However, some people claim they are only just receiving payments now because they missed out the first time or only later became eligible.
Around eight million households qualify for the £301 amount, while 6.7 million individuals are eligible for the sum of £150.
Who is eligible for the £301 cost of living payment?
The £301 payment is for people on low-income benefits and tax credits.
People on Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit may be eligible for the payments.
The one-off payments were made between April 25 and May 17, though for people on tax credits, there was a narrower payment window of May 2 to 9.
However, some people benefits explain they are only just receiving payments now because they missed out the first time or only later became eligible.
Some payments are made later where people became eligible with more recent benefit claims that were backdated, or if they were eligible but somehow missed out from the initial rollout.
To qualify, people need to have received a payment of those benefits between January 26 and February 25 or, in the case of Universal Credit, an assessment period that ended between those dates.
People would not have been eligible for the cost of living payment however if their benefit was reduced to zero in that qualifying period – also known as a nil award.
Some people’s Universal Credit may be reduced to zero if they:
- get paid twice in an assessment period
- their earnings or savings suddenly go up
- they started receiving another benefit that pushed up their overall income and disqualified them from Universal Credit
they were sanctioned for breaking rules such as failing to attend a job centre appointment.
But if someone had a nil award because of a rent payment or debt deductions, they could still qualify for the payment.
Additionally, Britons on disability benefits may be eligible for a one-off sum of £150.
The disability cost of living payment of £150 is going to people getting any of the following benefits:
Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance for adults, Disability Living Allowance for children, Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance, Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland), Child Disability Payment (in Scotland), Armed Forces Independence Payment, or War Pension Mobility Supplement.
It’s dropping into people’s accounts up until July 4.
People must have received a payment of one of the above benefits for April 1, 2023, in order to qualify.
Claims that are backdated to cover that date will also get the payment. There will be an opportunity to report a missing payment from July 5 after the rollout has ended.
The full cost of living payment schedule 2023/2024
- £301 paid between April 25 and May 17 for most people on DWP means-tested benefits
- £301 paid between May 2 and 9 for most people on HMRC tax credits and no other means-tested benefits
- £150 paid between June 20 and July 4 for people on disability benefits
- £300 paid during Autumn 2023 for people on means-tested benefits – no exact dates yet announced
- £300 paid in November and December to pensioners who get Winter Fuel Payment
- £299 paid during Spring 2024 for people on means-tested benefits – no exact dates yet announced.
