A warning has been issued to those people who have received cost of living payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), as some may have to pay a certain amount back. More than six million people on disability benefits have been issued automatic payments of £150, since June 20.
The final payments are expected to be made on July 4, with some expected a little later than this depending on circumstances. Chronicle Live reports, however, that an update on the official cost of living 2023/24 payments page on the Gov.uk website states that "if you receive a Disability Cost of Living Payment, but we later find that you were not eligible for it, you may have to pay it back".
The advice likely comes as part of new statistics published in a report titled 'Fraud and Error in the benefits system' which estimates that £410 million (4.9%) in cost of living payments (across all benefits) were overpaid during the 2022/23 financial year. The total UK government expenditure on cost of living payments last year was £8.4 billion.
