Warning over missing £299 Cost of Living payments as families 'must act' tomorrow
Aneira Davies
Social and newsletter writerHouseholds have been told to inform the DWP from Friday if they haven't yet had their government payment
Today is the final day people on benefits will receive their £299 Cost of Living payment from the government.
It means people will soon be able to report a missing payment, if they have not received theirs.
The Cost of Living payments are given to households on low incomes who claim certain benefits including Universal Credit and tax credits.
Due to over 8 million people, most will have received their payments by now. Payments were made between 6 February and 22 February.
The payments will either have been paid via the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or HMRC, depending on who usually pays your benefits.
- M&S' £40 denim midi dress shoppers say is a 'great alternative to jeans'
- Primark shoppers 'need' new travel bag that fans are calling 'perfect'
- Aldi launches mascara that's a dupe for £30 Lancôme product
- £11 Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter dupe is 4 products in 1
- What to do if you haven't received your Cost of Living payment yet
How do I report a missing payment?
The DWP has confirmed that anyone who hasn't received their payment can get in touch to report it missing from tomorrow (Friday 23 February).
The government department says: 'The £299 Cost of Living Payment for a low income benefit will be paid between 6 February and 22 February 2024 for most people. You will be able to report it missing from 23 February 2024.'
If there's no apparent reason why you shouldn't have received your Cost of Living payment (and you think you are eligible for it), then you can inform the DWP or HMRC.
You can do this by filling in a form online through the GOV.UK website here.
You'll need to clarify which payment is missing and you shouldn't report the same missing payment more than once. You may also need to ring up a benefit office to finish your report.
However, before getting in touch, claimants are urged to check they qualify for it and to check it's not due to reach you late.
Do I qualify for a payment?
The full list of benefits that mean you qualify for the payment are as follows:
- Universal Credit
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
You'll also need to have been in receipt of a payment during what's known as the qualifying period – which for this payment was between 13 November 2023 and 12 December 2023.
If you're claiming Universal Credit, you may also get the payment if your assessment period ended during the qualifying period.
However, you won't be eligible for the payments if you're only getting the below benefits:
- New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Contributory ESA
- New Style Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
You also won't get the payment if your benefit was reduced to £0, known as a ‘nil award’, during the qualifying period. This sometimes happens if your earnings or savings have gone up.
The DWP has also confirmed that you may miss the Cost of Living payment if your Tax Credits entitlement for the tax year is below £26.
This happens if you haven't worked enough hours over the course of the year.
How can I check if I've received the payment?
You can check whether the money has been paid into your account by looking out for one of the following codes on your bank statement.
This will be your National Insurance number followed by either 'DWP COL' if you're due to be paid by the DWP, or 'HMRC COLS' if you're due the money from HMRC.
What are the Cost of Living payments?
The government's Cost of Living payments are cash grants given to families on low incomes to help them pay for essential living costs, as the rate of inflation has accelerated over the past couple of years.
The payments are given to anyone who claims certain eligible benefits including Universal Credit and tax credits.
Cost of Living payments were first introduced in 2022, when two payments worth a total of £650 were given out in July and November.
A second group of payments was then announced in November 2022 to cover the financial year 2023-2024, worth £900 in 3 separate handouts. The first two were issued during 2023.
Are there more Cost of Living payments to come?
No, there are no more plans for future Cost of Living payments.
In November, Labour MP Sir George Howarth asked whether the payments would continue into 2024.
Mims Davies, MP and DWP representative at the DWP confirmed: 'There are currently no plans to extend the cost of living payments beyond the spring.
She said that this was because the rate of inflation had slowed and the government would be increasing benefits to help low-income households.
This comes after the Chancellor announced benefits would be increased by 6.7% in his Autumn Statement. 5.5 million households on Universal Credit will benefit from this, seeing an increase of £470 over the next tax year.
More financial help for families
Anyone who isn't eligible for the Cost of Living payments, but is still struggling with household bills could get help through the Household Support Fund – an £842 million fund given to local councils to support low-income families in their area.
How councils allocate this money and who is eligible varies from council to council, but it could see you getting supermarket vouchers towards the food bill, cash grants and even air fryers and slow cookers in some situations.
You'll find plenty more help and advice on all things money and Cost of Living on the Netmums website.
And find out what you're entitled to – and how to claim – plus learn more about your rights as a parent with our handy guides to family benefits and entitlements.
Plus, discover Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis's top tips on everything from switching bank accounts, energy bills, unmissable deals and more.
Related stories
Payments worth £4k available for low-income families – to help with cost of living
Thousands of families to get £100 to help with rising cost of living
