Cost of living payment: will I get 2024 Universal Credit DWP payment, dates, when is it - and who gets it?

Households on low incomes have begun to receive the third and a final cost-of-living payment of £299 this week.

It is the third of up to three payments totalling up to £900 paid to eligible households on means-tested benefits over 2023/24, and comes as part of a support package that has been helping households since autumn 2021.

But when exactly will the payment be made, who is eligible for it, and is there anything you need to do to receive it? Here is everything you need to know about it.

When will I get my cost of living payment?

The third and final instalment of the £900 payment will be made in February 2024.

Eligible claimants of qualifying benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will be paid between 6 February 2024 and 22 February 2024.

Households receiving tax credits only will receive payments from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) between 16 and 22 February.

The reason the instalments are a slightly different amount each time is to make it easier for DWP and HMRC to track which grants people have received and in order to minimise fraud or scam risks.

Read more: Cost of living payment: DWP confirms exact date final £299 instalment will arrive

Who is eligible for the cost of living payment?

You are eligible for cost of living payments if you are claiming the following benefits:

• Universal credit
• Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Income support
• Pension credit
• Working tax credit
• Child tax credit

The assessment period for these payments ran from between November 13 and December 12 2023. The Government advises that if your benefit was reduced to £0 during this period, also known as a “nil award”, you will not be eligible for the cost of living payment.

For more information visit the Gov.uk website.

How do I get the cost of living payment?

The payments will be sent out automatically to eligible claimants, and recipients do not need to apply or take any action to get the payment. The £299 instalment will be sent automatically by the DWP and HMRC.

The payment, which is tax-free and does not have any impact on your existing benefits, should show up on your bank statement as “DWP COL” or “DWP COLP”.

I need further help, what can I do?

The UK Government said it will continue to support vulnerable people with the cost of living from April by uprating benefits in line with inflation by 6.7% and maintaining the triple lock and increasing the state pension by 8.5%, among other measures.

People can check the Help for Households website to see what cost-of-living schemes are available.

According to figures released by the Insolvency Service last week, the number of people needing breathing space from their debts jumped by 25% in 2023 compared with the previous year.

Across England and Wales, there were 88,390 registered breathing spaces in 2023, comprising of 86,928 standard and 1,462 mental health breathing space registrations, the Insolvency Service said.

A standard breathing space is available to people with problem debt and gives legal protections from creditor action for up to 60 days. A mental health crisis breathing space is available to someone who is receiving mental health crisis treatment.

It lasts as long as the person’s mental health crisis treatment, plus 30 days.