There is no new national Cost of Living Payment for 2026. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says it is not planning to make any more Cost of Living Payments, and the last one — £299 for most eligible people — was paid in February 2024.
That does not mean help has stopped. In England, the Household Support Fund closed on 31 March 2026 and was replaced the next day by the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which runs until 31 March 2029. Your council runs it, so what you can get and how you ask for it depends on where you live. This guide explains what changed, what the new fund can help with, and how to check what your council offers.
The short version
- There is no new national Cost of Living Payment for 2026, and DWP says no more are planned.
- The last national payment was £299, paid to most eligible people between 6 and 22 February 2024.
- The Household Support Fund ended on 31 March 2026. In England it was replaced by the Crisis and Resilience Fund, running 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029.
- There is no national application form. You ask through your own council, and each council sets its own rules and amounts.
- Anyone who tells you to apply for a new DWP Cost of Living Payment, or asks for bank details by text or email to release one, is not genuine — real DWP Cost of Living Payments were always automatic.
On this page:
- There is no new national Cost of Living Payment
- What replaced the Household Support Fund
- What the Crisis and Resilience Fund can help with
- How to check what your council offers
- Other help in 2026: Universal Credit, State Pension and housing
- Charities and social tariffs
- What to do next
- Questions people ask
There is no new national Cost of Living Payment
The DWP Cost of Living Payments ran from 2022 to 2024. They were one-off payments for people who met benefit or tax credit conditions on set dates. The last means-tested payment was £299, paid to most eligible people between 6 and 22 February 2024. Since then, GOV.UK has stated plainly that DWP is not planning to make any more Cost of Living Payments, and that there will be no Cost of Living Payment for 2026.
That is worth saying clearly, because posts and messages still circulate promising new payments of £130, £299, £300 or £500. None of those is a current national payment. If you see one, check it against GOV.UK before you act on it — and never share bank details or pay a fee to “release” a payment. Genuine DWP Cost of Living Payments were always automatic: you never had to apply for them.
What replaced the Household Support Fund
The Household Support Fund was the main route for local cost-of-living help from October 2021. Councils in England used it to help households with food, energy and water bills and other essentials. Its final round ran from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, with £742 million shared between councils in England. It then closed.
From 1 April 2026, its replacement in England is the Crisis and Resilience Fund. The government has confirmed £842 million a year for it, and funding runs to 31 March 2029 — a three-year settlement instead of the short rounds the old fund ran on. It also brings Discretionary Housing Payments into the same grant in England, so housing-cost help that used to sit under a separate scheme now sits inside this fund.
Three things about the new fund matter for readers:
- It is England only. Help with local welfare is devolved, so Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements. If you live outside England, start with your devolved government or your local council’s own pages.
- Your council decides the detail. The government sets the framework; each council designs its own scheme, including who qualifies and how much help is given.
- It has four parts. Crisis Payments for sudden hardship, Housing Payments for shortfalls in housing costs, Resilience Services such as debt advice and benefit checks, and Community Coordination to join local support together.
What the Crisis and Resilience Fund can help with
Crisis Payments are the part most readers will ask about. Government guidance says every county council and unitary authority in England must run a Crisis Payment scheme, that schemes should be cash-first and mainly application-based, and that they should aim to stay open all year round. A Crisis Payment is meant for a sudden shock — an unexpected bill, a broken cooker or fridge, a drop in income — not as a regular top-up to your income.
What a council can help with varies, but the guidance lists food, energy and water bills, essential household items and housing costs. Some councils also fund advice services that sit alongside the payments: help checking you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to, debt advice, and budgeting support.
The old £130 figure in this post came from one council’s local scheme — Manchester City Council paid £130 in November 2025 to households getting Council Tax Support plus a disability benefit such as DLA or PIP, from its Household Support Fund share. That was Manchester’s decision, not a national rate. Under the new fund, amounts still differ from council to council, so this guide does not quote a figure that would be wrong for most readers. Your council’s page is the only place that can tell you the amount where you live.
How to check what your council offers
- Find your council on GOV.UK and open its website.
- Search the council site for “Crisis and Resilience Fund” (some councils still call it “Crisis Payment”). If the search finds nothing, try “cost of living help” or “household support”.
- Read the eligibility and how-to-apply pages before you apply. Note whether you need to be on a particular benefit, whether there is a limit on how often you can apply, and what proof you need — usually proof of income, benefit statements and recent bills.
- If you cannot find it online, phone the council or ask Citizens Advice. Citizens Advice can also check for benefits you may be missing out on, which is often worth more over a year than a one-off crisis payment.
Do not expect the same answer in two places. Two neighbouring councils can offer different amounts, different qualifying rules and different application windows, because the fund is run locally.
As an example of what a council page looks like, Dorset Council’s financial help page lists the support it offers locally.
