Cost of Living payment latest — Are you on Universal Credit & still waiting for DWP £301? – here’s why and how it’s paid
- Are you eligible for today's £301 Cost of Living Payment?
- Seven major money changes coming in May
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THE DWP has revealed why some Universal Credit claimants are yet to receive the government's £301 Cost of Living Payment.
Some 8m eligible Brits will have the £300 cash payment sent straight to their accounts, no application needed, to help with the
The payment will be worth exactly £301, and will be followed by two more instalments - worth £299 and £300 - coming this autumn and Spring 2024.
But some Brits are yet to receive the cash, this is because the payment has been staggered, with around five million out of the expected 8 million recipients to get the money by the end of this week, the DWP reports.
To be eligible you will have to claim one following benefits; Income-based jobseeker’s allowance, Income-related employment and support allowance, Income support, Pension credit, Child tax credit, Working tax credit and Universal Credit.
Read our Cost of Living blog below for the latest updates...
This blog is now paused...
This Cost of Living blog has now been paused... but fear not as we will be back next week with all of the latest tips on how to save money.
For now, you can find all of the latest Cost of Living news here.
Top 10 travel hacks to save some money
Are you a super savvy saver when it comes to booking holidays? Or do the websites get the best of you, causing you to miss out on deals?
Take this to find out your savvy-booker score.
Below are some top tips on saving money when booking a holiday.
- Compare different travel dates to see if it’s cheaper
- Search for flights departing on a particular day to see if it’s cheaper
- Pay for flights with a credit card
- Book a hotel directly rather than through a third-party site
- Pack as lightly as possible to avoid baggage charges
- Search for flights six-eight weeks in advance of the trip
- Buy a package deal to make the entire trip less costly
- Compare multiple flight comparison websites
- Compare multiple airline websites directly
- Book flights in the ‘off season’ of where you’re travelling to
Online tasks to make some cash
Fill out online surveys
Online surveys are a quick and relatively easy way to get hold of extra cash.
You can get paid up to £6 per survey - and it’s a great way to make money, according to both Emma Drew of and Francesca Mason of .
There are lots of sites you can use, but these are the easiest to navigate: and .
Go mystery shopping
What could be better than being paid to shop for nothing?
Some brands pay you to shop free of charge, and you can even do it online in some cases.
MoneySavingExpert forum users have put together to how you can start mystery shopping.
You could make hundreds as well - we previously spoke to one dad who makes a whopping £1,500 a year from filling out online surveys and mystery shopping.
Free debt advice
If you’re in debt there are plenty of services you can take advantage of and they offer free advice on how to manage debt.
Most of them can offer you free guidance and help in person, over the telephone or online.
- – 0800 138 7777
- – 0808 800 9060
- – 0800 138 1111
- – 0808 808 4000
How much am I paying to run my dishwasher?
The average dishwasher uses between 1.2kWh and 1.5kWh per load, according to research by Compare The Market.
And according to Energy Saving Trust, your dishwasher contributes to 8% of your overall electricity bill.
Earlier this year, research showed a single use of the average dishwasher cost around 27p.
Remember, modern dishwashers use much less water than washing by hand - so they should be cheaper to run and better for the environment.
But there are still ways to cut dishwasher costs and we've listed them.
Upcoming Bank Holiday benefit changes as Brits receive cash early
Benefits are often paid early due to Bank Holidays, so it is important to keep up with the changes.
Here's when the DWP will make your payments around upcoming Bank Holidays:
- May 1 - Payments will be paid TOMORROW instead of Monday.
- King Charles III's coronation bank holiday - Payments will be made on May 5, not May 8
- Spring bank holiday - May 26, not May 29
- Summer bank holiday - payments will be made on August 25, not August 28
- Festive period - payments due on December 25, 26 and 27 this year, will instead be paid on December 22
Major supermarket to increase delivery fees next month
Tesco is increasing the minimum amount that customers need to spend to qualify for home delivery without facing an extra charge.
From May 2, the minimum basket value for home delivery will change to £50 – up from its previous level of £40
It is also increasing the basket charge for those who don’t meet the minimum spend.
