If you were due to receive a £300 cost of living payment this autumn but have not got the money yet, you can now report it missing.
Millions of households across the UK have received the cash to help them with their finances. People on eligible means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Tax Credits, were due to get the £300 between October 31 and November 19, 2023.
However, the payment window has now closed and anyone who thinks they are eligible, but has not received the lump sum, can now report it missing online. Latest figures indicate some 7.5m payments were made to claimants by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with a further 840,000 people on Tax Credits expected to receive the £300 directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Guidance on GOV.UK states: “The £300 Cost of Living Payment for a low income benefit will be paid between 31 October and 19 November 2023 for most people. You will be able to report it missing from 20 November 2023.”
People who have not yet got the money can report the payment missing through the online portal on the ‘Find out how to report a missing Cost of Living Payment’ page on GOV.UK. The guidance says you will need your National Insurance number before starting the short process, reports the Daily Record.
It also advises: “Before reporting a missing payment, check your bank, building society or credit union account, or your Payment Exception Service voucher receipt. The payment will be made separately from your benefit.” The money would have appeared on accounts as either ‘DWP COL’, or ‘HMRC COLS’, along with the claimant’s National Insurance number.
Qualifying period for £300 cost of living payment
To be eligible for the £300 cost of living payment from DWP:
You need to have been entitled to a payment for a qualifying benefit between August 18 and September 17, or payment for an assessment period, ending between these dates.
To be eligible for the cost of living payment from HMRC:
You need to have received a payment of Tax Credits for any day in the period between August 18 and September 17.
Qualifying benefits for £300 cost of living payment
Eligible households receiving the following benefits should have received the £300 payment:
- Universal Credit
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit – paid by HMRC if no other DWP means-tested benefit is also claimed
- Child Tax Credit – paid by HMRC if no other DWP means-tested benefit is also claimed
Universal Credit ‘nil awards’
You will not be eligible for the £300 cost of living payment if your Universal Credit is reduced to £0 for the qualifying assessment period – often referred to as a ‘nil award’. Guidance on GOV.UK explains: “You will not be eligible for the Cost of Living Payment if your benefit is reduced to £0 for the qualifying period.”
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