Economic correspondent Andy Verity says the scheme will not be "means tested" beyond the council tax bands.

He adds that the Institute for Fiscal Studies says the payment "isn't very well targeted", but the government wants to get the money "out the door quick".

Verity says the payment is separate to the winter fuel payment, with financial journalist Felicity Hannah saying: "This should be an automatic payment going into your account in January."

She adds it should be paid into the account that pays the council tax bill and is not something you need to apply for - warning scammers may try and ask for people's bank details.

We will shortly be answering questions on today's Budget in a special programme of Your Questions Answered with our panel of experts.

Stay with us for all the latest updates and you can also watch live on the stream at the top of this page.

Consumer expert Martin Lewis says he had a list of "seven or eight" things that he took to Chancellor John Healey when they met two months ago, "five of which have been done".

But the number one thing on his list, addressing the upcoming freeze to the plan 2 student loan repayment threshold, wasn't mentioned - which Lewis calls an "abomination".

Last year, then-Chancellor Rachel Reeves froze the plan 2 repayment threshold at £29,385 between 2027 and 2030, instead of allowing it to rise with inflation.

The change will result in students starting to repay their loans sooner than they would otherwise have done, and their rising salaries leading to greater repayments.

"For me that is a breach of natural justice," Lewis tells the BBC.

Lewis says while the £100 "household energy payment" is meant to create breathing space, it will actually just mitigate the impact of the expected 27% energy price cap rise in January. For a typical household, bills will rise by around £100-120, he tells the BBC.

He welcomes the scrapping of standing charges on gas bills, calling them a "moral hazard", as well as the removal of a fine for those who withdraw their Lifetime Isa for homes above £450,000.

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner has said there is a "lack of any meaningful action" on domestic abuse, which she says is one of the leading causes of homelessness, in this year's Budget.

Nicole Jacobs says there is limited funding in the statement to address misogyny, which she says shows "just how low down on the priority list halving violence against women and girls is for this government".

In a post on x, she welcomes announcements by the chancellor to tackle rough sleeping and ease cost-of-living pressures, but says she hears weekly about domestic abuse services being reduced due to "chronic underfunding" and rising demand due to the early release scheme.

Jacobs urges the government to show it remains committed to its pledge to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, saying: “We cannot meaningfully tackle homelessness and support victims if specialist services cannot keep the lights on."

Image source, PA Media

Today's Budget "missed the mark" on matching the government's ambition for growth in every postcode, the national chair of the Federation of Small Business has said.

Tina McKenzie says small businesses have gotten nothing to ease "sky-high energy bills" or make hiring people more affordable. She also says the business rates relief "excludes too many", but welcomes the increase in trading allowance from £1,000 to £3,000.

The British Retail Consortium's chief executive Helen Dickinson says John Healey has "failed to provide the breathing space" he promised, saying the government has failed to address the "rising tide of costs" holding high streets back.

Shevaun Haviland, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, praises the Budget as "sending the right signals to business" but "lacking big calls" to shift the economic dial.

Alpa Patel
BBC London presenter

Lee became homeless earlier this year after returning to the UK from the US while struggling with his mental health.

Expecting support, he instead found himself on the streets before being referred to StreetLink and helped by St Mungo's. He says homelessness left him feeling "invisible", causing him to lose hope and his sense of identity.

Now living in supported accommodation and volunteering with others, Lee welcomes the government's extra funding, saying it shows a commitment to helping society's most vulnerable.

But he believes support must go beyond a roof over someone's head and help people rebuild their lives and find purpose.

Emma Haddad, chief executive of St Mungo's, says the funding will make a "massive difference" for people facing homelessness.

She said London's rough sleeping numbers, which had been steadily rising, are beginning to stabilise and "tail off", thanks to investment and a greater focus on tackling the issue.

But she stressed that lasting progress depends on more than emergency support, with long-term solutions needed to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place and ensure they can build sustainable lives beyond the streets.

Dharshini David
Deputy economics editor

There is also disappointing news for another key part of Labour's growth strategy - housebuilding.

Even though first-time buyers are set to get more help, their first home may be more elusive.

Between regulation and higher costs, in part related to the Iran war, the OBR estimates that 190,000 fewer homes will be built by 2032 compared to what it thought in March.

It is a significant setback.

Huge variation across England over who will get £100 energy paymentpublished at 17:13 GMT

17:13 GMT

By Lewis McBlane

The government has said up to 20 million households in England will receive a £100 one-off payment towards their energy bills in January.

About five million households will not receive this help, data from the government shows, as their home falls outside the lower council tax valuation bands A to D.

The proportion of households who will receive the £100 also varies significantly across England.

In some areas of London and the South East, fewer than half of households will be eligible. In Kensington and Chelsea just 32% of households are in bands A to D, with 41% in Elmbridge in Surrey and 49% in St Albans.