The minimum basket charge will increase to £5 – up from £4.
The minimum basket charge is added to all orders that don’t meet the minimum basket value of £50.
But Tesco is retaining the minimum order value for click and collect which will remain at £25 at all stores.
Which benefits could be affected by tomorrow's change?
A number of benefits will be paid early this week as a result of next Monday's Bank Holiday.
Instead, thousands of households will reacive their cash tomorrow.
Here are the benefits likely to be affected:
- Attendance allowance
- Carer's allowance
- Child benefit
- Disability living allowance
- Employment and support allowance
- Income support
- Jobseeker's allowance
- Pension credit
- Personal independence payment
- State Pension
- Universal Credit
- Tax credits (such as working tax credit)
Benefits to be paid early tomorrow as Bank Holiday causes major shake up
Thousands on Universal Credit and benefits will see a major change to their payments tomorrow.
The early May bank holiday will mean that you might see your cash hit your bank account a few days before your usual payment date.
This is because benefits are not paid on Bank Holidays.
So if you're due to receive your payment on May 1, you'll actually get it three days before on April 28 instead.
Your payments will be adjusted automatically, so there's no need to do anything.
How much has the national living wage increased by?
The national living wage (NLW) increased on April 1, from £9.50 per hour to £10.42 for people over the age of 23 years - an increase of 92p or 9.7%.
For 21 to 22-year-olds, the NLW has risen to £10.18 per hour.
The rate for people 18 to 20 years of age has risen to £7.49.
And for 16 to 17-year-olds and apprentices, the NLW is £5.28 per hour.
The London living wage, which is higher, is currently set at £11.95 per hour.
1.6 million Brits received the Cost of Living Payment yesterday
The government launched the first round of this year's £900 Cost of Living Payment on Tuesday, and millions have already received the cash.
Yesterday alone, 1.6million households got their hands on the £301 cash boost, bringing the total number of recipients to 3.2million.
This will more than double in the weeks to come, with 8million Brits expected to get the help.
How to reduce the cost of your supermarket shop
At a time when prices are sky high, households will be looking for ways to cut costs on their supermarket shop where they can.
Here we share a number of savvy saving tips to help you cut the cost at the till – and save some much-needed cash.
- Know when to shop – Heading to the shops when products are marked down and bright yellow discount stickers are applied can save a fair bit of cash.
- Hunt for yellow sticker bargains – You should also keep an eye out for yellow stickers to get the best food bargains.
- Make the most of loyalty schemes – Here we revealed the best and worst supermarket loyalty schemes including Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.
- Shop wonky – Strange-shaped fruit and vegetables taste the same but cost less.
- Make a list – One of the most common mistakes shoppers make is going out underprepared.
Is the £900 cost of living payment one per household?
Yes - you'll only get one payment per household.
So for example, if you are a couple with an eligible benefit claim, you can only get £900 in total.
For those receiving the £301 payment from the DWP, it will show in your bank account as "DWP COLP" along with your National Insurance (NI) number.
For example, if your NI number is JT 83 42 97B your payment will show up as "DWP COLP JT 83 42 97B" on your statement.
The payments won't affect the benefit amount you usually get or contribute to the benefit cap.
Every highstreet bank set to close in May
Highstreet banks are facing a wave of closures as providers move to fully online models.
