Cost of Living Payments 2023 to 2024

You may be able to get up to 5 payments to help with the cost of living if you’re getting certain benefits or tax credits.

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

Low income benefits and tax credits Cost of Living Payment eligibility

You may be entitled to up to 3 Cost of Living Payments of £301, £300 and £299 if you get 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

The payment will be made separately from your benefit payments.

If you have a joint claim on the qualifying dates, a single payment of £301, £300 and £299 will be sent using the same payment method used between these dates, if you’re eligible.

£301£300 Cost of Living Payment eligibility

Universal Credit

You are eligible for the firstCost of Living Payment of £300 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 18 August 2023 to 17 September 2023.

Income-based JSA, income-based ESA, Income Support and Pension Credit

You are eligible for the Cost of Living Payment of £300 if you were entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit for any day in the period 18 August 2023 to 17 September 2023.

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.

Tax credits

You are eligible for the Cost of Living Payment of £300 if you received a payment of tax credits for any day in the period 18 August 2023 to 17 September 2023, or if you later receive a payment for any day in that period.

£301 Cost of Living Payment eligibility

Universal Credit

You are eligible for the Cost of Living Payment of £301 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 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023.

Income-based JSA, income-based ESA, Income Support and Pension Credit

You are eligible for the first Cost of Living Payment of £301 if you were entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit for any day in the period 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023.

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.

Tax credits

You are eligible for the first Cost of Living Payment of £301 if you received a payment of tax credits for any day in the period 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023, or if you are later foundreceive to have been entitled to a payment for thisany day in that period.

£300 and £299 Cost of Living PaymentsPayment

This guidance will be updated with the qualifying dates for the £300 and £299 Cost of Living PaymentsPayment when they have been announced.

When you will not be eligible: ‘NilDWP awards’benefits

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 could not pay for rent, heating, food or hygiene needs

When you’llyou will not be paideligible: tax credits

IfYou you’rewill entitled,not yoube willeligible get:for the Cost of Living Payment if your tax credits entitlement for the tax year is below £26.

Payment dates for low income benefits and tax credits Cost of Living Payment

Amount of payment	Your benefit or tax credits	Payment dates
£301	Universal paidCredit Income-based JSA Income-based ESA Income betweenSupport Pension Credit	Between 25 April 2023 and 17 May 2023 for most people
£301	Tax oncredits DWPand benefits £301no paidother betweenlow income benefit	Between 2 May and 9 May 2023 for most people
£300	Universal onCredit Income-based JSA Income-based ESA Income taxSupport Pension Credit	Between 31 October and 19 November 2023 for most people
£300	Tax credits and no other low income benefits £300benefit	Between paid10 duringNovember autumnand 19 November 2023 for most people
£299	Universal paidCredit Income-based JSA Income-based ESA Income duringSupport Pension Credit	By spring 2024 for most people
£299	Tax credits and no other low income benefit	By spring 2024 for most people

If you’re getting both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, you will receive a Cost of Living Payment for Child Tax Credit only, which will be paid by HMRC.

If you’re 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 a qualifying benefit at a later date or you change the account your benefit or tax credits are paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically.

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.

This guidance will be updated with the payment dates before each payment starts.

Disability Cost of Living Payment eligibility

You may be entitled to a Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 if you’re getting any of any of the following benefits:

• 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

You must have received a payment (or later receive a payment) of one of these benefits for 1 April 2023 to get the Disability Cost of Living Payment.

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

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

Guidance on the Disability Cost of Living Payment is also available in easy read format.

When

Payment you’lldates befor paid

the Disability Cost of Living Payment

Most people were paid the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment automatically between 20 June 2023 and 4 July 2023.

Payments were made to people who were getting a qualifying disability benefit from DWP before payments to people who were getting a qualifying benefit from the Ministry of Defence.

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

Find out how to report a missing Cost of Living Payment

Most people should have received their £301 Cost of Living Payment and £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment for 2023.

Find out how to report a missing Cost of Living Payment, if you think you should have had one of the following payments, but you cannot see it in your bank, building society or credit union account:

• £301 Cost of Living Payment for a low income benefit,
• £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment

DoThe not£300 reportCost theof sameLiving missingPayment paymentfor morea thanlow once.income Webenefit will replybe paid between 31 October and 19 November 2023 for most people. You will be able to youreport asit soonmissing asfrom we20 can.November 2023.

You do not need to contact us about future Cost of Living Payments. You’ll be paid automatically if you’re entitled.

Pensioner Cost of Living Payment

If you’re entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2023 to 2024, you will get an extra £150 or £300 paid with your normal payment from November 2023.

The full amount of Winter Fuel Payment (including the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment) you will get for winter 2023 to 2024 depends on when you were born and your circumstances during the qualifying dates.

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2023 to 2024 if you were born before 25 September 1957.

This guidance will be updated with the qualifying dates for the payment when they are published.

You will be sent a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you’ll get if you’re eligible.

2022 Cost of Living Payments

This guidance is about Cost of Living Payments being made in 2023 and 2024. You can read about the Cost of Living Payments in 2022 in separate guidance.

Other help

Find out what other benefits and financial support you might be able to get to help with your living costs.

Use an independent benefits calculator 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 in England
• the Discretionary Assistance Fund in Wales
• a Crisis Grant or Community Care Grant in Scotland
• Discretionary Support or a Short-term Benefit Advance in Northern Ireland