First £326 cost of living payments begin

The first instalment of the £326 cost of living support payment began reaching claimants on 14 July 2022, according to the Turn2us benefit changes timetable¹. The payments went to people in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-related ESA, income-based JSA and Income Support¹.

Claimants receiving Tax Credits, but not Income Support, income-related ESA or income-based JSA, were due to receive the £326 payment in September instead¹. A second payment of £324 was scheduled for autumn, with dates to be confirmed at the time of the timetable's entry¹. The timetable later listed the second payment of £324 for people in receipt of Universal Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support and Pension Credit as falling between 8 and 23 November 2022¹. A further payment of £324 was listed as likely in December for people in receipt of tax credits and no other income-related benefit¹.

The £326 payment formed part of a wider set of cost of living measures listed in the timetable. These included a £150 payment made through the council tax system in England, Scotland and Wales, with different schemes in each nation¹, a £150 payment to people in receipt of disability benefits in September 2022¹, a £300 payment to pensioners in December 2022¹, and £400 taken off energy bills for almost all households, paid in monthly instalments from October 2022¹. The timetable noted exceptions for those whose bills are included in their rent and people who live in park homes¹.

Why it matters for households

The £326 payment was made automatically to people receiving the qualifying means-tested benefits on 14 July 2022, with Tax Credit-only households receiving theirs in September¹. The second instalment of £324 followed in November for most of the same group, and in December for tax credit recipients with no other income-related benefit¹. Households on Pension Credit were among those receiving the July payment, as were those on Universal Credit and the income-related legacy benefits¹.

The payment was one of several made across 2022. A £150 disability cost of living payment was listed for September 2022, a £300 pensioner payment for December 2022, and £400 off energy bills paid in instalments from October 2022¹. The £150 council tax rebate was delivered through separate schemes in England, Scotland and Wales¹.

What happens next

The timetable listed the second cost of living payment of £324 for 8 to 23 November 2022 for people on Universal Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support and Pension Credit, and a likely payment of £324 in December 2022 for tax credit recipients with no other income-related benefit¹. The £300 pensioner payment was listed for December 2022, and the £400 energy bill support was paid in monthly instalments from October 2022¹.