Here are the highstreet banks set to close next month:
Barclays
- Chislehurst - May 4
- Leyburn - May 5
- London (Fleet Street) - May 3
- Oundle - May 5
- Radlett - May 5
- St Helens - May 4
- Watton - May 3
Halifax
- Bletchley - May 18
- Chingford - May 5
- Golders Green - May 3
- Norbury - May 4
- Putney - May 4
- Redruth - May 16
- Sheerness - May 18
- Surbiton - May 10
HSBC
- Arnold - May 9
- Brecon - May 9
- Bridport - May 23
- Brighouse - May 16
- Coleraine - May 2
- Didcot - May 9
- Dover - May 9
- Dundee - May 30
- Fakenham - May 23
- Filton - May 30
- Gainsborough - May 2
- Halesowen - May 16
- Hove - May 23
- Launceston - May 2
- Leicester - May 30
- Liskeard - May 23
- Market Harborough - May 30
- Minehead - May 9
- Stamford - May 16
- Stourport-On-Severn - May 30
- Stroud - May 16
- Waltham Cross - May 30
- Whitby - May 16
- Whitley Bay - May 2
- Wilmslow - May 2
- Sudbury - May 23
Lloyds Bank
- Beeston - May 11
- Borehamwood - May 22
- Ipswich - May 4
- Lampeter - May 15
- Littlehampton - May 23
- London - May 3
- Twickenham - May 11
- Weybridge - May 10
- Whitstable - May 11
- Wickersley - May 15
NatWest closures
- Bootle – May 10
- Broadwater – May 16
- Colwyn Bay – May 17
- Cranbrook – May 30
- Crawley – May 11
- Dunstable – May 3
- Exeter – May 9
- Frome – May 11
- Ilminster – May 18
- London (Marylebone) – May 23
- Maidstone – May 4
- Sheerness - May 25
- Torquay - May 31
TSB closures
- Kirkwall - May 24
- Aberfeldy - May 16
- Newark - May 9
- Luton - May 30
- Banbury - May 31
- Keynsham - May 2
- Evesham - May 4
- Glasgow (G53) - May 17
- Wigan - May 11
Which benefits are means-tested?
The means-tested benefits are:
- Universal Credit
- Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
- Income-related employment and support allowance
- Income support
- Pension credit
- Tax credits (child tax credit and working tax credit)
- Housing benefit
- Council tax support
- Social fund (sure start maternity grant, funeral payment, cold weather payment)
To be eligible to receive any of these benefits, you must be able to demonstrate that your total capital is less than a certain amount.
Free debt advice
If you’re in debt there are plenty of services you can take advantage of and they offer free advice on how to manage debt.
Most of them can offer you free guidance and help in person, over the telephone or online.
- – 0800 138 7777
- – 0808 800 9060
- – 0800 138 1111
- – 0808 808 4000
How do you log in to Universal Credit?
Universal Credit claimants can see their online account by logging in via the gov.uk website.
You’ll need your username and password – which are the same ones you had to set up when you first applied for benefits.
If you have forgotten your login details, you can put in a request to reset your username or password by entering your email address.
If you have an online Universal Credit account, you can also sign in via gov.uk verify.
In a worse case scenario, you can always try calling the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644 (Textphone: 0800 328 1344).
You can also get in contact via NGT text relay on 18001 then 0800 328 5644.
There’s a Welsh language helpline available on 0800 328 1744 too.
Are you eligible for benefits?
A number of charities have benefits calculators that you can use to work out if you are entitled to any extra help.
This includes:
- Turn2Us
- Policy in Practice
- EntitledTo
It’s worth looking into, as if you do qualify, it could make you eligible for the £900 cost of living payment too.
You could be owed £3,000 tax back if you're over 55
Brits over the age of 55 could be owed up to £3,000 tax back as anyone accessing their retirement savings from this age could be overpaying tax.
People who access one-off lump sums from their pensions are taxed as if that will be their monthly income - meaning they often end up paying too much.
The latest official figures from January till March show that HMRC processed 15,800 tax refund claims and a total of £48.5million was repaid.
Steve Webb, Partner at LCP said: "We are not talking about small sums, with over £1 billion being paid back by HMRC so far. Reform of the system is long overdue so that it works to the benefit of pension savers and not the Treasury."
If it was the firs time that you took money from your pension pot and took more than 25%, then HMRC probably owes you money.
To claim the money back fill in a form to send by post or online from the government website - there's the P50Z form if you stopped working and the P53Z form if you're still working but emptied your pension pot.
If you've taken out a chunk, use the P55 form.
It could take up to six weeks to get the money refunded.
Martin Lewis urges energy customers to check their bill NOW
Money Saving expert Martin Lewis is urging households to check their energy bills to make sure they’re not overpaying after the government’s roll out of the £400 discount came to an end in March.
In the latest MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) newsletter, Martin Lewis said: “Now that the £66/mth energy support’s ended – check your new direct debit is fair.
“Many are seeing direct debits hiked due to the support ending, plus many suppliers are reviewing usage.”
