The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that no further Cost of Living Payments will be issued in 2026. The one-off payments, which ranged from £150 to £326, were made to low-income households, pensioners, and disabled people between 2022 and 2024 to help with rising energy bills and inflation.
An update on GOV.UK states: "DWP is not planning to make any more Cost of Living Payments." The guidance encourages those struggling financially to explore other support, such as checking for unclaimed benefits, and warns against scams where criminals send texts or emails asking people to apply for a payment.
The DWP has also updated information on how it decided to make the payments, detailing how data was used to identify eligible recipients. Anyone who believes they should have received a payment between 2022 and 2024 can contact the office that pays their qualifying benefit to request a reconsideration.
Households are advised to use free online benefit calculators to check for unclaimed support, including Universal Credit, Pension Credit, and Council Tax Reduction. The process takes about ten minutes and is confidential.
