keeping the higher benefit cap rates set in April 2023 in place in Northern Ireland.
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.
March 2023 Budget increases UC childcare support
The March 2023 Budget raised the Universal Credit childcare element to £951 for one child and £1,630 for two children from July 2023, and paid the first month of childcare costs upfront for parents moving into work.
Spring Budget announces expansion of free childcare and Universal Credit childcare cap increase
The Chancellor has announced a phased extension of free childcare in England to working parents of children from nine months old, alongside higher Universal Credit childcare caps paid upfront.
Support for Mortgage Interest waiting period reduced
The waiting period for Support for Mortgage Interest is to be cut from nine months to three months in spring 2023, alongside changes to the zero earnings rules, according to a benefits timetable.
Top-up deadline moved to 31 July 2023
HMRC has given people until 31 July 2023 to top up National Insurance credits, extending a deadline that had been due to fall on 5 April.
- February 2023
Bereavement Support Payment eligibility extended to unmarried cohabiting parents
Eligibility for Bereavement Support Payment was extended on 9 February 2023 to unmarried cohabiting parents bereaved on or after 6 April 2017, with backdated claims possible to 30 August 2018.
Bill to legislate for 2023/24 Cost of Living Payments introduced in Commons
The Social Security (Additional Payments) (No. 2) Bill 2022-23 was introduced to the House of Commons on 7 February 2023 to legislate for two Cost of Living Payments in 2023/24.
Alternative Fuel Payment to be made automatically into electricity accounts in February for off-gas-grid GB households
Households in Great Britain that have an electricity supplier but no gas grid connection will receive the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment automatically in February, the government has confirmed.
Low Income Winter Heating Assistance payments begin in Scotland
Scotland has begun paying the new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance benefit, one of a series of benefit changes scheduled across the UK during 2023.
Winter Heating Payment replaces Cold Weather Payment in Scotland
The Winter Heating Payment replaced the Cold Weather Payment in Scotland from February 2023, paying a guaranteed annual sum to people on certain benefits rather than depending on how cold the weather gets.
- January 2023
Work and Pensions Secretary rejects change to cost of living payment qualifying rules
Mel Stride has rejected a Work and Pensions Committee call to protect Universal Credit claimants with nil awards in the qualifying period for the 2023/24 cost of living payments.
JRF report finds falling housing subsidies explain decline in renter affordability
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation says falling housing subsidies explain a 40 year decline in renter affordability, and calls for 700,000 more social homes and an end to the Local Housing Allowance freeze.
£600 energy support payments to begin for Northern Ireland households in January 2023
Northern Ireland households will start receiving a one-off £600 energy support payment in January 2023, combining £400 under the Energy Bills Support Scheme NI and £200 under the Alternative Fuel Payment.
Administrative Earnings Threshold increase
The Administrative Earnings Threshold rose in January 2023 to £617 a month for single people and £988 a month for couples, the level below which Universal Credit claimants must look for more work.
Administrative Earnings Threshold to rise to 15 hours at National Living Wage
The Administrative Earnings Threshold for Universal Credit rises from January 2023 to the equivalent of 15 hours a week at the National Living Wage, bringing more low-earning claimants into intensive work coach support.
Gov.uk online portal and phoneline for energy support applications to open in January
Households in Great Britain without an electricity supplier can apply for £400 energy support through a Gov.uk online portal opening in January, with a phoneline for those unable to use the internet.