More than 8.3 million cost of living payments of £301 for people on eligible benefits, including Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Tax Credits, landed in bank accounts across the country between April 25 and May 17, 2023. However, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now updated online guidance to enable claimants who think they might be due the payment to report it missing.
The money is the first part of the £900 means-tested cost of living financial support with further payments of £300 and £299 due in the autumn and spring 2024 respectively. A recent impact analysis of the cost of living payments published on GOV.UK suggests an additional 42,000 households will qualify for the £300 due this autumn.
To use the ‘Report a missing £301 Cost of Living Payment for a low income benefit or Tax Credits’ form on GOV.UK, you will need your National Insurance number.
The guidance on GOV.UK states: “The £301 payment for people on low income benefits and tax credits was paid between 25 April 2023 and 17 May 2023 for most people.
“If you think you should have had the £301 payment, but you cannot see it in your bank, building society or credit union account, you can report a missing Cost of Living Payment.”
However, it urges people to report a missing payment once, it said: “If you have already reported a missing payment, you do not need to report it again. We will reply to you as soon as we can.”
People are also asked to check their bank, building society or credit union account before reporting the £301 payment missing.
Who can report the payment missing?
If you were expecting a £301 cost of living payment for one of the following benefits or Tax Credits but have not received it, you can report it as missing:
- 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
To report your payment missing, go to the GOV.UK homepage here and enter ‘Report a missing Cost of Living Payment’ into the search bar. We won’t add a direct link to the page to prevent any fraud attempts.
Benefits that do not qualify for £301 payment
You will not get a payment if you are only getting:
- New Style ESA
- Contributory ESA
- New Style JSA
Joint claims
If you have a joint claim on the qualifying dates, a single payment of £301 should have been sent using the same payment method, if you’re eligible.
Universal Credit eligibility
You are eligible for the £301 cost of living payment if you were entitled to a payment, or later found to be entitled to a payment, of Universal Credit for an assessment period that ended in the period January 26, 2023 to February 25, 2023.
Universal Credit ‘nil awards’
You will not be eligible for the cost of living payment if your benefit is 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 is 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 owe
- you had a hardship payment because you got a sanction and could not pay for rent, heating, food or hygiene needs
Pension Credit and other income-related benefits
Guidance on GOV.UK explains that people on Income-based JSA, income-based ESA, Income Support and Pension Credit should be due the £301 payment if they were entitled to a payment - or later found to be entitled to a payment - of those benefits for “any day in the period 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023”.
It adds: “You are also eligible if you are entitled to one of these benefits for any day during this period but you do not receive a benefit payment because your entitlement is between 1 penny and 9 pence.”
New Pension Credit claims and £301 payment
The DWP is also encouraging low-income pensioners not already getting Pension Credit to check their eligibility, as they can still qualify for the £301 cost of living payment if they make an application for Pension Credit application before Friday May 19, 2023 which later turns out to be successful.
This is because Pension Credit is a retrospective benefit that can be backdated by up to three months, taking it to within the qualifying period (January 26 - February 25).
People can check their eligibility for Pension Credit using the online calculator on GOV.UK here or by calling the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234.
Tax Credits
People on Working Tax Credits or Child Tax Credits and a qualifying DWP benefit should have received the payment from between May 2 and May 9, 2023.
You will be eligible for the £301 payment if you received a payment of Tax Credits for any day in the period January 26, 2023 to February 25, 2023, or you are later found to have been entitled to a payment for this period.
To keep up to date with the latest cost of living news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, follow us on Twitter @Record_Money, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out Monday to Friday - sign up here.
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