Check what extra help you could get if you’re struggling with the Cost of Living, including the Cost of Living Payment Scheme.
You should check if you can claim benefits - you might be able to do this even if you have a job.
The following information applies from 1st April 2023.
A £301 Cost of Living payment will be made to households on a low income who are entitled to one of the following benefits:
You’ll only get this Cost of Living payment once - even if you get more than 1 of these benefits listed above.
How will the payments work?
To get this payment you must have either:
When will the payments be made?
You’ll get the next payment between 25 April and 17 May 2023. If your benefits are paid to someone else, like your landlord, you’ll still get the cost of living payment.
If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.
Increase your income | Cost of Living Support
Back To TopA £300 Cost of Living payment will be made to households on a low income who are entitled to one of the following benefits:
You’ll only get this Cost of Living payment once - even if you get more than 1 of these benefits listed above.
How will the payments work?
To get this payment you must have either:
You will also get this payment is you are later found to be entitlement to a qualifying benefit, and in the case of Pension Credit, if you are entitled but receive no payment as your award is below 10 pence per week.
When will the payments be made?
You will get the next payment between the 31st of October and the 19th of November 2023. For those who qualify due to receiving Tax Credits, payment will be made to you between 10th and 19th November 2023. If your benefits are paid to someone else, like your landlord, you'll still get the cost-of-living payment.
If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.
Increase your income | Cost of Living Support
Back To TopA £299 Cost of Living payment will be made to households on a low income who are entitled to one of the following benefits:
You’ll only get this Cost of Living payment once - even if you get more than 1 of these benefits listed above.
How will the payments work?
The qualifying dates you must be in receipt of at least one listed benefit will be confirmed by DWP and HMRC in due course.
When will the payments be made?
During the Spring 2024. DWP and HMRC will confirm exact dates in due course.
If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.
Increase your income | Cost of Living Support
Back To TopA £150 Cost of Living payment will be made to people who are receiving, or have claimed, one of the following benefits:
How will the payments work?
You must have received a payment (or later receive a payment) of at least one of these listed benefits for 1 April 2023 to get the Disability Cost of Living Payment.
When will the payments be made?
Where possible, the payments will be made directly into people’s bank accounts, they won’t need to apply for them. Most people will be paid the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment automatically between 20 June 2023 and 4 July 2023. Your payment might come later, for example if you’re awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date or you change the account your benefit is paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically.
If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.
Increase your income | Cost of Living Support
Back To TopEither a £300 of £150 cost of living payment will be made, depending on your situation, to those who are eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Winter Fuel Payment is an automatic tax-free payment (usually paying between £100 and £300 per person, depending on age and circumstances) if you are of State Pension age in the third week of September 2023. The State Pension age is 66.
You should start getting the Winter Fuel Payment automatically once you reach the State Pension age, but you might need to apply if you don’t get State Pension or another benefit.
The Cost of Living amount is on top of the original Winter Fuel Payment amount, which will be paid at the same time in November or December 2023.
How will the payments work?
You’ll get a £300 Cost of Living payment if you live either:
If you live with someone else who qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment, the amount you’ll get depends on whether either of you get any of the following:
If either you or the person you live with gets one of these benefits, you’ll both get £300 - as long as you’re not partners. If you’re partners, you’ll only get one £300 payment.
If neither of you gets one of these benefits, you’ll both get £150.
If you live in residential care and qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment, you'll get £150 unless you get any of these benefits.
When will the payments be made?
Where possible, the payments will be made directly into people’s bank accounts, they won’t need to apply for them.
If you are not claiming any of these benefits yet, you should use the Fife Benefits Checker in the link below to find out if you are missing out on any entitlements. It’s worth starting a claim as soon as possible if you are eligible - this means you might be able to get the cost of living payments in the future.
Increase your income | Cost of Living Support
Back To TopThe fuel payments from suppliers for winter 2023 - 2024 have not been announced yet.
If you need urgent support then firstly contact your supplier. There are a range of options suppliers can offer if you are struggling, including full payment plan reviews, affordable debt repayment plans, payment breaks, or reductions, all allowing you more time to pay. Similarly, if you're a prepayment customer, your supplier can offer you emergency credit.
If you feel you are in crisis and are in need of urgent assistance please contact the Community Support Line on 0800 952 0330.
Back To TopThis is a new benefit from the Scottish government to help those on a low income keep their homes warm in winter. It has replaced the Cold Weather Payment of £25, whenever the temperature dropped below 0 degrees Celsius for 7 consecutive days.
It is paid automatically in February to everyone eligible.
Please visit the Winter Heating Payment page on the Social Security Scotland website for more information.
Back To TopChild Winter Heating Assistance is a benefit payment to parents and carers for disabled children and young people under 19. It is paid from Social Security Scotland.
It is a payment of £235.70 in Winter 2023-24.
In Winter 2022-23, the payment was £214.10
How will the payments work?
You’ll get Child Winter Heating Assistance if you have a child or young person in the household who gets 1 of the following benefits in the qualifying week:
You must be getting the benefit on at least 1 day during the qualifying week. The qualifying week is the third week in September every year.
When will the payments be made?
You’ll be paid the Child Winter Heating Assistance automatically, you do not need to apply.
If you were expecting to get the Child Winter Heating Assistance automatically but did not get it, you should check if there has been a mistake by contacting Social Security Scotland.
You might not have got the payment because:
If a child or young person was in the hospital or residential care in the qualifying week, they should still get the Child Winter Heating Assistance automatically.
If you need to contact Social Security Scotland - mygov.scot
Back To TopIf you are not receiving any of the above or need extra help:
When you do a benefits calculation, as well as listing your benefits entitlements, we will let you know if you are eligible for any other entitlements. This includes the Cold Weather Payment, boiler or insulation grants, free school meals, Best Start (Scotland), free TV Licence, and many more.
Get in touch with your utility providers:
Ask for help:
