MSE News: Households to get £400 boost to help with rising energy bills

Maskface

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Maskface said:

So yesterday they said the £650 payment would be made to Universal credit claimants in July. Now today Yahoo news says it will be paid in two installments, one in July the other in autumn. Can anyone clarify at all? 

Two instalments

• DWP will make the payment in two lump sums – the first from July, the second in the autumn. Payments from HMRC for those on tax credits only will follow shortly after each to avoid duplicate payments.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-support/cost-of-living-support-factsheet-26-may-2022

Perhaps they don't trust people not to spend it all at once lol 

polymaff

Sea_Shell said:

polymaff said:

Sea_Shell said:

I've posted similar elsewhere...but what of those customers who are not on dual fuel with a joint gas and electricity account, but still have credit meters on DD.   How many households does this affect?

Take the universal £400...

How flexible will electricity suppliers be and will they be happy to allow you to reduce your DD by, say, £66 per month for 6 months over winter, to then enable you to afford to increase your DD to your gas supplier by the same amount?

1.  I doubt that you'll get an answer to that question.  Why not ask about one particular circumstance?

2.  Why not automate this by asking your supplier to put you on variable DD?

It was more of a general observation, based on problems some people are already having trying to get their DD reduced.    It could become critical if there ends up with £400 credit sitting on the "wrong" account, come winter.

It doesn't effect me personally, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking of others.

I thought it might flag as a potential issue, for people to be aware of.   Just trying to help.

The £400 will be applied to electricity accounts.  Forget gas.

And my point 2 directly addresses both your original's second question (sentence ending with a question mark) and your new observation.

Spoonie_Turtle

polymaff said:

polymaff said:

The government regards income-based benefits as the best indicator of real need.  That said this scheme includes PIP, apparently.  Hmm - don't understand the logic there!

Spoonie_Turtle said:

PIP is in a separate category, determining eligibility for a £150 payment on the basis of disability.  This is separate from the £650 for people on means-tested benefits.

True, but you've answered the wrong question.

So what was your question?  I would have thought providing help to disabled people would be self-evident.

Maskface said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Maskface said:

So yesterday they said the £650 payment would be made to Universal credit claimants in July. Now today Yahoo news says it will be paid in two installments, one in July the other in autumn. Can anyone clarify at all? 

Two instalments

• DWP will make the payment in two lump sums – the first from July, the second in the autumn. Payments from HMRC for those on tax credits only will follow shortly after each to avoid duplicate payments.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-support/cost-of-living-support-factsheet-26-may-2022

Perhaps they don't trust people not to spend it all at once lol 

Ha, maybe!  There is an eligibility date for first and it sounds like there will be one for the second though, so it seems more like making sure they don't accidentally catch people whose situation somehow improves between the first payment and winter.

On the other hand, with a second eligibility date it will catch people who start claiming between yesterday and the next date, so that will be good for those people to not completely miss out.

polymaff

Spoonie_Turtle said:

polymaff said:

polymaff said:

The government regards income-based benefits as the best indicator of real need.  That said this scheme includes PIP, apparently.  Hmm - don't understand the logic there!

Spoonie_Turtle said:

PIP is in a separate category, determining eligibility for a £150 payment on the basis of disability.  This is separate from the £650 for people on means-tested benefits.

True, but you've answered the wrong question.

So what was your question?  I would have thought providing help to disabled people would be self-evident.

I never asked one.  One poster using question marks - then denying there's a question - and another poster asking about a question in a question mark-free post.

The teaching of spelling, grammar and sentence structure - RIP c1960

Spoonie_Turtle

polymaff said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

polymaff said:

polymaff said:

The government regards income-based benefits as the best indicator of real need.  That said this scheme includes PIP, apparently.  Hmm - don't understand the logic there!

Spoonie_Turtle said:

PIP is in a separate category, determining eligibility for a £150 payment on the basis of disability.  This is separate from the £650 for people on means-tested benefits.

True, but you've answered the wrong question.

So what was your question?  I would have thought providing help to disabled people would be self-evident.

I never asked one.  One poster using question marks - then denying there's a question - and another poster asking about a question in a question mark-free post.

The teaching of spelling, grammar and sentence structure - RIP c1960

I refer you to "True, but you've answered the wrong question."

I was not aware anyone thought I was answering a question until you told me I'd answered the wrong one *shrug*

Sea_Shell

polymaff said:

Sea_Shell said:

polymaff said:

Sea_Shell said:

I've posted similar elsewhere...but what of those customers who are not on dual fuel with a joint gas and electricity account, but still have credit meters on DD.   How many households does this affect?

Take the universal £400...

How flexible will electricity suppliers be and will they be happy to allow you to reduce your DD by, say, £66 per month for 6 months over winter, to then enable you to afford to increase your DD to your gas supplier by the same amount?

1.  I doubt that you'll get an answer to that question.  Why not ask about one particular circumstance?

2.  Why not automate this by asking your supplier to put you on variable DD?

It was more of a general observation, based on problems some people are already having trying to get their DD reduced.    It could become critical if there ends up with £400 credit sitting on the "wrong" account, come winter.

It doesn't effect me personally, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking of others.

I thought it might flag as a potential issue, for people to be aware of.   Just trying to help.

The £400 will be applied to electricity accounts.  Forget gas.

And my point 2 directly addresses both your original's second question (sentence ending with a question mark) and your new observation.

Well, let's just hope people are able to "forget gas" come the winter, when their bill for that fuel exceeds their capacity to pay for it as their credit is tied up on their electricity account.

But hey, never mind.


And pardon me for not realising that this was an exam paper!!  😎.

superkoopauk

The electricity meter is only used to identify who to pay the £400 to.  I don't think gas will be forgotten about though.  I reckon the £400 will be applied to a customers dual fuel account if possible to reduce the DD for both fuels.  Customers with their gas and elec split between suppliers will get it all off the elec however

Sea_Shell

superkoopauk said:

The electricity meter is only used to identify who to pay the £400 to.  I don't think gas will be forgotten about though.  I reckon the £400 will be applied to a customers dual fuel account if possible to reduce the DD for both fuels.  Customers with their gas and elec split between suppliers will get it all off the elec however

I understand that.   

That's why I was wondering what would happen to those NOT on dual fuel, IF their electricity supplier didn't let them (or were awkward about letting them) reduce their DD in light of the £400 credit, once applied.

It might only apply to a handful of people, or lots, I don't know.

Jl1994

In my building, we buy gas cards off the landlord and put them into a metre, and I also pay £2 coins into an electric metre. I presume he pays the bills for the whole building and we pay to use it. How would I get the grant? I’m a bit worried because I could do with it 

pochase

If you don't have an account for electricity you won't get it by the current rules.