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The DWP cost-of-living payments ended in 2024 — there is no new £299 payment and none has been announced for 2025/26. But real help is still available. Here's what you can still get.
If a website or text message promises a brand-new "cost of living payment" and asks for your bank or card details, treat it as a likely scam — the genuine schemes below never ask for payment to release money.
What the cost of living payments were — and that they've ended
Between July 2022 and February 2024, the government made a series of one-off Cost of Living Payments to help with high prices. They were paid automatically by the DWP or HMRC, depending on the benefit you got. There were three groups of payment:
| Who | What they got (the series, now ended) |
|---|
| Means-tested benefits (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support, tax credits) | Three payments totalling £900 across 2023/24 — the final £299 arriving in February 2024 |
| Certain disability benefits | A separate £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment |
| Pensioner households | A Pensioner Cost of Living Payment added to the Winter Fuel Payment |
That scheme has closed. The £299 payment in February 2024 was the third and last in the series, and the government has not announced any further national cost-of-living payments. So waiting for "the next one" means waiting for a payment that isn't coming. The good news: the help below does exist — and a lot of it is missed money.
What replaced them
Rather than one big national lump sum, support is now spread across ongoing benefits and council-run funds. The biggest change to know about:
Household Support Fund → Crisis & Resilience Fund
In England, the Household Support Fund ended on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 it was replaced by the Crisis & Resilience Fund (CRF), run by your local council and funded through to March 2029.
It is not broad automatic payments — it is targeted, needs-based help for people facing genuine hardship (help with food, energy and essentials), and you usually apply through your council. See our Crisis & Resilience Fund guide.
Alongside that, the everyday safety net does the heavy lifting: Universal Credit and Pension Credit for income, plus the seasonal energy schemes below. None of these are new — but a huge amount goes unclaimed each year.
What you can still get now
This is the help that genuinely exists in 2026. You may qualify for several of these at once:
| Help | What it is |
|---|
| Pension Credit | Tops up the income of people over State Pension age — and unlocks other help. Heavily under-claimed |
| Universal Credit | The main working-age income benefit. Check entitlement even if you work |
| Warm Home Discount | £150 off your electricity bill over winter for those on a low income or certain benefits |
| Cold Weather Payment | £25 per 7-day cold spell (0°C or below) in England & Wales — Scotland uses the Winter Heating Payment instead |
| Winter Fuel Payment | Help with winter heating for older people (eligibility rules apply) |
| Crisis & Resilience Fund / local welfare | Council-run crisis help with food, energy and essentials (replaced the Household Support Fund) |
| Energy bill help & water bill help | Supplier hardship grants, payment plans, the Priority Services Register, social tariffs |
| Council Tax Reduction | Lower (or no) council tax for people on a low income — apply to your council |
| Healthy Start | Vouchers for food and vitamins for pregnant women and families with young children on a low income |
| Food banks | Free emergency food parcels — usually via a referral from Citizens Advice or your council |
Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland: own schemes
The benefits above are UK-wide, but crisis and welfare funds are devolved, so the local schemes differ:
Different nations, different funds
Scotland runs the Scottish Welfare Fund (Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants) through councils, plus Social Security Scotland payments such as the Winter Heating Payment and Scottish Child Payment — see mygov.scot.
Wales has the Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF) for emergency and essential costs.
Northern Ireland provides crisis help through Discretionary Support (Finance Support) and Advice NI. Whichever nation you're in, your local council or advice service can point you to the right fund.