2022 Starting this Tuesday, around eight million households receiving means-tested benefits will get the third and final installment of the cost of living payment, aimed at helping with rising food and energy expenses. This £299 payment, part of the government's £104 billion cost of living support package, will be automatically deposited into people's bank accounts by February 2022 , with no application required. Beneficiaries include over 680,000 households in Scotland, 400,000 in Wales, and 300,000 in Northern Ireland on means-tested benefits. Introduced in 2022 , the payments were initially set at £650 in two installments by then Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and later increased to a total of £900 in three payments by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in November of the same year. While there are no current plans to extend the scheme, charities are urging the government to announce additional support. Despite a recent easing in the inflation rate, which rose unexpectedly to 4% in Decemb