DWP, baby seat and other rule changes in September with latest on £300 payment
| Published date | 30 August 2023 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis predicts the actual date the payment will land in bank accounts to be October or November, which would mean an announcement is likely in September.
Previous dates for cost of living payments have generally been announced around a month before they are sent out. There are also a number of other rule updates and changes coming in September, reports WalesOnline.
Among the changes is an update to cryptocurrency rules, car seat rules and another on waste disposal.
Student finance changes
Student finances see the biggest change in a decade from September 1 -potentially increasing the cost for some people by 50%.
The changes are called Plan 5 and will see students pay more money after they graduate -based on how much they earn. Money Saving Expert has set out a comprehensive guide to the changes.
Martin Lewis said: "The only people who gain from the changes, are the highest earning university leavers roughly top 25% – who would’ve cleared their loans under the old system. This is because repaying more each year, means you repay quicker, and there’s less interest, thus less repaid in total.
"Overall these changes swing the pendulum of cost further towards the individual, away from the state. The Government's own data shows the state's contribution will drop from 44p in the pound to 19p under the new system, meaning the individual pays more, the state less."
Universal credit changes
People calling about new or existing universal credit claims from late September will see changes made by the DWP. It will change to an automated conversational platform involving a virtual agent to answer simple questions rather than callers having to press the keypad for specific menu choices.
Anyone who needs support with the claim will be asked why they are calling and the virtual agent will use speech recognition to determine the help needed.
Child benefit changes
September will mean that some child benefit claims will stop. Parents and guardians have until August 31 to tell HMRC their that their 16-year-old is continuing their education or training if they want to continue getting child benefit.
Child benefit payments stop on August 31 after a child turns 16 but parents and guardians can instantly extend their claim if their child is continuing in approved education or...
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