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. Household Support Fund. Administered by each upper-tier local authority. Extended into 2025-2026 with an additional £742 million for the year, the HSF helps households facing exceptional pressure with food, energy, water, and essential household items. Apply through your council — eligibility criteria, application process, and award sizes vary significantly by area. Some councils invite applications; others channel the funding through voluntary sector partners. Use the find your council service then search the council's website for "household support fund".
2. Winter Fuel Payment (means-tested from 2024). Since winter 2024-2025 the Winter Fuel Payment of £200 (or £300 if any household member is over 80) has been restricted to households receiving Pension Credit or another qualifying means-tested benefit. The £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment is no longer added. This change increased the urgency of checking Pension Credit eligibility — the take-up rate is below 70% and many older households on the threshold could qualify but have not claimed.
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 Winter Fuel Payment, 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. Apply to your council's Household Support Fund. Each council has different rules. Some require referral via Citizens Advice or a food bank; others accept direct applications. Award sizes range from £50 vouchers to £500+ cash grants depending on circumstances and council.
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.
• "Pensioners always get the Winter Fuel Payment" — no. From winter 2024-2025 the WFP is means-tested. Pensioners who do not claim Pension Credit (and do not qualify for another means-tested benefit) no longer receive WFP.
• "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 a flat winter payment to qualifying older households.