Thousands of households to get £100 free cash in cost of living payments – key date to make a claim

HOUSEHOLDS in one part of England will get £100 of free cash in cost of living payments.

The help comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) which is worth £842million.

Councils in England have been given a share of the fund and are distributing it to residents in need.

That means what you are entitled to varies depending on where you live, but in most cases you will receive help if you are on a low income or benefits.

And residents in Leeds who meet a set of criteria may be eligible for a £100 payment.

But there is a key date they must be aware of.

Who is eligible?

Your household must be a recipient of Council Tax Support by October 23, 2023, to claim the funding from Leeds City Council. 

Those with children or pensioners at home will get £100, while those without children will get £75.

If you're eligible, the money will be paid to you automatically - meaning you don't have to apply.

The payments should be made by the end of November via a Post Office voucher.

Council tax support is a council tax discount which reduces the amount you have to pay.

There is a maximum discount of 75%, but how much you get off depends on your income - unless you're part of a protected group.

Protected groups are pensioners, disabled people, single parents, carers war widows and war pensioners.

To qualify for Council Tax Support you must:

• live in the UK
• pay council tax
• be on a low income

Who else can get help?

You can still get help if you don't live in Leeds.

In most cases, if you're on benefits like Universal Credit or Income Support, you'll be in line for help via the HSF.

But you should contact your local council to see what is on offer.

If you don't know what local authority area you fall under, you can use the Government's locator tool on its website.

You just have to type in your postcode and it will bring up your local council.

Households in Rutland can get up to £270 worth of help while Dorset Council started distributing £150 vouchers last month.

What other help is on offer?

If you can't get help via the Household Support Fund you might be able to access support through other means.

There are still two instalments of the £900 payment set to come, with the second coming within weeks.

The payments are being made to anyone on the following benefits:

• Universal Credit
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Pension Credit

If you're not on one of the above benefits yet, it's worth seeing if you could be eligible.

Not only will you start receiving money from the benefit, it could make you eligible for the second and third instalments of the £900 cost of living payment, worth £300 and £299.

Millions of pensioners are set to receive a top up worth up to £300 to their Winter Fuel Payment this winter as well.

The amount of top up you receive will depend on your specific circumstances, like when you were born.

Meanwhile, you might be able to get grants from your energy firm if you're struggling to make payments.

British Gas, EDF, E.On and Scottish Power all offer them. You should get in touch with your provider to see if you're eligible for anything.