Thousands of Northern Ireland households receive final cost of living payment – here's who qualifies

The £299 Cost of Living Payments are currently being sent to families who receive tax credits and no other qualifying benefits.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is making the payments to eligible tax credits customers across the UK between February 16 and February 22.

More than seven million eligible UK households have already received the £299 payment directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which is paying its customers between February 6 and 22.

This is the third of three payments totalling up to £900 for those eligible and on means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or tax credits, in 2023/24 and comes as part of the UK Government’s £104 billion cost of living support package.

These payments are tax-free, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC Director General for Customer Services, said: “The £299 Cost of Living Payment will deliver further financial support to eligible tax credits customers across the UK. To make things as simple as possible, the payment is made automatically with no action required from HMRC’s customers.”

The payment from HMRC to tax credits customers will appear on bank statements as ‘HMRC COLS’, referencing Cost of Living Support. Those receiving the payment from DWP will see the payment reference as their National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP COL’.

If customers have not received the Cost of Living Payment from HMRC between the published payment dates, but believe they are eligible, they should wait until after February 23 to make contact. This is to allow time for their bank, building society or credit union to process the payment.

Receiving a previous Cost of Living Payment does not guarantee customers will get this payment. Customers must meet the individual eligibility criteria for each payment, as published on GOV.UK.

Payment from HMRC will be made automatically into the bank account where eligible customers receive their tax credits. They do not need to do anything to receive a payment. They do not need to contact HMRC or apply for the payment.

The public is being urged to beware of scams targeting Cost of Living Payments. If someone contacts you about this payment saying they are from HMRC or DWP, it might be a scam. People can check advice on spotting scams by visiting GOV.UK and searching ‘HMRC phishing and scams’. They can also check on GOV.UK that any contact is genuinely from HMRC.