Eligibility For £650 From Government

This is probably a longshot but will the fact i'm in possession of an HC2 Certificate to pay for my health costs entitle me to the £650 payment from the government.The reason i ask is that it's the only means tested benefit i'm claiming and i understand the payment only goes to people claiming means tested benefits. Thanks.

Hi Ben

to the best of my knowledge, you need to be in receipt of an income-related benefit (on the date of the announcement AND the date of issue of the money) such as UC or IR ESA to receive the low-income grant.

And while the government have made a regulation that these cost of living one-offs won't affect your 'income' for those calculations, they appear not to have made the same regulation for the calculations made on disposable income for those people reliant on social care - so they'll count as income and can be (but might not be by all LAs) clawed in as part of your contribution by your local authority.

<growl>

Looking at the help with living costs page on gov.uk ONLY means tested benefits that result in a payment will count towards eligibility:

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