Nine DWP benefit and money changes that are due to come into effect from December

Nine money and DWP benefit changes will be coming in December (Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire) Sign up to our free email newsletter to receive the latest breaking news and daily roundups More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you.

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More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Nine money and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit changes will be coming into effect from December. Households across the UK are being urged to stay alert of the shake-ups during the festive season. The changes will start on December 1, with the arrival of the Christmas Bonus.

This is a £10 top-up for people receiving certain benefits and is normally paid to people during the first week of December. There will also be major moves with Winter Fuel Payments. Most payments will be made automatically in November and December, and should be received by January 29, 2025, reports BirminghamLive .

The majority of pensioners will receive their payment automatically. However, some people living in Switzerland or an eligible EEA country need to claim. Below is a round-up of all the money and benefit changes due to take place next month.

DWP Christmas bonus - from December 1 To get the DWP Christmas bonus, you must be receiving one of the following benefits: Adult or Child Disability Payment Armed Forces Independence Payment Attendance Allowance Carer’s Allowance or Support Payment Constant Attendance Allowance Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance Disability Living Allowance Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate Mobility Supplement Pension Credit – the guarantee element Personal Independence Payment State Pension Severe Disablement Allowance Unemployability Supplement or Allowance War Disablement Pension at State Pension age War Widow’s Pension Widowed Mother's Allowance Widowed Parent’s Allowance Widow’s Pension Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers). Nationwide to hike bank account fee - from December 1 Nationwide is hiking the price of one of its bank accounts by £5 a month from this Sunday which means customers will be forced to fork out an extra £60 a year. The building society is raising the price of its popular FlexPlus packaged account from December 1.

Currently, the account costs £13 a month - or £156 a year - to have. However, from Sunday the monthly cost will rise to £18 a month, which equates to £216 a year. The new monthly cost will impact both new and existing FlexPlus customers.

As you have to pay for this type of bank account, it is slightly different from a traditional one. With Nationwide's FlexPlus account, you get a range of insurance policies for you and your family including travel and mobile phone insurance, plus breakdown cover. Nationwide members with this account also get preferential rates on loans and overdrafts.

Inflation - December 18 The latest inflation data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will be released on December 18. Inflation is a measure of how prices have changed over time. In the latest update from the ONS, inflation was revealed to have crept back above the Bank of England target, after it rose to 2.

3 per cent. Bank of England interest rates - December 19 The Bank of England will make its next interest rates announcement on December 19. The base rate is currently at 4.

75 per cent after the Bank of England announced its second cut of the year at its last meeting in November. The base rate is what the Bank of England charges other banks and lenders. This then increases your cost of borrowing as a customer.

Winter Fuel Payment deadline - December 21 The Government continues to urge pensioners on a low income to apply for Pension Credit before the December 21 deadline. All eligible claimants would receive up to £300 with the Winter Fuel Payment as well as any backdated Pension Credit arrears where applicable. Pension Credit could be worth on average up to £3,900 a year and acts as a gateway to other important benefits including help with housing costs, council tax reductions and NHS treatment costs.

The Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee will soon be worth £227.10 a week for a single person and £346.60 for a couple.

Benefits paid early - December 24 and December 31 Some people will receive their benefits from the DWP slightly early, ahead of the Christmas bank holidays. The usual rule is that if your benefits payment is due on a bank holiday or weekend, you will be paid on the last working day before your payment was due. Therefore, if your usual payment date falls on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, then you can expect it the working day before (December 24).

Cold Weather Payment - throughout December Cold weather payments are made to vulnerable people, including pensioners, in England and Wales to help them pay for heating when the temperature dips below freezing. They go to those living in an area where the average temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0C or below for seven consecutive days. The DWP said payments have most recently been triggered across parts of north-east England, Cumbria, west Wales and Oxfordshire in December.

Winter Fuel Payment - throughout December The decision to withdraw the Winter Fuel Payments from over 10 million pensioners not claiming Pension Credits has been defended by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves. She said: "It was made clear to me that failure to act quickly would undermine the UK`s financial position with implications for public debt, mortgages, and price, so I took action to make in-year savings necessary..

..to target the Winter Fuel Payment to those most in need, with the triple-lock ensuring the State Pension will rise by an estimated £1,700 over the course of this Parliament".

Warm Home Discount - throughout December The Warm Home Discount is a one-off payment of £150 to help with the cost of energy during the winter. It's designed to make things a bit easier if you're living on a low income or pension. If your electricity supplier is part of the Warm Home Discount scheme then you don't need to apply for it.

You'll get the payment automatically if you or your partner receive the Guarantee Credit portion of Pension Credit, or another qualifying benefit, and have high energy costs. Getting a Warm Home Discount doesn't affect your entitlement to a Winter Fuel Payment or the Cold Weather Payment. Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks.

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