The final £299 cost of living payment has now been made to anyone entitled to the old government grant. Here we explain what was available, and what other help from the DWP is still there to claim in September.
Financial support worth a total of £1,350 was offered to the most vulnerable households during the cost of living crisis.
Some eight million families received a cost of living payment of £900 split into three instalments and the final instalment was paid between February 6, 2024 and February 22, 2024. There was also extra help for people who were disabled or pensioners.
But while there are no new cost of living payments scheduled, there are several other support payments available from the DWP in August.
New work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall has extended the Household Support Fund for the next six months – meaning it will run until at least April 2025 – to help families struggling with the cost of energy, food and water.
In this article, we explain:
- Will there be another cost of living payment in 2024?
- Are there any other benefits I could be due?
- Full list of DWP dates in July 2024
- Where can I go for further financial support?
Read more: What you need to know about the cost of living crisis in 2024
Will there be another cost of living payment in 2024?
The final cost of living payment, worth £299, was paid in February. Everybody eligible for the payment will have received it by Thursday, February 22, at the latest.
The payment did not need to be claimed; it was sent out automatically to bank accounts.
So far there are no announced plans from the new Labour government to re-instate them.
What was the £900 cost of living payment?
A £900 cost of living payment was given to the poorest households in the country who receive means-tested benefits.
The payments were made in three batches on the following dates:
- The first payment of £301 was made between April 25 and May 17
- A second payment of £300 was made between October 31 and November 19
- A final £299 payment was made between February 6 and February 22, 2024
To qualify for the £900 payment, you must have been receiving means-tested benefits between January 26 and February 25, 2023.
This £900 was on top of the £650 that most households had already received and was split into two instalments:
- £326 was paid out from July 2022
- The second payment of £324 was paid in November 2022
The extra financial support was offered to more than eight million households in the UK.
If you were eligible for the cost of living payments, they will have been paid directly and automatically by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) so you did not have to apply.
The DWP warned at the time that if anybody asked you to apply for these payments, it could be a scam.
The cost of living payments were exempt from tax and did not count towards the benefit cap either, meaning they did not affect any awards you were already receiving.
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How to report missing cost of living payment
A number of readers contacted Times Money Mentor to say they have not received their third cost of living payment. If you think you’re eligible, but you have not received any money, you can report a missing cost of living payment on the government website. You will need to have your national insurance number, which you can find here if you have lost it.
You only need to report the missing payment once. The DWP says it will reply to you as soon as it can.
If you haven’t received the money, you might want to or contact us and we might be able to investigate on your behalf: [email protected]
Are there any other benefits I could be due?
Despite the ending of cost of living payments, there are a series of other schemes from the government that could offer some help.
The Household Support Fund (HSF) is a key way to do this. This is a £421 million fund from central government that people struggling to pay for life’s essentials can access through their local council.
Funding for this has now been extended until April 2025.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Extending theHousehold Support Fund is the right thing to do – provide targeted support for those who need it most as we head into the winter months.”
Local councils are free to allocate the funds as they see best. For example, Medway Council in Kent has been offering supermarket vouchers worth up to £225. Meanwhile, Wakefield council has been offering supermarket vouchers worth £75.
Councils are also providing cash grants and energy bill assistance. You will need to visit your local council’s website to find out what support may still be available.
If you’re on a low income or currently out of work, make sure you know whether or not you’re eligible to claim universal credit. If you’re above state pension age and on a low income you might be eligible for pensions credit.
There are also a string of other benefits and grants you might be entitled to. You can check what benefits you may be entitled to on the government site here.
Several charities also provide calculators to work out how much you are likely to receive. Here are three of the biggest:
Full list of DWP dates in September 2024
The date a DPW benefit is paid depends on two things:
- Which benefit you’re claiming
- When you started claiming it
Universal credit is paid monthly on the anniversary of your first payment, while disability living allowance, attendance allowance, personal independence payments, pension credits and the state pension are paid every four weeks.
Employment and support allowance, jobseeker’s allowance and income support are usually paid every two weeks.
People claiming carer’s allowance, HMRC tax credits and child benefit are paid weekly or every four weeks. Maternity allowance is either paid every two weeks or every four weeks.
Repayments are automatically deducted from Universal Credit payments.
If there is a bank holiday, some payment dates can change. Typically it means people scheduled to receive a payment on the holiday will instead receive it on the closest working day before that holiday.
However, with no bank holidays scheduled for September, payments will go ahead as normal.
Extra help and support schemes
A number of charities and energy suppliers offer support schemes and customer grants.
It is worth checking with your energy firm and with Citizen’s Advice to see what is available, especially if you are in debt to your supplier.
If you can’t get a grant from your supplier, you might be able to get one from the British Gas Energy Trust.You don’t have to be a customer of British Gas but you do need to have spoken to a debt adviser first.
Financial firms have also been instructed to look out for people struggling with affordability. Mortgage lenders are required to offer tailored support to people having problems meeting bills, while people with overdrafts, credit cards, car finance or other forms of credit have also got increased protection.
If you are struggling to pay bills, reach out to your lender and ask what support they can offer.
Read more: How winter fuel payments work now
Budgeting advance loans
A ‘budgeting advance loan’ is for people on Universal Credit who have an emergency lack of money. The repayment period for these loans is two years.
These loans are interest-free and you can borrow up to:
- £348 if you’re single
- £464 if you’re part of a couple
- £812 if you have children
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