Help with the Cost of Living
Mental Health and Money Advice: New Cost of Living Hub
The Covid-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people across the globe. But as we return to the lives we had pre-Covid, we are being gripped by an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.
Money and mental health are often linked. Poor mental health can make managing money harder, and worrying about money can make your mental health worse. To help those who might be feeling the strain as the cost of living continues to increase, the Mental Health and Money Advice service have launched their new Cost of Living Hub. Here, you will find information about how you can maintain your mental wellbeing at this time, alongside information on how to manage your money as your bills rise.
See what benefits you are eligible for
You might be able to claim benefits or increase your current benefits if you are:
- of working age and on a low income
- sick or disabled
- of State Pension age and on a low income
- a carer
- responsible for children
You can use this calculator from Citizens Advice to check what benefits you can get.
Check if you’ll get a cost of living payment
The government will send you a ‘cost of living payment’ if you:
- get certain benefits – for example, Universal Credit, PIP or Attendance Allowance
- are over State Pension age and get Winter Fuel Payments
You can get as many cost of living payments as you’re eligible for. For example, if you get Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance and Winter Fuel Payments, you’ll get 3 cost of living payments. You won’t have to pay tax on them and they won’t count as income when calculating your benefits.
Government Support Package
| Support | Value | Eligibility |
| Winter Fuel Payment | £150-£300 | National annual payment for senior citizens
|
| Warm Homes Discount | £150 | National annual payment for low income households |
|
Energy Bill Support Scheme |
£400 |
All GB Households. Households will see a discount of £66 applied to their energy bills in October and November, rising to £67 each month from December through to March 2023 |
|
Low-income Cost of Living payment |
£650 |
People on lowest incomes/means-tested benefits – 8 million households –will receive a one-off ‘cost of living payment’ of £650.
Paid automatically, no application process |
|
£300 |
Pensioners who are in receipt of Winter Fuel Payment will receive a one-off pensioner cost of living payment of £300.
Paid automatically, no application process |
|
|
£150 |
Disabled people in receipt of non-means-tested disability benefits will receive a one-off disability payment worth £150.
Paid automatically, no application process |
|
| Council Tax Rebate | £150 | For households in England
|
Get help with your energy bills
The government are giving every household £400 off their electricity bill. This is called the Energy Bills Support Scheme. You don’t need to do anything to get the money and you won’t have to pay it back.
The government has put a limit for most households on the rates your supplier can charge you for gas and electricity. This is called the Energy Price Guarantee. You don’t need to do anything. The Energy Price Guarantee automatically applies to all types of energy tariffs. It started on 1 October 2022 and lasts until 31 March 2023.
You might be able to get a fuel voucher or a grant from your energy supplier: Check if you can get help to pay your energy bills.
Get help with essential costs
Your local council might help you pay for things like:
- your energy and water bills
- food
- essential items – for example, clothes or an oven
This help is known as ‘welfare assistance’ or the ‘Household Support Fund’. Each council runs their own scheme. You’ll need to check if you can get support and what type of support you can get. Ask your local council if they run a welfare assistance or Household Support Fund scheme. You can find out how to contact your local council on GOV.UK.
Work out your budget
You can use a budgeting tool to help you understand:
- what money you’ve got coming in and what you have going out
- where you might be able to cut costs
You can use this budgeting calculator from Citizens Advice for more information.
Helpful tools
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