UK cost of living crisis: How to get the £650 government payout

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced new support package worth £15billion to help the country through the cost of living crisis.

Among them a one-time payment of £650 for eight million families on benefits to ease the pressure from rising energy bills.

The sum will be applied to those on Universal Credit, Tax Credits, Pension Credit and Inherited Benefits from July.< /p>

Eligible people will not need to apply, but will receive two direct payments – the first in July and the second in the autumn – from the Department for Work and Pensions directly to their accounts banks.

One-off payments of £300 for pensioners and £150 for those receiving disability benefits have also been announced.

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"We need to make sure that for those for whom the struggle is too hard, and for those for whom the risks are too great, they are supported,' Mr Sunak told the House of Commons when the new support scheme was unveiled in March.

It has now been doubled to £400 and households will no longer need to repay the money.

The cost of living crisis has hit every corner of the UK, pushing families to the brink with rising food and fuel prices.< /p>

The Independent asked experts to explain small ways to stretch your money, including managing debt and getting free items.

If you need go to a food bank, then use the local authority website to locate your...