DWP news: November 2025 payments dates for benefits and pensions plus cost of living support

As the tip of 2025 attracts nearer, larger payments mixed with decrease temperatures imply many might be dealing with elevated prices within the method to Christmas.

For tens of millions throughout the nation, managing the price of residing stays a every day wrestle as costs proceed to rise quicker than family incomes.

Regardless of inflation returning to pre-pandemic ranges, the price of items has remained persistently excessive within the face of stagnant wages. On the similar time, exorbitant family payments imply tens of millions are grappling with money owed to afford the necessities.

Round 14 million adults are going with out meals as a result of they can not afford it, latest analysis by the Trussell Belief discovered. In the meantime, vitality arrears have greater than doubled over the previous 5 years, rising to £4.4bn by the tip of June.

Anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Basis has mentioned that low-income households within the UK are on the right track for the worst fall in residing requirements on file by the subsequent election in 2029.

In opposition to this tough financial backdrop, it’s important that households declare all of the help they’re entitled to. There are actually round 24 million individuals within the nation claiming some mixture of DWP-administered advantages, which embody these drawing a state pension, representing round one in three individuals.

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But new analysis by Coverage in Apply exhibits that £24bn value of advantages goes unclaimed yearly – you should use its useful calculator to work out what you could be entitled to.

Are you residing in a family affected by the two-child profit cap? Get in contact through e-mail: [email protected]

Right here is an summary of the monetary help accessible to households this November and key dates for profit and state pension recipients to look out for:

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Capital in danger.

Phrases and circumstances apply.

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Profit fee dates in November

Profit funds might be going out as regular in November, as there aren’t any financial institution holidays to pay attention to. These embody:

For extra data on how and when state advantages are paid, go to the federal government’s web site.

The DWP is aiming to finish the migration of all “legacy advantages” to common credit score by January 2026. These receiving tax credit, earnings help, jobseeker’s allowance, and housing profit ought to have obtained a discover about shifting to common credit score already.

Are you having points with PIP, common credit score, or another profit? Get in contact through e-mail: [email protected]

Pension fee dates in November

The fundamental state pension is paid straight into financial institution accounts, equally to how advantages are paid. It’s often paid each 4 weeks, with the precise day you obtain it similar to the final two digits of your nationwide insurance coverage (NI) quantity.

Right here’s when you have to be paid based mostly on these numbers:

When will profit charges go up?

In April 2026, all common credit score claimants will obtain an above-inflation earnings enhance of round 6.2 per cent to the usual allowance. For a single individual over 25, this might be a £6 per week enhance, rising from £92 to £98.

For {couples} with one or each associate over 25, it is going to be a rise of £9 per week, rising from £145 to £154.

Most different advantages ought to be uprated by September’s inflation fee alone, growing by 3.8 per cent. This contains PIP, DLA, attendance allowance, carer’s allowance, ESA and extra.

Nevertheless, on the similar time, the month-to-month fee fee for the health-related ingredient of common credit score for brand spanking new claimants might be reduce from £105 to £50. The speed for current claimants may even be frozen till 2029.

It is a discount of over £200 a month, slicing the extra fee by round half. This implies it’s advisable for anybody who thinks they could be eligible to use as quickly as they will.

The state pension is predicted to rise by 4.8 per cent from subsequent April in keeping with annual earnings progress. This may deliver the weekly quantity to £241.05.

Different assist accessible

Budgeting advance loans

The federal government affords a “budgeting advance mortgage” for individuals on common credit score who face an emergency lack of cash. The mortgage has a most compensation interval of two years.

These loans are interest-free and are mechanically deducted from common credit score funds. You’ll be able to borrow an “advance” of as much as:

Following Labour’s 2024 Funds, a brand new cap was launched on the quantity the DWP can deduct from profit funds to repay loans and money owed, together with budgeting advance loans.

Starting in April 2025, deductions from common credit score have been capped at 15 per cent of the usual allowance, down from 25 per cent.

Discretionary Housing Fee

Households can apply to their council for a discretionary housing fee (DHP), which affords monetary help to go in direction of hire or housing prices.