But in other areas, almost all households could receive it, for example 96% of households in Liverpool are eligible, 97% of Sandwell in the West Midlands and 99% of Hull.

Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive additional funding based on the cost of the scheme, but can decide how to spend the money themselves.

John Campbell
BBC News NI economics and business editor

The £100 cost-of-living grant will not be paid in Northern Ireland unless the Stormont government agrees its own budget, the Secretary of State Chris Bryant has warned.

Stormont is in the highly unusual position of being seven months into the financial year without a formal budget in place.

Local ministers say the UK’s devolution funding formula no longer delivers enough for them to produce a balanced budget. They want Westminster to provide a big financial top up.

Meanwhile public services have been operating under emergency procedures which keeps money flowing to frontline services.

But Bryant says those procedures will not permit the spending of the additional money which the chancellor has provided today.

Ultimately he could impose a budget on Stormont by legislating at Westminster. That would be unprecedented.

Finance Secretary Jenny Gilruth says the Scottish government will "seek to replicate" the £100 energy payment announced in the UK Budget. As we just reported, the Welsh government said it would match the payment.

Chancellor John Healey said the cash would be received by households in England which are in council tax bands A to D, and money will be given to the devolved governments, with Healey urging them to use it to do the same.

Gilruth says she'll consider how best to deliver an equivalent scheme in Scotland.

She adds any measures to bring down costs were welcome, but that the chancellor’s plans "fall far short" of the action needed.

Gilruth also said the Budget would mean a £650m real terms cut in Scotland’s budget next year.

"Cutting Scotland’s budget shows that, yet again, we are being treated as an afterthought," she says.

David Deans
BBC Wales political reporter

The Welsh government has confirmed that it will also make a £100 payment to households in A-D council tax bands for energy bills.

Chancellor John Healey had urged devolved nations to match the plans he announced for England, with the share of funding they will receive as a result of the scheme.

Wales' Finance Minister Elin Jones says the UK government had "responded positively to the Welsh government’s calls to provide funding to make this possible".

"We know that cost-of-living pressures are causing anxiety for far too many people," she says.

"I am pleased to confirm that we will be making a £100 cost-of-living payment to all households in council tax bands A to D."

Erica Witherington
Disability affairs reporter

Image source, Emma Martin

For nearly 30 years, Emma Martin has juggled caring for her disabled daughter, Mia, with work - while carefully watching her wages so she didn’t fall foul of "punishing" Carer’s Allowance rules.

To be eligible for the benefit, claimants must be caring for someone at least 35 hours per week, and earning no more than £204 a week, after tax.

When Emma unknowingly earned 50p over that limit for three months, a letter arrived demanding £1,500 back. “I was just speechless," she says.

"The DWP were absolutely not interested in explanations. They literally just wanted that £1,500 back."

Emma says getting the bill left her feeling "anxious, sick" and worried about how she would pay it.

Now the chancellor has announced the end of that "cliff edge" rule, saying the benefit will instead reduce gradually as earnings rise.

But that’s not expected to come in until around 2030. Emma says "it’s a positive start” but "it needs to happen sooner."

Hugh Pym
Health editor

As one commentator put it, this was the least health-focused Budget for many a year.

Even the £190 million awarded to the NHS in England to help cope with winter pressures did not get a mention in the speech.

Coming this late in the year it may be hard for benefits to be achieved over the winter period.

There will be a review of NHS productivity and the opportunities presented by AI.

There is to be a new category of ring-fenced spending across government departments for prevention initiatives which help reduce longer term problems though there is little detail.

There was a sense that for the chancellor, knowing the challenges across the health system, the NHS was a subject he did not want to dwell on.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

With John Healey delivering his first Budget, correspondents across the BBC have offered their insight on what the chancellor's pledges mean for the country's finances:

• Government borrowing costs have fallen slightly, while the OBR's forecast has given a mixed outlook on the strength of the country's economy, expecting GDP to expand by 1.2% this year but 1% next year and inflation being expected to rise more than previously thought, Dearbail Jordan writes

• Healey said movements in financial markets have added an extra £14bn to the government’s borrowing costs this year, with deputy economics editor Dharshini David pointing out it is already spending £1 in every £13 it spends in total on debt interest
• The chancellor has also pledged to close "loopholes" in the tax system, but it remains unclear how much he is relying on such measures to fund his plans
• The share prices of banks have jumped up following Healey's smaller than forecasted surcharge, in place for just 15 months
• Healey's announcement on a cost-of-energy payment to households has also prompted people to start checking their council tax bands for eligibility, Kevin Peachey writes
• A cut to business rates for 70,000 businesses will also be welcomed, Simon Jack writes, while political editor Chris Mason comments on how Healey is attempting to make data centres more appealing
• Healey will need to make an argument to his own party, as well as the public, that the global constraints of the Iran war, coupled with wanting to show restraint on public spending, means his relative caution is the right approach, Harry Farley writes

Same rise in minimum and living wage despite Labour ‘equalisation’ pledgepublished at 16:49 GMT

16:49 GMT

By Nicholas Barrett

The chancellor has announced the National Minimum Wage for 18-to-20 year-olds will rise from £10.85 an hour to £11.27 next April.