Other help in 2026: Universal Credit, State Pension and housing
Universal Credit — April 2026 rates
Universal Credit standard allowances rose from April 2026. The monthly standard allowance is now £338.58 for a single claimant under 25 and £424.90 for a single claimant aged 25 or over. That is a 6.2% rise: 3.8% in line with September 2025 CPI inflation, plus a 2.3% above-inflation rise under the Universal Credit Act 2025. The figures of £311.68 and £393.45 that used to sit in this guide were the 2024/25 rates, and the 1.7% figure was the April 2025 uprating — both are out of date and have been removed.
The two-child limit on Universal Credit was also removed from 6 April 2026, so the child element is no longer limited to two children. Your total Universal Credit still depends on your full circumstances — earnings, housing costs, children and health — so the standard allowance is only the starting point. Use a benefits calculator or speak to Citizens Advice for a figure that fits your household.
State Pension — April 2026 rates
The State Pension rose by 4.8% in April 2026 under the triple lock. The full rate of the new State Pension is now £241.30 a week, and the full basic State Pension is £184.90 a week. That is up to £575 a year more on the full new rate. (For reference, the April 2025 rise was 4.1%, taking the full new rate to £230.25 and the full basic rate to £176.45.)
Help with housing costs
In England, Discretionary Housing Payments have been folded into the Crisis and Resilience Fund as its Housing Payment part. If you get Universal Credit with a housing element, or Housing Benefit, and your rent is still more than that covers, ask your council about a Housing Payment under the fund. In Wales, Discretionary Housing Payments still exist as a separate scheme, so the route is different there.
Charities and social tariffs
Charities can help where a council fund cannot. Turn2Us runs a grants search that matches your situation to charitable funds, and Citizens Advice can point you to local charities as well as check your benefits. The British Gas Energy Trust offers grants for energy debt and does not limit help to British Gas customers. No amounts are quoted here, because each fund sets its own limits and they change — check the charity’s own page before you apply.
Social tariffs are also worth checking. Some broadband providers and water companies offer cheaper deals for people on certain benefits. Ask your provider directly what it offers and what proof it needs; the discount is only useful if it fits the deal you already have.
What to do next
If money is tight right now, start with your council’s Crisis and Resilience Fund page — that is where any cash help will come from. While you are there, check whether you need to apply or whether your council contacts eligible households directly. Then get a benefits check through Citizens Advice or a benefits calculator: a missed benefit is worth more than a one-off payment, and it keeps paying. And if a message promises you a new national Cost of Living Payment, treat it as a scam until GOV.UK says otherwise. For council work itself, see Leeds City Council jobs, and plan around 2026 bank holidays in the UK.
Questions people ask
Is there a Cost of Living Payment in 2026?
No. DWP says it is not planning to make any more Cost of Living Payments, and there will be no Cost of Living Payment for 2026. The last national payment was £299, paid to most eligible people in February 2024.
What happened to the £130 payment from October and November 2025?
There was no national £130 payment. The £130 figure came from local council schemes — for example, Manchester City Council paid £130 in November 2025 to households on Council Tax Support plus a disability benefit, from its Household Support Fund share. Each council set its own amounts, and the Household Support Fund has now closed.
What replaced the Household Support Fund?
The Crisis and Resilience Fund, in England, from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. It covers crisis payments, housing payments, resilience services such as debt advice, and local coordination. You apply through your own council.
How do I apply for Crisis and Resilience Fund help?
Through your local council — there is no national form. Search your council’s website for “Crisis and Resilience Fund” or “Crisis Payment”, or phone the council or Citizens Advice if you cannot find it online.
How much is Universal Credit in 2026/27?
The monthly standard allowance from April 2026 is £338.58 for a single claimant under 25 and £424.90 for a single claimant aged 25 or over, before any extra elements for housing, children or health, and before earnings are taken into account.
Do I need to be on benefits to get council crisis help?
Not always — each council sets its own rules, and some help households that are not on benefits. Check your council’s page for its own qualifying rules.
Sources checked
- GOV.UK, Cost of Living Payments guidance (last updated 1 April 2026) — “DWP is not planning to make any more Cost of Living Payments”; final payment £299, 6–22 February 2024.
- GOV.UK, “£1 billion resilience fund and next step towards removal of two-child limit provide safety net for families”, 3 February 2026.
- GOV.UK, Crisis and Resilience Fund: Guidance for local authorities in England (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029).
- GOV.UK, Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027.
- GOV.UK, “Over 12 million pensioners to receive £575 State Pension boost”, 4 April 2026.
- Dorset Council, Financial help (checked 8 November 2026; no £130 figure or payment dates on the page).
- Manchester City Council £130 payment, November 2025 (reported).
All sources checked 8 November 2026. Figures are for 2026/27 unless stated. Council schemes differ by area — readers should check their own council’s page.
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