The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started dropping one-off payments for £326 into bank accounts of benefit claimants across the country on July 14. The cash is the first instalment of the means-tested £650 cost of living payment which is being made to millions of households this year.
However, the DWP confirmed on Wednesday that while seven million eligible claimants are “on track” to receive the £326 payment by the end of July, some people with “more complex circumstances” will have to wait a bit longer for the money, which is intended to help mitigate the rising cost of living.
DWP Minister, David Rutley MP, said the number of cases who will have to wait is less than one per cent, but reassured that “all eligible households will automatically receive the first instalment”.
His comments were promoted after Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Jonathan Ashworth MP, asked DWP to estimate the number of people eligible to receive the £650 cost of living payment who will not receive it before the end of July.
In a written response on July 20, Mr Rutley said: “DWP are on track to process this first instalment to seven million eligible, low-income households receiving benefits by the end of July, and this has not changed.
“In some cases, with more complex circumstances - less than 1% of those entitled to the instalment - the payments will take slightly longer to process. But all eligible households will automatically receive the first instalment.”
Earlier this month, he warned of “potential delays for a small minority of cases due to their unique characteristics” and explained that payments were being staggered due to the volume of payments involved - not by benefit type.
What to do if you don’t receive the £326 payment
If it’s important to ensure that you do qualify for the £326 payment in the first place.
In the UK Government’s Cost of Living Payment guidance on GOV.UK, it also states that a computer program has been used to identify eligible claimants.
It states: “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.”
You can find the telephone number for your local Jobcentre Plus on the GOV.UK website, here.
Qualifying benefits for the £326 payment
You may get a payment of £326 paid into your account from July 14 if you’re getting any of the following:
- Universal Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credits - see further down for full details
- Child Tax Credits - See further down for full details
Eligibility for £326 payment
To get the first Cost of Living Payment of £326, you must have been entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of either:
- Universal Credit for an assessment period that ended in the period April 26, 2022 to May 25, 2022
- Income-based JSA, Income-related ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit for any day in the period April 26, 2022 to May 25, 2022
Who is not eligible for the payment?
You will not be eligible for a payment if you get:
- New Style Employment and Support Allowance
- Contributory Employment and Support Allowance
- New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance, unless you get Universal Credit
£326 payment if you get Tax Credits
To get the first Cost of Living Payment of £326, you must have been entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of either:
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
Eligibility for Tax Credits claimants
To get the first Cost of Living Payment of £326, you must have received a payment, or an annual award of at least £26, of Tax Credits on any day in the period April 26, 2022 to May 25, 2022.
If you get both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, you will receive a Cost of Living Payment for Child Tax Credit only.
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