DWP £299 cost of living payment 48-hour warning with action needed in some cases

The £299 final cost of living payment is arriving in accounts now – but officials warn that some may need to apply if they don’t receive it

Benefits claimants are being given a 48-hour warning over the last £299 cost of living payment. The cash has been landing in the bank accounts of those who are eligible, and the Department for Work and Pensions now says that 99 per cent of the eight million people have been paid it.

However, this still means that potentially more than 80,000 people have missed out so far, and officials are saying they are currently trying to identify those who are due the money and have not yet been paid it. The cash is being paid between 6 and 22 February 2024 – meaning there are just 48 hours to go.

If people believe they are eligible to receive it they can only report it missing from February 23. Those people need to have been getting Universal Credit, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, or Pension Credit or the qualifying dates between 13 November 2023 to 12 December 2023.

It should be automatically paid into the account where normal benefits go – and there is a special code to look out for – the payment reference for bank accounts will be the recipient’s National Insurance Number followed by DWP COL or HMRC COLS.

It is also being paid by the HMRC to families, who receive tax credits and no other qualifying benefits. It is the third of three payments totalling up to £900 and comes as part of the government’s £104 billion cost of living support package.

If customers have not received the Cost of Living Payment from HMRC between the published payment dates, but believe they are eligible, they should wait until after 23 February to contact the DWP and HMRC. This is to allow time for their bank, building society or credit union to process the payment.

Receiving a previous Cost of Living Payment does not guarantee customers will get this payment. Customers must meet the individual eligibility criteria for each payment, as published on GOV.UK. Anyone who wants to report a missing payment can do so on the GOV website by clicking here after February 23.

The authorities are warning customers about scams targeting Cost of Living Payments. If someone contacts them about this payment saying they are from HMRC or DWP, it might be a scam. People can check advice on spotting scams by visiting GOV.UK and searching ‘HMRC phishing and scams’. They can also check on GOV.UK that any contact is genuinely from HMRC.