Cost of Living Payments and One-Off Crisis Support

Between 2022 and 2024 the government made one-off cost-of-living payments to three groups:

• Working-age means-tested benefit households received the £900 payment in three tranches: £301 in spring 2023, £300 in autumn 2023, and £299 in spring 2024. To qualify for a tranche you had to be entitled to a payment of Universal Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support, Pension Credit, Working Tax Credit, or Child Tax Credit for any day in the specific qualifying period set out in the regulations for that tranche.
• Pensioner households received an extra £300 added to the Winter Fuel Payment in winter 2022/23 and winter 2023/24. This was paid automatically to anyone qualifying for Winter Fuel Payment.
• People on qualifying disability benefits (PIP, DLA, AA, Armed Forces Independence Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance, War Pension Mobility Supplement, Adult Disability Payment, Child Disability Payment) received £150 in 2022 and £150 in 2023.

All these payments were tax-free, did not count as income for any benefit calculation, and did not affect the benefit cap. They were paid automatically by DWP and HMRC — no application was needed.

The legal basis was the Social Security (Additional Payments) Acts 2022 and 2023. Both Acts are now spent.

Most eligible households received their Cost of Living Payments automatically. But some are still receiving them in 2025-2026 because their underlying benefit award for the qualifying period was determined late — for example, a Mandatory Reconsideration or tribunal eventually overturned a refusal and the award was backdated into a Cost of Living qualifying period.

If you believe you should have received a Cost of Living Payment and did not, check:

• Were you entitled to (not necessarily paid) one of the qualifying benefits for any day in the qualifying period? Nil-amount awards under the UC taper count if the entitlement was still alive.
• Did you make a successful Mandatory Reconsideration or tribunal appeal that resulted in your benefit being backdated to cover a qualifying period?
• Did you start a new claim under "transitional protection" rules where you were entitled to legacy benefits?

If yes, contact the DWP Cost of Living Helpline (the dedicated team set up to handle missed payments) — though this team is being wound down in 2026. After it closes, complaints go via the standard DWP complaints procedure and ultimately the Independent Case Examiner.

The cliff-edge end of the Cost of Living Payments programme has not been replaced by a single national scheme. Instead, three overlapping things now provide crisis support:

1. Crisis and Resilience Fund (England). The Household Support Fund ended on 31 March 2026 (it was extended into 2025-2026 with an additional £742 million for the year). Since 1 April 2026, councils in England run the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which supports low-income households who encounter a financial shock. Councils decide how to run their Crisis Payment schemes, so eligibility and the help on offer vary by area; the Housing Payment is for people entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. Use the find your council service then search the council's website for "Crisis Payment" or "Housing Payment" (the names councils must use for their schemes).
2. Winter Fuel Payment (age-based, no means test). The restriction to households receiving Pension Credit or another qualifying means-tested benefit applied to winter 2024-2025 only and was reversed. The payment is now age-based: for winter 2026-27 anyone born on or before 27 June 1960 who lived in England or Wales during the qualifying week is paid automatically, at between £100 and £300 per person depending on age and who else in the household is eligible. HMRC recovers the whole payment from anyone whose own taxable income is over £35,000. The Pensioner Cost of Living Payment that used to be added to it has closed. See the Winter Fuel Payment guide for the detail.
3. Cold Weather Payment. Continues unchanged. Pays £25 for each 7-consecutive-day period when the average temperature in your area is 0°C or below, between 1 November and 31 March. Paid automatically to people on Universal Credit (in some circumstances), Pension Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support, and Support for Mortgage Interest. Scotland operates the more generous Winter Heating Payment under devolved welfare powers — see jurisdiction variants.

Other support that has continued from the 2022-2024 period:

• Warm Home Discount — £150 off winter electricity bills for qualifying low-income households. Automatic for most Pension Credit Guarantee Credit households; broader Core Group 2 eligibility for some Universal Credit recipients with high energy costs.
• Energy supplier hardship funds — most major energy suppliers run grant schemes. British Gas, Octopus, OVO, EDF, Scottish Power, and EON all publish grant criteria on their websites. Apply through Citizens Advice or directly with the supplier.
• Council Tax Reduction — separately means-tested by each council, can reduce council tax by up to 100% for the poorest households. Apply through your council.

The lack of a unified national replacement means you have to look in multiple places. The most effective order:

1. Check Pension Credit eligibility if anyone in your household is over State Pension age. The official calculator takes 5 minutes. Pension Credit unlocks Cold Weather Payment, Council Tax Reduction, free TV licence (75+), free dental and prescription costs, and Warm Home Discount automatically.
2. Use a full benefits check at entitledto.co.uk, Turn2us, or via Citizens Advice. Many people are entitled to means-tested benefits they have never claimed.
3. Ask your council about the Crisis and Resilience Fund (England). Councils decide how to run their schemes, so ask how to apply and what help is on offer.
4. Contact your energy supplier about their hardship fund. Mention that you are facing affordability difficulties. Suppliers must signpost you to support under their Standards of Conduct.
5. Apply for Council Tax Reduction through your council if you have not done so. Working-age and pension-age schemes are run separately and may have different rules.
6. Check Disabled Facilities Grant eligibility for adaptations to your home that reduce energy use or improve accessibility.
7. Get a free debt and benefits check from Citizens Advice, StepChange, or National Debtline. All free, all confidential.

The complexity and on-and-off nature of these payments has created persistent confusion. Common misunderstandings:

• "I will get another £900 payment soon" — no. The 2022-2024 programme is closed. No further tranches are scheduled. Any communication promising new Cost of Living Payments in your name is a scam — report to Action Fraud.
• "The Cost of Living Payments will reduce my UC" — no. The payments did not count as income or capital for any benefit. They had no effect on UC, Housing Benefit, or Council Tax Reduction calculations.
• "I need to apply" — no. The original payments were automatic. You cannot apply now, and any "application service" charging a fee is a scam.
• "You need Pension Credit to get the Winter Fuel Payment" — no. The restriction to Pension Credit households applied to winter 2024-2025 only and was reversed. For winter 2026-27 anyone born on or before 27 June 1960 who lived in England or Wales during the qualifying week is paid automatically, with no means test. The catch is that HMRC recovers the whole payment from anyone whose own taxable income is over £35,000.
• "Cold Weather Payment and Winter Fuel Payment are the same" — no. They are separate schemes. CWP is triggered by actual cold weather in your area; WFP is an annual payment that depends on your age, and it is paid to each eligible person rather than once per household.