Benefit claimants all across the country will have begun to see the first Cost of Living payment of the year land into their bank accounts today.
However, if you have checked your account and are expecting the payment but haven't received it yet, don't worry too much. Most people who qualify for the Cost of Living payments will be paid from today, however the final deadline for most benefits to land in people's bank accounts isn't until Wednesday, May 17.
If you receive benefit payment from Tax Credits and no other low-income benefits, then you will be paid between May 2 and May 9, 2023. The government has also highlighted that your payments may come at a later date after the deadline for a variety of reasons.
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This could be because you were awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date or you changed the account your benefit or Tax Credits are paid into - in this situation, the payment will still be made automatically. Therefore, you should wait until May 17 to see if the Cost of Living payment will land into your bank account.
If it hasn't then you need to contact the government department which usually issues your benefit payments to see if a mistake has been made or if there has simply been a delay. It's important to remember while waiting on the payment that it will be paid automatically; the DWP has previously warned that any email, text, or call asking for your personal details in order to receive the payment is a scam.
If you have received one of these emails you should report it to report@phishing.gov.uk - for text messages, forward it to 7726 for free.
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