Universal Credit and Housing Benefit 2020 rates confirmed by MPs - how much is rise?
UNIVERSAL CREDIT and a number of other benefits payments are set to increase in April 2020. Yesterday, MPs voted on the new rates and the full list of benefit and state pension rate changes have been revealed.
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The freeze to working-age benefits will end in April 2020, after the decision was announced in the 2016 Budget. Freezes and caps on some benefits have lasted since 2010 - and this includes no rise at all to some working-age benefits since 2015.
Last night, MPs voted to bring the freeze to an end, the Mirror reports. This means the payments will now increase by 1.7 percent - in line with inflation.
This includes a change in rates to Universal Credit from April 2020.
Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Housing Benefit, and Income Support are among the list of benefits which will increase from April 2020.
The state pension will also increase - although this will be by 3.9 percent due to it rising under the triple lock mechanism.
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This means the annual boost is by whichever is highest out of earnings, prices, or 2.5 percent.
Some changes will take place on April 6, 2020, while other changes may come into effect at a different time in April 2020.
Furthermore, some of the given rates below are for people who are over the age of 25 only.
Universal Credit rates from April 2020 (monthly)
State pension rates from April 2020 (weekly)
Other new benefit rates from April 2020 (weekly)
Amid MPs yesterday ending the benefits freeze by agreeing to increase income-related benefits by inflation, Citizens Advice said they welcomed the move.
However, Citizens Advice also released new analysis which found that the number of people who are unable to cover their living costs has increased since the benefits freeze began in 2016.
The charity network’s analysis shows that almost four in 10 households that seek debt advice and receive these frozen benefits would still not have enough money to cover their costs by 2024 - even if the rises continued in future years.
Dame Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Our evidence shows that increasing numbers of people simply don’t have enough money to make ends meet.
“While a step in the right direction, increasing benefits by inflation will not go far enough to help solve this problem.
“The benefits system was created to support people in times of need.
“The government should show it's serious about meeting this ambition by properly investing in working-age benefits, and making sure fewer families are left in a downward spiral with no way to pay their bills.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “From April benefit payments will rise for more than 10 million people across the UK.
“We know some families need more support, which is why we continue to spend over £95 billion a year on working-age benefits.”