Gov.uk reporting cost of living issue

Anyone got any links with the gov.uk team?!

Link suggests you should be able to report both a disability cost of living payment and a low income one through the same link, but when you click through, it just gives you the option for disability and says you shouldn’t use it for the low income COL payment.

Wording:

Report a missing Cost of Living Payment
You can report a missing Cost of Living Payment if you think you should have had one of the following payments but you cannot see it in your bank, building society or credit union account:

£150 Disability Cost of Living Payment
£326 Cost of Living Payment for a low income benefit or tax credits

and then next page…

Use this service if you were expecting the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment but have not received it for:

Personal Independence Payment
Disability Living Allowance for adults
Disability Living Allowance for children
Adult Disability Payment
Child Disability Payment
Attendance Allowance
Constant Attendance Allowance
Armed Forces Independence Payment
War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
You will only get one £150 payment even if you get more than one disability benefit. If your child gets a disability benefit, they will get a separate £150, if eligible.

You’ll need your National Insurance number. If you’ve lost your National Insurance number, check how to find a lost National Insurance number.

Before reporting a missing payment, check your bank, building society or credit union account, or your Payment Exception Service voucher receipt. The payment will be made separately from your benefit.

Start now

Do not use this service if:

- you did not receive a payment of one of the qualifying disability benefits for 25 May 2022 - you will not be eligible for the Disability Cost of Living Payment
- you have already had a £150 payment - you will only get one payment even if you get more than one disability benefit
- you have already reported a missing £150 payment - we will reply to you as soon as we can
you’re still waiting for a decision on your benefit application or appeal - if you’re eligible, you’ll get the payment automatically later
- you want to report a missing £326 Cost of Living Payment

I can send an email up via the stakeholder forum and try and get clarification :)

Hi Rebecca - this is the reply i have just received -

I can confirm the correct route for reporting missing Low Income Cost of Living (COL) payments for people struggling with the digital method or are unclear about the online instruction.

This would be for the claimant to contact DWP using the normal number they phone according to the low income benefit they are receiving:

Universal Credit
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Income Support
Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit

They would then advise us of a missing COL payment verbally.

Seems to miss the point that the instructions are wrong - I will point this out to them!

Further response via stakeholder forum -

I have had further conversations with the Cost of Living Team and looked into the .GOV information in more detail for you.

I can confirm there is no way to report a missing £326 Cost of Living Payment digitally at present.

I am told that the ability to report a missing £326 payment digitally will begin from 24th Nov on .GOV.

The only way that a missing £326 Cost of Living Payment can be reported at present is to call the office that pays the benefit directly by phone. (The numbers are shown on .GOV).

I agree that the instructions on gov.uk around this are misleading. Even though .GOV does direct you to call and report the missing payment below the “Do not use this service if” section, I feel there is an implication that this can be done digitally. This as you say is incorrect and I have raised this with the team that are responsible for the .GOV Instructions.

Thank you very much for this.