BENEFITS EXPERT: I’ve not been given the first of my cost of living support payments

“If you haven’t received the payment then you can report this online to DWP for this to be investigated further.”

I meet the criteria as I’ve been on Universal Credit since February 2021 and there have been no breaks in my claim or any situations where my UC payment was nil. I have not had the first payment of £326, is there a way I can get this looked into?

A. Payments for this cost of living payment should have been made between July 14, 2022 until July 312022, if you haven’t received the payment then you can report this online to DWP for this to be investigated further.

Currently you can only use the online service, there is no phone or postal equivalent currently. The web address for the service, which also includes full information re the current cost of living support packages is online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cost-of-living-payment

The online reporting service is only currently checking inquiries for the first part of the £650 payment but we would imagine the service will be extended for reporting missing payments if you are eligible for the other future support, such as the £150 payment if you get PIP, DLA or AA for example.

Q. I was in hospital following an accident, a support worker told me I might be entitled to claim PIP and also told me if the claim was successful then I would be paid on the date I called The DWP to start the claim process.

I have been successful, however the claim did not start from when I made my call but three months after. Why did my claim not start from the day of the initial call?

A. I am assuming the accident you mentioned has caused health conditions/disabilities leading to you having care and/or mobility issues. With PIP there is a three month qualifying period so when you make a claim The DWP will only pay you from the date of the call if you have had care and/or mobility needs for the three months prior to calling them.

If you claim as a result of an accident and were fine before this then your claim will start from three months from the date of the accident.

So if the example I have described is similar to your situation then this is why the claim did not start from when you rang The DWP.