Cost of Living Payment 2022
Guidance on getting an extra payment to help with the cost of living if you were entitled to certain benefits or tax credits in 2022.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
Cost of Living Payments 2023 to 2024
Read about further Cost of Living Payments to be made between spring 2023 and spring 2024.
Most people should have received their 2022 Cost of Living Payment.
If you were eligible, you’ll be paid automatically in the same way you usually get your benefit or tax credits. This includes if you’re found to be eligible for a Cost of Living Payment or a Disability Cost of Living Payment at a later date.
If you have had a message asking you to apply or contact someone about the payment, this might be a scam.
You could get up to 3 different types of payment depending on your circumstances on a particular date or during a particular period:
- a Cost of Living Payment, if you were getting a qualifying low income benefit or tax credits
- a Disability Cost of Living Payment, if you were getting a qualifying disability benefit
- a Pensioner Cost of Living Payment, if you’re entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2022 to 2023
These payments are not taxable and will not affect the benefits or tax credits you get.
Low income benefits and tax credits
You may get a payment of £650 paid in 2 lump sums of £326 and £324 if you were getting payments of any of the following:
- Universal Credit
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
The payment will be made separately from your benefit.
You will not get a payment if you were getting New Style Employment and Support Allowance, contributory Employment and Support Allowance, or New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance, unless you were getting Universal Credit as well.
If you had a joint claim with a partner, you will get one payment of £326 and one payment of £324 for your joint claim, if you’re entitled.
Universal Credit
You were eligible for the first Cost of Living Payment of £326 if you were entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of Universal Credit for an assessment period that ended in the period 26 April 2022 to 25 May 2022.
You were eligible for the second Cost of Living Payment of £324 if you were entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of Universal Credit for an assessment period that ended in the period 26 August 2022 to 25 September 2022.
The payment will be made separately from your benefit.
Universal Credit ‘nil awards’
You will not be eligible for the Cost of Living Payment if your Universal Credit is reduced to £0 for the qualifying assessment period. This is sometimes called a ‘nil award’. Reasons your Universal Credit may be reduced to £0 for an assessment period include getting more than one payment of earnings, your or your partner’s earnings go up, your or your partner’s savings go up, you start getting another benefit.
If money has also been taken off for other reasons (such as payments of rent to your landlord or for money that you owe), you might still be eligible.
Income-based JSA, income-based ESA, Income Support and Pension Credit
You were eligible for the first Cost of Living Payment of £326 if you were entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit for any day in the period 26 April 2022 to 25 May 2022.
You were eligible for the second Cost of Living Payment of £324 if you were entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit for any day in the period 26 August 2022 to 25 September 2022.
The payment will be made separately from your benefit.
Tax credits
You were eligible for the first Cost of Living Payment of £326 if you received, or later receive, for any day in the period 26 April 2022 to 25 May 2022 either:
- a payment of tax credits for the tax year 2022 to 2023
- an annual award of at least £26 of tax credits for the tax year 2022 to 2023
You were eligible for the second Cost of Living Payment of £324 if you received, or later receive, for any day in the period 26 August 2022 to 25 September 2022 either:
- a payment of tax credits for the tax year 2022 to 2023
- an annual award of at least £26 of tax credits for the tax year 2022 to 2023
If you were getting both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, you will receive a Cost of Living Payment for Child Tax Credit only, which will be paid by HMRC.
If you were getting tax credits from HMRC and a low income benefit from DWP, you will get a Cost of Living Payment from DWP only.
2022 payment dates for low income benefits and tax credits
| Benefit or tax credits | Cost of Living Payment | When you’ll be paid |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Credit | £326 | Between 14 and 31 July 2022 for most people |
| £324 | Between 8 and 23 November 2022 for most people | |
| Income-based JSA | £326 | Between 14 and 31 July 2022 for most people |
| £324 | Between 8 and 23 November 2022 for most people | |
| Income-related ESA | £326 | Between 14 and 31 July 2022 for most people |
| £324 | Between 8 and 23 November 2022 for most people | |
| Income Support | £326 | Between 14 and 31 July 2022 for most people |
| £324 | Between 8 and 23 November 2022 for most people | |
| Pension Credit | £326 | Between 14 and 31 July 2022 for most people |
| £324 | Between 8 and 23 November 2022 for most people | |
| Tax Credits | £326 | Between 2 and 7 September 2022 for most people |
| £324 | Between 23 and 30 November 2022 for most people |
If you had a joint claim between 26 April and 25 May 2022, a single payment of £326 will be sent using the same payment method used between these dates, if you’re eligible.
If you had a joint claim between 26 August and 25 September 2022, a single payment of £324 will be sent using the same payment method used between these dates, if you’re eligible.
Your payment might come later, for example if you are awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date or you change the account your benefit or tax credits are paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically and do not need to contact DWP or HMRC.
If you have received a Cost of Living Payment, but we later find that you were not eligible for it, you may have to pay it back.