You’ll be able to solely get a DHP if you’re in receipt of housing profit or the housing ingredient of common credit score. It might cowl housing prices for a hire shortfall, hire deposits and hire prematurely if you might want to transfer house.

Actual eligibility and the funds accessible are selected a council-by-council foundation, so you will want to get in contact together with your native authority to search out out extra.

Family Help Fund

The family help fund (HSF), distributed by native councils, affords important help to these dealing with monetary hardship, complementing customary advantages and grants.

As a part of this authorities initiative, eligible households all through the UK can entry help resembling important home equipment, contributions in direction of utility payments, and direct money funds reaching as much as £300.

Native authorities are free to resolve easy methods to allocate their HSF funding to swimsuit households of their space, so precisely what is obtainable will fluctuate. To use, households have to contact their council (most supply a web based type).

This nationwide programme is about to run till March 2026. The federal government has dedicated £1bn in funding to transition it right into a “Disaster and Resilience Fund” which can substitute the DHP.

Charitable grants

In case you are struggling financially, chances are you’ll be eligible for sure charitable grants. There’s a variety of grants accessible relying in your circumstances.

Nevertheless, these grants will sometimes require you to satisfy particular standards and are solely in a position to supply restricted funds.

Charitable grants can be found for people who find themselves disabled or unwell, carers, bereaved, unemployed, college students, and for a lot of different causes. The charity Turn2us has a web based device to seek for grants which can be accessible to some.

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Power supplier assist

A variety of vitality suppliers supply assist for these battling their vitality payments. These embody British Fuel, Scottish Energy, EDF, E.ON and Octopus. It’s value contacting your vitality supplier to search out out if you’re eligible.

Some additionally supply free gadgets like electrical blankets for households with susceptible residents to maintain heat.

Social tariffs for broadband and water

For these battling family prices, social tariffs can be found for each broadband and water payments. This may imply a lowered fee for sure eligible households.

For water, each firm working within the UK has a social tariff by legislation. Nevertheless, the quantity on supply can fluctuate between areas and, as a result of water suppliers can’t be chosen like vitality suppliers, the help has been criticised as a “postcode lottery”.

For example, some supply as a lot as 90 per cent off payments, whereas others cap help at a 20 per cent discount.

To search out out what help your water firm affords, it’s value checking on its web site or contacting the helpline. In all circumstances, households will must be deemed to be on a low earnings and/or in receipt of sure advantages.

Equally, many broadband suppliers supply social tariffs to these on sure advantages like common credit score or pension credit score. Regulator Ofcom has a information to what’s on supply.

Council tax discount

Should you meet sure standards or are on sure advantages, you could possibly apply for a reduction in your council tax of as much as 100 per cent (that is typically referred to as council tax help).

Your native council should still have the ability to give you a discretionary discount when you can show you’re dealing with extreme hardship and might’t afford to pay your council tax.

To use for a council tax discount, contact your native council through the federal government’s web site.

As much as 30 hours of free childcare

From 1 September 2025, all working dad and mom within the UK turned entitled to 30 hours of free childcare for kids as much as the age of 4. This concludes a gradual set of expansions that started in April 2024.

Dad and mom should apply on-line and reconfirm their eligibility each three months, in time for every faculty time period. Working dad and mom may also apply for tax-free childcare, giving again 20p for each 80p you set in direction of childcare, as much as a most of £500 a 12 months.

Power value cap: Is it going up?

Ofgem’s vitality value cap rose by two per cent in October, from £1,720 to £1,755. The £35 rise comes after a extra sizeable seven per cent lower for July to September, from £1,849 to £1,720.

The vitality value cap is the utmost quantity vitality suppliers can cost you for every unit of vitality when you’re on an ordinary variable tariff. That features most households. It’s expressed as an annual invoice for a median house.

Many consultants – together with Ofgem itself – are recommending households think about a set tariff vitality deal, with many in the marketplace providing decrease than the worth cap fee.

Will there be one other price of residing fee in 2025?

The DWP haven’t introduced any continuation of the Price of Dwelling Fee scheme that ran between 2022 and 2024. The ultimate fee ought to have been made to eligible households between 6 February and 22 February 2024.

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