Cost of Living Payments

The government has sent the final 'Cost of Living Payment'. You should have got it if you get a benefit based on your income - for example, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or tax credits.

If you were eligible, the government should have sent you a payment of £299 during spring 2024 between 6 and 22 February 2024.

You should have got the payment if you got any of the following benefits between 13 November to 12 December 2023:

Universal Credit
Pension Credit
Working Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit
income-based Jobseekers Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Income Support

You’ll only have got one £299 payment - even if you got more than 1 of these benefits.

If you’re waiting for a decision on your benefits claim, you won’t get the Cost of Living Payment until your claim is successful.

If your benefits are paid to someone else, like your landlord, you should still have got the Cost of Living Payment.

If you didn't get a previous Cost of Living Payment

If you think you should have got a Cost of Living Payment, you can report a missing payment on GOV.UK.

You should have got an extra Cost of Living Payment if you were getting a disability benefit on 1 April 2023 - you would have got this payment between 20 June and 4 July 2023.

You would have been eligible for this one-off payment if you get any of the following benefits:

Disability Living Allowance
Personal Independence Payment
Attendance Allowance
Adult Disability Payment
Child Disability Payment
Armed Forces Independence Payment
Constant Attendance Allowance
War Pension Mobility Supplement

To get this payment you must have either:

been getting one of these benefits on 1 April 2023
applied for one of these benefits by 1 April 2023 - you won't get the payment until your claim is successful

If you didn't get a previous Cost of Living Payment

If you think you should have got a Cost of Living Payment, you can report a missing payment on GOV.UK.

You should have got a Cost of Living Payment of either £300 or £150 - you would have got this payment at the same time as your usual Winter Fuel Payment. This was paid between November 2023 and 26 January 2024.

You're usually entitled to Winter Fuel Payments if you’re of State Pension age in the third week of September. The State Pension age is 66.

You should have got a £300 Cost of Living Payment at the same time as your Winter Fuel Payment if you live either:

on your own
with people who don’t qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment

If you live with someone else who qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment, the amount you should have got depends on whether either of you get any of the following:

Pension Credit
income-related Employment Support Allowance
income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

If either you or the person you live with gets one of these benefits, you should have got £300 - as long as you’re not partners. If you’re partners, you should have only got one £300 payment.

If neither of you gets one of these benefits, you should have both got £150.

If you live in residential care and qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment, you should have both got £150 unless you get any of these benefits.

If you didn't get a Cost of Living Payment with your Winter Fuel Payment

If you think you should have got a Cost of Living Payment, you should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

Check how to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on GOV.UK.

Last updated: 02/04/2024

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