DWP confirms exact date when £301 cost of living payment will hit bank accounts

26 March 2023 , 23:01

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DWP has confirmed the first cost of living payment for 2023 (Image: Getty Images)

Millions of people claiming means-tested benefits will receive the first part of the £900 cost of living payment starting next month.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed £301 will be sent to eligible households between April 25 and May 17 .

This is the first of three DWP cost of living payments set to be issued to help with rising bills, totalling up to £900.

In order to receive the money next month, you must be claiming one of the following means-tested benefits during the qualifying period.

The benefits are:

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• Universal Credit

• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Income Support

• Pension Credit

You need to have been entitled to a payment between January 26 and February 25 to receive the £301, or received a payment for an assessment period ending between these dates.

Low-income pensioners not already getting Pension Credit can still qualify for the £301 if they backdate a Pension Credit application by May 19.

Those who receive just Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit - so no DWP benefits - are also eligible for the £301.

However, HMRC will pay this first instalment at a later date, which has yet to be confirmed.

Dates for the second and third instalment of the £900 cost of living payments - set to be worth £300 and £299 - have also yet to be announced.

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The second payment is due to be sent in summer 2023, while the third payment will be sent in spring 2024.

All the cost of living payments will be tax-free, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards.

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There will be a disability cost of living payment worth £150 being sent out during summer 2023.

This includes those in receipt of one of the following benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Scottish Disability Benefits
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• War Pension Mobility Supplement

There will also be a £300 pensioner cost of living payment to all eligible households that get a Winter Fuel Payment.

The dates for both the £150 disability and £300 pensioner cost of living payments have not yet been confirmed.

Levi Winchester