Benefits news: page 16
- April 2022
Post Office Card Account access to benefits payments ends
From 5 April 2022 people receiving tax credits, child benefit and other statutory payments could no longer collect them through the Post Office, after the DWP contract with Post Office Limited ended.
Amendments to Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment regulations laid
Scottish ministers have laid amending regulations changing child responsibility, kinship carer definitions, automatic awards and payment timing across Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment.
Around 210,000 disability benefit claimants set to lose Warm Home Discount
Around 210,000 people claiming disability benefits are set to lose the Warm Home Discount under changes to the scheme, Fair By Design says, as the rebate rises from £140 to £150.
Basic rate of statutory maternity and parental pay set at £156.66 per week from April 2022
The basic rate of statutory maternity and parental pay stands at £156.66 a week from April 2022, equal to 47% of the National Living Wage for a 35-hour week, according to a maternity charity survey.
Benefits uprated by 3.1% while inflation stood at 9%
Most working-age benefits and the State Pension rose by 3.1 per cent in April 2022, based on September 2021 inflation, while the cost of living was already rising far faster.
Benefits to be uprated by September 2021 inflation in April 2022
Benefits including Universal Credit were uprated in April 2022 by September 2021's inflation rate, a figure likely to sit below the inflation households faced over the winter.
Cold weather payments responsibility transferred to the Scottish Government
Responsibility for cold weather payments in Scotland moved to the Scottish Government at the start of 2022-23, the Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed in its latest welfare report.
DWP launches ongoing Pension Credit awareness campaign
The Department for Work and Pensions ran an ongoing Pension Credit awareness campaign from April 2022, with increased advertising, as later figures showed take-up falling and unclaimed amounts rising.
DWP publishes Completing the Move to UC policy document
DWP statistics published in February 2026 show 2.35 million people in 1.82 million households were sent migration notices moving them from legacy benefits to Universal Credit between July 2022 and December 2025.
DWP requires consent for new or increased Fuel Direct deductions for ongoing energy costs
From 1 April 2022 the Department for Work and Pensions will only agree to new or increased deductions for ongoing energy costs from benefits where the customer gives consent.
ECO4 scheme starts with changes to benefit eligibility
The fourth phase of the Energy Company Obligation begins on 1 April 2022, removing several disability benefits from automatic eligibility and requiring claimants to receive another qualifying benefit.
Energy bills support scheme announced
The UK government announced the Energy Bills Support Scheme in April 2022, a £400 payment to eligible households, alongside a separate guarantee that fixed the Ofgem price cap.
Face-to-face support for initial Universal Credit claims ended
Face-to-face support for the initial Universal Credit claim ended in April 2022, the TUC has said, as part of a submission warning that benefit levels remain inadequate.
Fuel Direct scheme paused
The Fuel Direct scheme, which allowed energy and water bills to be paid directly from benefits, was paused in April 2022, so suppliers can no longer approach the Jobcentre Plus to arrange payments.
UK Government announced energy support package for almost all GB households
The UK government announced a support package in April 2022 for almost all households in Great Britain, including the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme and a guarantee capping the unit price for a typical bill.
Government announced Warm Home Discount changes for the UK
The government has announced changes to the Warm Home Discount that will extend eligibility to 750,000 more households, including people receiving housing benefit, and has opened a consultation on the scheme in Scotland.
Government responds to Warm Home Discount consultation with expanded scheme
The government has published its response to the Warm Home Discount consultation, extending the scheme, raising the rebate to £150 and lowering supplier thresholds, though disability benefit claimants are set to lose out.
Pension credit rates to rise from April 2022
Pension Credit rates rise from April 2022, with guarantee credit up to £182.60 a week for a single person and £278.70 for a couple, as official figures show £1.7 billion went unclaimed.
Scottish low income benefits uprated by 6% in April 2022
Scottish low income benefits rose by 6% in April 2022 while most reserved benefits rose by 3.1%, a gap the Scottish government later cited in its analysis of the cost of living crisis.
Universal Credit and benefits due to rise by 3.1% in April
Benefits including Universal Credit are due to rise by 3.1 per cent in April 2022, a figure the charity Gingerbread says should be 6 per cent to match projected inflation.
Warm Homes Discount extended and Energy Company Obligation funding confirmed
The government has extended the Warm Homes Discount to 2025/2026 and confirmed £1 billion a year for the Energy Company Obligation until 2026, alongside energy bill support worth over £9.1 billion.
- March 2022
English councils' Household Support Fund schemes close
English councils' Household Support Fund schemes closed on 31 March 2022, the same day the fund was reported to have been extended in England to March 2023.
Transitional protection for free school meals in England ended
Transitional protection that kept free school meals for some pupils in England after their households stopped qualifying has ended, with eligibility now based on receiving an eligible benefit.
Remaining universal credit provisions brought into force
The remaining provisions of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the equivalent Northern Ireland Order were brought into force on 30 March 2022, completing the statutory framework for universal credit.
Disability Assistance for Working Age People (Scotland) Regulations 2022 come into force
Regulations establishing Adult Disability Payment for working age people in Scotland came into force on 21 March 2022, setting out eligibility rules, components and rates for the devolved benefit.
Right to claim PIP extinguished for most people in Scotland as adult disability payment launches
From 21 March 2022 most people in Scotland aged 16 or over who can apply for adult disability payment can no longer claim personal independence payment, under regulations phasing the change in by area.
DWP report shows £1.7 billion of pension credit went unclaimed in 2019/20
Department for Work and Pensions figures show £1.7 billion of pension credit went unclaimed in 2019/20, with as many as 850,000 families missing out on the benefit.
National Audit Office publishes report on the Child Maintenance Service
The National Audit Office has published a report finding fundamental flaws in the Child Maintenance Service, with arrears projected to reach £1bn by 2031 and enforcement delays leaving parents owed money.
Adult Disability Payment first introduced in Scotland
Adult Disability Payment began a pilot in Scotland in March 2022, replacing Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance for claimants aged 16 to State Pension age, ahead of full roll-out.
DWP plans to drop the 10,000-case limit and press ahead with managed migration through a "Discovery Phase"
The Social Security Advisory Committee has published minutes and correspondence showing it opposed dropping the 10,000-case limit on Universal Credit managed migration, as DWP pressed ahead with a "Discovery Phase".