An increase of 3.1% comes into force but prices are rising faster, leading to warnings from charities.
She said she wished she could work, but was unable to due to ill health. People she knew who were doing two jobs - as she used to - were still struggling to cope financially, she added.April changes
Child benefit has also gone up by 3.1% to £21.80 a week for the eldest child, and £14.45 a week for other children.Image caption, The 57-year-old lives off universal credit, and already regularly faces a shortfall between what he has got coming in and what he needs to pay on bills. Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive at Citizens Advice, said: "We've heard stories of families resorting to heating up tins of beans over a tealight, or choosing between giving their kids a hot bath at bedtime and putting on the heating for an hour while they dress for school. With energy bills rocketing this month, things will only get worse.
He added that support also included cutting fuel duty and money to help pay for energy bills. The minimum wage had also been increased. So the government decided to limit this April's rise to the greater of the inflation rate last autumn or 2.5%, hence the 3.1% increase now.The full, old basic state pension is £141.85 a week, a rise of £4.25 a week. They may also get a Pension Credit top-up
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