{"id":1487432,"date":"2024-02-07T16:23:54","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T16:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=1674175"},"modified":"2024-02-07T16:23:54","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T16:23:54","slug":"why-havent-i-got-the-cost-of-living-payment-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2024\/02\/07\/why-havent-i-got-the-cost-of-living-payment-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"Why haven\u2019t I got the cost of living payment yet?"},"content":{"rendered":"
‘Why haven’t I got the cost of living payment yet’ is a question on millions of people’s minds at present. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP<\/a>) has been rolling the payments out since 6 February. However, not everyone is entitled to them. Moreover, the department has not said just why it pays some people immediately, while making others wait. So, here’s the Canary<\/em>‘s breakdown of the situation.<\/p>\n As the\u00a0Canary<\/em>\u00a0has documented, the DWP\u2019s\u00a0cost of living payments<\/a>\u00a0have been controversial. There have been two rounds of them. The most recent one saw the department\u00a0give people \u00a3900, split into three payments<\/a>. It paid the first one in April 2023, the\u00a0second payment of \u00a3300<\/a>\u00a0in October\/November, and the third payment of\u00a0\u00a3299 will be made<\/a>\u00a0from 6 February.<\/p>\n People have argued that firstly the money doesn\u2019t even cover the real-terms cuts the government has made to benefits. Secondly, the payments haven\u2019t reflected the rising price of everything (inflation).<\/p>\n However, the DWP has continued with the payments, anyway – with the one that is arriving from 6 February being the last.<\/p>\n Let’s cut to the chase.<\/p>\n The DWP says it has started paying people the cost of living payment from 6 February. However, it has given a date of 22 February as the final day on which people may receive them. If you are entitled to it, it will be paid – but the DWP has never made clear just how it works out the order in which it pays people.<\/p>\n If you still haven’t received the payment, then you can report it as missing here<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, there has been controversy over just who is entitled to the cost of living payment. The DWP has repeatedly claimed that \u201cmost people on DWP benefits\u201d will get the payments. However, this is not accurate.<\/p>\n Many\u00a0Universal Credit<\/a>\u00a0claimants will get the money. However, if you only claim\u00a0one<\/em>\u00a0of the following\u00a0benefits<\/a>, you will not get the cost of living payment:<\/p>\n But how many people is this in total? In April 2023, the Canary<\/em> worked out this was at least 1.6 million people. So, if you’re on any of these benefits and wondering ‘why haven’t I got the cost of living payment yet?’ then this might be your answer.<\/p>\n So, what did the government do for some of the 1.6 million people it didn\u2019t support? Well, it gave them a cost of living payments worth \u00a3150. This was if they were claiming certain benefits like Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The DWP made these payments in 2022 and 2023. However, since then it has not given chronically ill and disabled people any more support \u2013 particularly those not entitled to the main cost of living payment.<\/p>\n This has been devastating for many. Chronically ill and disabled people face\u00a0far higher costs<\/a>\u00a0than non-disabled people \u2013 on average a staggering \u00a31,122 per household, per month. Plus, inflation (how much the price of things we buy rises by) has outstripped benefit increase \u2013 meaning they\u2019ve actually been real-terms cuts.<\/p>\n As the\u00a0Canary<\/em>\u00a0previously\u00a0reported<\/a>, between April 2021 and September 2023:<\/p>\n So, in reality the main payments were a drop in the ocean for many chronically ill and disabled people \u2013 let alone the \u00a3150. However, they were at least something \u2013 hence a petition is calling on the government to reinstate them.<\/p>\n Tom Howard<\/a>\u00a0is a disability rights campaigner. In December 2023, he started a petition calling on the government to reinstate the \u00a3150 cost of living payment. The\u00a0petition states<\/a>:<\/p>\n The rising cost of living, especially the rise in energy bills, disproportionately affects disabled people. For example, someone with a chronic lung condition may require a set temperature in their home. This may mean that they have their heating on more than a comparable household. Furthermore, some may require specialist and\/or medical equipment to be plugged in and active throughout the day. This, in turn, can lead to higher energy usage and therefore higher energy bills. This point is even more pertinent as energy bills are set to increase further at the start of January 2024.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The petition calls on the government to:<\/p>\n to acknowledge the plight of disabled people and reinstate the Disability Cost of Living Payment. The payment should also be reviewed and increased to effectively support disabled people in the UK. It is a matter of basic human rights and social justice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n You can sign the petition\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n So, if you’re wondering ‘why haven’t I got the cost of living payment yet’, then either hold tight – or sign the petition.<\/p>\n Featured image via the Canary<\/em><\/p>\n By Steve Topple<\/a><\/p>\n\nDWP payments: a brief history<\/h2>\n
Why haven’t I got the cost of living payment yet?<\/h2>\n
Not entitled? You’re one of at least 1.6 million.<\/h2>\n
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Not enough in reality<\/h2>\n
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Reinstate the disability cost of living payment<\/h2>\n