Thousands of Brits missing out on £599 cost of living payment – how to claim now

THOUSANDS of Brits could qualify for a £599 cost of living payment later this summer but risk missing out if they don't take action now.

It comes after the government announced a raft of cost of living payments worth up to £1,350 last November.

The payments, worth £900, £150-£300 and £150, have already started being made, and should all be processed by spring 2024.

Eight million households received the first instalment of the £900 cost of living payment - worth £301 between April 25 and May 17.

Those that qualified for this payment must have been receiving the following benefits between January 26 and February 25:

• Income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA)
• Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
• Income support
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Child tax credit
• Working tax credit

But households that qualify for Universal Credit or other benefits should make sure that they launch their claims now to ensure their eligibility for the next two instalments worth £300 and £299.

The second and third instalments are being made in the autumn of this year and spring of 2024, respectively.

However, the deadline to apply for any means-tested benefits that qualify for the second and third payments has not yet been set.

That means thousands of Brits who qualify for one of those benefits could start a claim and be eligible for the second payment.

You can check to see if you can apply for benefits - or see if you're missing out on cash - by using a calculator like the one supplied by Turn2Us.

You would need to qualify for help and apply before the second date, which is due to be set by the DWP later this year.

How do I get the £599 payment?

The two remaining payments worth £599 in total will go to everyone on means-tested benefits, including universal credit, pensions credit, jobseekers' allowance and income support automatically.

It means you don't have to do anything to get the payment.

But depending on the type of benefit you claim - you may have to wait a little longer to receive each of the two instalments.

This is because those receiving tax credits only will receive their payment from HMRC after the DWP payments begin to avoid duplicate payments.

To automatically qualify for the next two payments - you'll need to be claiming the eligible means-tested benefit within a specific qualifying period.

The DWP and HMRC will set the specific dates for each qualifying week at a later date.

What other help is available?

Millions of households with disabilities will also get a £150 cost of living payment in weeks.

The tax-free cash will be paid directly into bank accounts between June 20 and July 4.

You have to be receiving certain benefits to qualify for the £150 cost of living payment. These are:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Scottish Disability Benefits (Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment)
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• War Pension Mobility Supplement

The £150 payment will be paid directly into eligible people's bank accounts - you don't have to apply.

The code to spot in your statement will be your national insurance number followed by "DWP COL".

Plus, in Winter 2023, a £300 one-off "Pensioner Cost of Living Payment" will be paid out to eight million households to boost the value of the winter fuel payment.