This 3.9% lift is lower than the 8.5% rise set out last year.

Today’s Budget also raised the minimum wage for older workers by 3.9%, taking their hourly rate from £12.71 to £13.21.

The consistent rise between both groups is significant because addressing the wage gap between younger and older workers was a pledge in Labour’s 2024 election manifesto, which said the party would: "Remove the discriminatory age bands, so all adults are entitled to the same minimum wage, delivering a pay rise to hundreds of thousands of workers across the UK."

But the manifesto did not specify when this would happen and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the BBC before the Budget that the “manifesto pledge on equalisation still applies, but we were always clear it could happen over time".

Andrew Rogers and Lizzy Bella
BBC Newsbeat

As well as being a seaside town, Bournemouth is a university town, and we’re hearing from students today on their reaction to the Budget.

For 18-year-old business student Ollie Parram, he says young people seem to have been a bit forgotten by Chancellor John Healey.

"In terms of young people, that wasn’t a massive focus of the Budget," he says. "But I’m hoping it’s future proofing."

A decision to raise the National Minimum Wage, which is paid to workers aged 18-20, at the same rate as the National Living Wage, paid to over-21s, will affect lots of the students we’re talking to today.

It means under-21s will continue to be paid less, despite a Labour manifesto pledge to close that gap.

"It seems as if they’ve kicked that down the road which is a shame to be honest," says Ollie.

"I don’t think there’s many costs that a 21-year-old has that an 18-year-old wouldn’t have."

All age groups who are paid the minimum wage will receive a 3.9% rise next April, the chancellor announced today.

Here's what that looks like:

For 18 to 20-year-olds, their hourly rate will rise from £10.85 to £11.27.

This remains below workers over 21, who get paid the national living wage - they will get £13.21 an hour, up from £12.71 at the moment.

And those under 18-years-old or on an apprenticeship will see their wages increase from £8 to £8.31.

Justin Rowlatt
Climate editor

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the government’s independent official forecaster, has included tax revenue from Rosebank in its Budget forecast, even though the North Sea oil field hasn’t been approved.

That’s sensitive for the government.

The decision is quasi-judicial, meaning it rests with the energy secretary alone and must be made on the evidence, free from political pressure. Miatta Fahnbulleh is reported to be leaning towards refusal, while Healey backs approval.

The government is balancing arguments from the sector that the field will generate jobs and revenue, against those from environmental groups that say this goes against the country's commitments to tackle climate change and move away from fossil fuels.

But the OBR’s assumption is standard practice. Its forecast uses North Sea Transition Authority production figures, which include fields not yet consented.

The OBR says UK North Sea production would fall by around 14% a year to 2031 with no new fields, compared with around 10% a year if Rosebank and other unconsented fields go ahead.

• You can read more about the Rosebank debate from my colleague James Cook, who visited the field last week

Chancellor’s measures to cut energy bills only go so farpublished at 16:32 GMT

16:32 GMT

By Mark Poynting

Chancellor John Healey announced some short-term measures to ease energy bills, including a one-off £100 payment to about 20 million households.

But those measures are unlikely to offset the rise in the price cap expected in January.

Forecasts by the Cornwall Insight consultancy suggest the price cap could increase by around £276 a year, mainly due to gas price rises linked to the Iran war.

And more recent forecasts by EDF suggest the increase could be steeper still.

Healey also announced that the government would scrap the standing charge on gas bills, which is the fixed daily fee that helps to cover costs such as maintaining the gas grid.

The government says those costs will instead be funded by the unit rate - the price paid per unit of gas used - and adds that most households will save money.

But those using lots of gas could pay more, and the government has only committed to making the change “by the end of next year”.

Alex Partridge
BBC Westminster

Image source, POOL

The prime minister has rejected criticism that the Budget wasn't "bold" telling broadcasters he thought it was "pretty bold" to help 20 million households with their energy costs.

"It's bold to lift 70,000 businesses out of business rates all together," he says.

"We're doing what we can to support people in difficult times", he said and there are "strong signs that the economy will improve," the PM adds.

Asked if people would be poorer next year, Burnham said the UK is not "immune to the pressures on finances coming from the situation in the Middle East and the impact that's having on the cost of fuel, on the cost of energy, we can't insulate people completely".

However, he says the government is doing "meaningful things" to provide "breathing space" for people, citing the £100 energy rebate, VAT off electricity bills and removing the standing charge from gas bills.

"If you add that up that is a significant amount of help that is coming people's way in 2027."