Some energy suppliers are hiking customer direct debits to take into account that they’re not receiving a monthly discount anymore, however, customers have a right to a “fair direct debit”, Ofgem’s licence conditions indicate.
There are two types of energy direct debits – fixed or variable.
Most energy customers pay a fixed direct debit which means they pay a fixed amount every month as the supplier calculates how much energy will be used throughout the year and divide it into equal amounts.
Some pay a variable direct debit which sees you paying a varying amount every month or quarter depending on your usage.
How to get free food from Morrisons
Morrisons customers can get a free jacket potato with beans through the Ask for Henry scheme as the major supermarket helps those struggling with hunger.
The chain is running the scheme across its 397 cafes until May 7 and shoppers just have to ask for Henry and will receive a jacket potato with Heinz beans and salad.
The free meals are available all day and open to anyone who might be struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Make sure you’ve been paid the right amount by your employer
Earlier this month the national living wage increased from £9.50 to £10.42 an hour giving workers a boost worth £1,600.
Around 2.5million Brits should be receiving the increase and HMRC is warning workers to check their pay slips and make sure that their employees have gave them the extra cash.
A spokesperson said: “Did you know the National Living and Minimum Wage rates increased on April 1? Check that you’ve been paid the correct amount by your employer.”
Workers can make this easy check on the gov.uk website by heading over to the “” page.
From there simply check the section that applies to you and make sure you have been paid the new rate for your age group.
John Lewis Partnership to launch new loyalty scheme
John Lewis Partnership is set to compete against Tesco‘s Clubcard scheme as they hired specialists who previously worked at the rival supermarket chain to create a new loyalty scheme.
The scheme launching in 2024 will give shoppers “even more benefits” than the current MyWaitrose or My John Lewis scheme.
It will offer customers more personalised discounts to encourage shopper loyalty.
Supermarkets are putting in every effort to ensure that customers remain loyal while they battle out soaring food prices.
Residents in Brent can earn up to £1,000 in help
With the help of the Household Support Fund, Brent Council is offering its residents up to £1,000 to help with soaring bills of rent, mortgages or council tax amongst others.
The council also put aside £3.5million to offer resident food vouchers and one-off payments.
If you live in the Brent area, are 18 or over and meet the following, you may be eligible:
- have less than £6,000 in savings
- need support with meeting your day to day living expenses including food and utility bills
- are not seeking support to pay for an excluded item
- are willing to comply with any reasonable conditions concerning the payment award, including for example, support from advice agencies
- have not made a Resident Support Fund application in the last 12 rolling months
You can only make one application through the Resident Support Fund between April 1 this year and March 31, 2024.
You can apply on the Brent Council’s website and you’ll also need:
- your most recent statements for all bank accounts (including your partner’s bank statements if you have one)
- you most recent utility bill, if required
The website said that the applications should be processed withing eight to 10 weeks and it will contact residents whose applications have been successful.
Four cheap swaps for expensive medications
Somerset pharmacist, Mike Hewitson, told us how people can save money on cheaper medications which are as effective as expensive ones.
He told The Sun: “I generally advise people to use unbranded medicines which are often as effective as the branded products, but at a fraction of the price.”
We found four medications that you can swap for cheaper versions and still make you feel better in no time.
Starting with Lemsip, a packet of 10 Lemsip max cold and flu lemon sachets cost £5.35 from Boots pharmacy, however, you can buy the Boots own brand Lepsip for £3.49.
Lepsip is known as max strength cold and flue relief lemon flavour powder for oral suspension.
Meanwhile, Wilko sells pain-killing Nurofen at £2.25 per pack of 16 tablets.
However, you can purchase the cheaper Ibuprofen for 39p for the same number of pills and it helps to minimise inflammation in the body.
If you’re suffering from hay fever, you’re most likely to purchase relief Beconase which comes at a whopping £6.49 at Boots.
However, the pharmacy has its own version of hay fever relied, which is that same size and costs £4.99.
Finally, try switching from Calpol, which costs £3.30 at Tesco, to the supermarket’s own brand which costs a quid less, at £2.30.
