Cost of Living Payments
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-12)

Guidance on getting extra payments to help with the cost of living from 2022 to 2024 if you were entitled to certain benefits or tax credits.

DWP is not planning to make any more Cost of Living Payments.

Find out about help you can get with the cost of living (https://www.gov.uk/cost-of-living).

You may have been entitled to payments to help with the cost of living if you were getting certain benefits or tax credits on certain dates between 2022 and 2024.

You do not need to apply for these payments. If you’re eligible, you’re paid automatically in the same way you usually get your benefit or tax credits. This includes if you’re found to be eligible at a later date.

How we decide to make a payment

DWP uses a solely automated system to identify and pay those eligible to receive a Cost of Living Payment.

If you are not content with this decision you can contact us to ask us to explain how the decision was made. You, or someone who has authority to act for you, can do this by writing to or phoning the office who pays your qualifying benefit.

If you want us to reconsider a decision

Tell us if you think we have overlooked something, or you have more information which might change the decision. You can do this by phoning the office that pays for your qualifying benefit.

If you have had a message asking you to apply or contact someone about the payment, this might be a scam (https://www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing).

These payments are not taxable and do not affect the benefits or tax credits you get.

If you have received a Cost of Living Payment, but we later find that you were not eligible for it, you may have to pay it back.

Low income benefits and tax credits Cost of Living Payment

You may have been entitled to Cost of Living Payments of £326, £324, £301, £300 and £299 if you got any of the following benefits or tax credits on certain dates:
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
You will not get a payment if you were only getting New Style ESA, contributory ESA, or New Style JSA.

Universal Credit eligibility and payment dates

Your payment might come later, for example if you’re awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date or you changed the account your benefit was paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically.

Income-based JSA, income-based ESA, Income Support and Pension Credit eligibility and payment dates

You’re also eligible if you were entitled to income-based JSA, income-based ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit for any day during the eligibility period but you did not receive a benefit payment because your entitlement was between 1 penny and 9 pence.

Your payment might come later, for example if you’re awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date or you changed the account your benefit was paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically.

Tax credits eligibility and payment dates

If you were getting both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, you’re entitled to a Cost of Living Payment for Child Tax Credit only, paid by HMRC.

If you were getting tax credits from HMRC and a low income benefit from DWP, you cannot get a Cost of Living Payment from both HMRC and DWP. You will usually be paid by DWP only.

Your payment might come later, for example if you’re awarded tax credits at a later date or you changed the account your tax credits were paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically.

Joint claims

If you had a joint claim on the qualifying dates, you’re entitled to a single payment of £326, £324, £301, £300 and £299, sent by the same payment method used for your benefit or tax credits between these dates.

When you are not eligible: DWP benefits

You are not eligible for the Cost of Living Payment if your benefit was reduced to £0 for the qualifying period. This is sometimes called a ‘nil award’.

Reasons your benefit may be reduced to £0 include:
- you got more than one payment of earnings in your Universal Credit assessment period
- your or your partner’s earnings went up
- your or your partner’s savings went up
- you started getting another benefit
- you got a ‘sanction’ because you did not do something you agreed in your claimant commitment
You may still be eligible for a Cost of Living Payment if your benefit was reduced to £0 and one of the following applies:
- money was taken off your benefit for other reasons, such as payments of rent to your landlord or for money that you owed
- you had a hardship payment because you could not pay for rent, heating, food or hygiene needs
When you are not eligible: tax credits

You are not eligible for the Cost of Living Payment if your tax credits entitlement for the tax year is below £26.

Disability Cost of Living Payment eligibility

You may have been entitled to 2 Disability Cost of Living Payments of £150 if you were getting any of the following benefits on certain dates:
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance for adults
- Disability Living Allowance for children
- Personal Independence Payment
- Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland)
- Child Disability Payment (in Scotland)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- War Pension Mobility Supplement
Disability Cost of Living Payment eligibility and payment dates

Your payment might come later, for example if you’re awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date or you changed the account your benefit is paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically.

If you were getting a qualifying benefit from the Ministry of Defence and a qualifying benefit from DWP, you get a Disability Cost of Living Payment from DWP only.

Guidance on the Disability Cost of Living Payment is also available in easy read format. Disability Cost of Living Payment easy read (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6492d00b103ca6000c03a2ba/disability-cost-of-living-payment-easy-read.pdf) (PDF, 2.45 MB, 8 pages)

Report a missing Cost of Living Payment

Most people should have received their Cost of Living Payment.

Contact the office that pays your qualifying benefit or tax credits if you think you were eligible for a Cost of Living Payment but you cannot see it in your bank, building society or credit union account.

Pensioner Cost of Living Payment

If you were entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2022 to 2023 or winter 2023 to 2024, you will have got an extra £150 or £300 paid with your normal payment. This was in addition to any Cost of Living Payment you got with your benefit or tax credits.

The full amount of Winter Fuel Payment (including the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment) you got depended on when you were born and your circumstances:
- 2023 to 2024 amounts (https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20231101104621/https:/www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-much-youll-get) of the Winter Fuel Payment and Pensioner Cost of Living Payment
- 2022 to 2023 amounts (https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20221101034509/https:/www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-much-youll-get) of the Winter Fuel Payment and Pensioner Cost of Living Payment
Other help

Find out what other benefits and financial support you might be able to get to help with your living costs (https://www.gov.uk/cost-of-living).

Use an independent benefits calculator (https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators) to find out what benefits you could get.

You may be able to get other kinds of support, including:
- help from the Household Support Fund from your local council (https://www.gov.uk/cost-living-help-local-council) in England
- the Discretionary Assistance Fund (https://www.gov.wales/discretionary-assistance-fund-daf) in Wales
- a Crisis Grant or Community Care Grant (https://www.gov.scot/policies/social-security/income-related-benefits/) in Scotland
- Discretionary Support or a Short-term Benefit Advance (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/contacts-az/finance-support-service-times-crisis-and-need) in Northern Ireland