DWP £300 cost of living payment - dates and eligibility

Many homes have already received a £450 boost from the DWP this year, through the first of three cost of living payments worth £301, and through a £150 boost sent to six million homes on disability benefits.

But there are still more DWP payments to come this year, including a £300 cost of living payment that will be sent to more than eight million homes in Autumn.

A DWP cost of living payment worth £300 will be sent to more than eight million homes this Autumn, are you eligible? (Image: Getty)

This is everything we know about the payment so far.

Who is eligible for DWP cost of living payment?

There are several benefits that could make claimants eligible for the Cost of Living Payment, including Universal Credit and tax credits – through which 5.4 million households across the UK are expected to qualify, and Pension Credit, through which 1.4 million pensioner households are expected to be paid. 1.3 million will be eligible through legacy DWP benefits such as Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support, reaching a total of 8.1 million households.

Eligible individuals do not need to apply for payments, as they are made automatically. Those eligible for cost of living payments through tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will be paid by HMRC shortly after DWP payments are made.

When is £300 DWP cost of living payment due?

The exact payment dates are yet to be announced by the DWP, but this is when to expect each individual payment over the next year:

• Second cost of living payment - £300 – Autumn 2023
• Pensioner payment - £300 – Winter 2023
• Third cost of living payment - £299 – Spring 2024

DWP Winter Fuel Payment

Many homes will also be able to claim energy bill support worth up to £600 in the form of Winter Fuel Payments this winter.

Applications for the support open on September 18.

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born before September 25, 1957.

A DWP cost of living payment worth £300 will be sent to more than eight million homes this Autumn, are you eligible? (Image: PA)

You will usually need to live in the UK, though some circumstances may mean you are eligible if you live abroad.

You will not be eligible if any of the following apply to you:

• have been in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
• need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says that you cannot claim public funds
• were in prison for the whole of the week of 18 to 24 September 2023

And those living in care homes will be eligible unless both of the following apply:

• you get Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• you lived in a care home for the whole time from 26 June to 24 September 2023