DWP and HMRC are using a computer program to identify those eligible to receive a Cost of Living Payment. If you are not content with this you can contact the office that pays your benefit or tax credits to discuss it.
Disability Cost of Living Payment
You may get a lump sum payment of £150 if you were getting any of the following:
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance for adults
- Disability Living Allowance for children
- Personal Independence Payment
- Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland)
- Child Disability Payment (in Scotland)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- War Pension Mobility Supplement
Eligibility
You must have received a payment (or later receive a payment) of one of these qualifying benefits for 25 May 2022 to get the payment.
If you were getting a qualifying disability benefit from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and a qualifying disability benefit from DWP, you will get a Disability Cost of Living Payment from DWP only.
If you receive a Disability Cost of Living Payment, but we later find that you were not eligible for it, you may have to pay it back.
2022 payment dates for the Disability Cost of Living Payment
Most people were paid the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment between 20 September 2022 and the beginning of October 2022.
Payments will be made to people who were getting a qualifying disability from DWP before payments to people who were getting a qualifying benefit from the Ministry of Defence.
Report a missing Cost of Living Payment
Most people should have received their 2022 Cost of Living Payment.
Contact the office that pays your benefit or tax credits if you think you should have had one of the following payments but you cannot see it in your bank, building society or credit union account:
- £326 or £324 Cost of Living Payment for a low income benefit or tax credits
- £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment
Pensioner Cost of Living Payment
If you’re entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2022 to 2023, you will get an extra £150 or £300 paid with your normal payment from November 2022. This is in addition to any Cost of Living Payment you get with your benefit or tax credits.
The full amount of Winter Fuel Payment you will get for winter 2022 to 2023 depends on your circumstances.
Other help
Find out what other benefits and financial support you might be able to get to help with your living costs.
Use an independent benefits calculator to find out what benefits you could get.
You may be able to get other kinds of support, including:
- help from the Household Support Fund from your local council in England
- the Discretionary Assistance Fund in Wales
- a Crisis Grant or Community Care Grant in Scotland
- Discretionary Support or a Short-term Benefit Advance in Northern Ireland
Last updated 3 January 2023 + show all updates
-
Added link to information about Cost of Living Payments during 2023 and 2024.
-
Updated for people to report a missing Cost of Living Payment of £324 if they get Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income Support or Pension Credit. Clarified that the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment will be £150 or £300, depending on your circumstances.
-
Clarified that you will not be eligible for the Cost of Living Payment if your Universal Credit is reduced to £0 for the qualifying assessment period. This is sometimes called a ‘nil award’. Reasons your Universal Credit may be reduced to £0 for an assessment period include getting more than one payment of earnings, your or your partner’s earnings go up, your or your partner’s savings go up, you start getting another benefit.
-
The second Cost of Living Payment of £324 for people on tax credits will be paid between 23 and 30 November 2022 for most people.
-
Published the qualifying dates and payment dates for the second Cost of Living Payment of £324 for people on low income benefits and tax credits.
-
Updated guidance to enable people to report a missing £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment if they cannot see it in their bank, building society or credit union account.
-
Tax credits claimants can now let HMRC know if they think they should have had the £326 Cost of Living Payment, but cannot see it in their bank, building society or credit union account,
-
Updated guidance to explain you’ll be paid the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment automatically from 20 September 2022. Most people will receive their payment by the beginning of October 2022.
-
Updated the table showing when you'll be paid to say that most people getting tax credits will be paid the first Cost of Living Payment of £326 between 2 and 7 September 2022.
-
Clarified that for tax credits claimants to get the first Cost of Living Payment of £326, they must have been entitled, or later found to be entitled, to tax credits for any day in the period 26 April 2022 to 25 May 2022, rather than they received a payment between those dates.
-
[1] Updated the table showing when you'll be paid to say that most tax credits claimants will get the first Cost of Living Payment of £326 in September 2022. [2] Added that if you receive a Cost of Living Payment, but are later found not to be eligible for it, you may have to pay it back.
-
Added link to online form to report a missing Cost of Living Payment for Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Pension Credit.
-
Added a warning about scams - you do not need to apply and you’ll be paid automatically. Added clarification about payments for joint claims.
-
Added a table to show the amount of the Cost of Living Payment you'll get and when you'll be paid if you are on a low income benefit from DWP or tax credits from HMRC. Made other amendments to improve clarity.
-
Added that DWP is using a computer program to identify who should be paid and what to do if you disagree with this.
-
Find out what other benefits and financial support you might be able to get to help with your living costs.
-
Clarified the Winter Fuel Payment amounts if you live with someone and either of you gets certain benefits.
-
Added that if you're on a low income benefit from DWP, most of the first Cost of Living Payments of £326 will be made between 14 July 2022 and the end of July 2022.
-
Updated the guidance to to clarify qualifying dates, payment dates, how the payments will be made and how the payments to people on low income benefits and tax credit will be split.
-
In the sections on low income benefits and tax credits, clarified when you will not get a Cost of Living Payment. Added how much Winter Fuel payment you could get for winter 2022 to 2023.
-
First published.