Thousands more people are set to receive the next DWP cost of living payment when it is handed out on key dates this autumn. Figures indicate the cash will sent to many more low-income households than the previous instalment.
During this financial year, three payments totalling £900 will go to those on means-tested benefits including Universal Credit. The first part of £301 was paid out between April 25 and May 17, with eligibility based on receiving any of eight state benefits between January 26 and February 25, 2023.
The DWP said the £301 sum went to 8,097,000 households, with the majority going to 4,513,000 families on Universal Credit, followed by 1,384,000 who get Pension Credit and 1,128,000 on income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Small numbers of families on income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support and tax credits also had the payment. The total number included 783,000 payments made to households in the West Midlands - 10 per cent of the total.
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But there will be an increased number of recipients for the next instalment of £300. Government figures indicate 8,139,000 households will get this second instalment, including 4,825,000 on Universal Credit, 1,344,000 on Pension Credit, 1,059,000 on income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and small numbers on income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support and tax credits.
Based on those figures, the new rollout is going to 42,000 more households across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. But it could be far higher, as the number of people claiming Universal Credit - one of the eligible benefits for the payment - has just risen by 300,000 to a new all-time high of 6.1 million.
At the time of the first instalment, the number receiving Universal Credit was 5.8 million, though only 4.5 million received the £301 sum due to the rules on deciding who is eligible during the qualifying period and who is excluded - which we have detailed below.
The number claiming Universal Credit has been increasing since March 2022, when it was 5.5 million, and is now larger than its previous peak of 6 million in March 2021, during the Covid pandemic.
What are the DWP cost of living payment dates?
There is heightened interest in the key dates for the next cost of living payment including many questions being asked every day on the BirminghamLive's Cost of Living group. All we know at this point is that the £300 payment is due this autumn. But we can probably expect a DWP announcement this month.
MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis says he thinks the next cost of living payment will be in October or November. Some benefit claimants claim they have already been told by jobcentre staff that it will be paid out in October.
The dates for previous cost of living payments have been announced about a month before they are sent out so it is possible we could find out the dates in September.
A qualifying period will be announced at the same time as the payment dates. This will be a timeframe when you must have been receiving one of the benefits listed above or, in the case of Universal Credit, have had an assessment period ending.
What's the full cost of living payment schedule for 2023/2024?
These are all the payments that are being made by the DWP over this financial year:
- £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
Who is eligible for this next payment?
You may be entitled to the payment if you get any of the following benefits or tax credits on certain dates:
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit
- income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
Note that only the income-based forms of ESA and JSA are eligible. You will not get a payment if you are only getting New Style ESA, contributory ESA, or New Style JSA.
You do not need to apply for the payment. If you are eligible, you will be paid automatically in the same way you usually get your benefit or tax credits - it will go into the same account. However, if you change your account or you haven't provided up-to-date details of an active account, the money may bounce back to the DWP and will have to be sent again at a later stage.
What are the exclusion rules that could stop you getting the payment?
Government guidance says you will not be eligible for the cost of living payment if your benefit is reduced to zero for the qualifying period. This is sometimes called a nil award. Reasons your benefit may be reduced to £0 include:
- you received more than one payment of earnings in your Universal Credit assessment period - this double wage reduces benefit entitlement to zero. Around 40 per cent of UC claimants have a job but weekends, bank holidays and employer errors can mean the reported dates of any earnings being shifted from their usual day and cause two sets of wages to land in the same four-week period.
- your or your partner's earnings went up due to a pay rise, extra hours, bonus, back payment or promotion
- your or your partner's savings went up because of such things as a redundancy payout, inheritance, benefits backpayment, insurance payout, tax refund, property sale or compensation award. The DWP is responsible for determining what savings are included or excluded and this can be based on your personal circumstances.
- you started getting another benefit that took your overall income too high to qualify for one of the eligible benefits
- you were given a sanction because you did not do something you agreed in your claimant commitment - this is usually for failing to attend jobcentre appointments and means your benefits are reduced or stopped for a specified period
But you could 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 for council tax, energy bills or other third-party debt
- you were sanctioned but then given an emergency hardship payment because you could not afford to pay for your rent, heating, food or hygiene needs
If you are getting both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, you will receive a £300 cost of living payment for Child Tax Credit only, which will be paid by HMRC into the same account where the Child Tax Credit usually goes in.
If you are getting tax credits from HMRC as well as a low-income benefit from DWP, you will only get one £300 cost of living payment, and that will come from the DWP. If you are given the cost of living payment but later found not to be eligible, you may have to pay it back.
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